The three figures didn't move.
They stood on the distant ridge like shadows carved into stone, silent and still beneath the darkening sky.
Amara couldn't explain it.
They were too far away for her to make out their faces.
Yet she felt their eyes on her.
Not the stranger.
Not the young man.
Her.
The feeling crawled beneath her skin.
"Who are they?" she asked quietly.
The stranger's jaw tightened.
"Trouble."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting right now."
The young man folded his arms.
"You know exactly who they are."
The stranger didn't deny it.
A cold wind swept through the ruins.
The figures remained motionless.
Watching.
Waiting.
As though they had all the time in the world.
Then one of them lifted a hand.
Nothing dramatic happened.
No explosion.
No burst of power.
Just a simple gesture.
Yet the stranger's expression immediately darkened.
"We're leaving."
The young man frowned.
"What did that mean?"
"It means they know where we are."
"They already knew."
"Yes."
The stranger's voice hardened.
"But now they know she's awake."
Amara felt her stomach drop.
Awake.
Everyone kept saying things like that.
As if she were something more than human.
Something she didn't understand.
Something she wasn't ready to understand.
The three figures suddenly stepped backward.
Then vanished.
Not disappeared into the distance.
Not hidden by shadows.
Gone.
One second they were there.
The next they weren't.
The ridge stood empty.
Amara stared.
"What was that?"
The stranger turned away.
"The beginning."
"Of what?"
He looked over his shoulder.
"The hunt."
Silence followed.
Nobody liked that answer.
The sun was almost gone now.
Dark clouds stretched across the horizon.
The ruins around them felt abandoned.
Ancient.
Forgotten.
And yet Amara couldn't shake the feeling that the place was still alive somehow.
Listening.
The stranger started walking.
"We need shelter."
The young man remained where he was.
"We're not following you."
The stranger sighed.
"Then stay here."
Another rumble echoed across the mountains.
Far away.
But growing closer.
The young man glanced toward the sound.
Then reluctantly followed.
Amara couldn't help a small smile.
"You enjoy annoying him, don't you?"
The stranger smirked.
"More than I should."
"Good."
The young man walked between them.
"Glad you're both having fun."
For the first time all day, Amara almost laughed.
Almost.
Because the fear still lingered.
The voice.
The seal.
The creature.
The watchers.
Every answer seemed to create ten new questions.
Hours passed before they reached shelter.
An old stone structure stood hidden among the cliffs.
Most of the roof had collapsed.
The walls were cracked with age.
Yet it remained standing.
Barely.
The stranger pushed open the heavy wooden door.
Dust drifted through the air.
"No one's been here in years," Amara said.
"Good."
The young man looked around cautiously.
"You've been here before."
The stranger nodded.
"Long ago."
Something in his tone made Amara pause.
Long ago.
The way he said it sounded strange.
As though "long ago" meant something very different to him.
Before she could ask, he moved deeper inside.
A small fire crackled to life moments later.
Amara stared.
"You didn't even use matches."
He raised an eyebrow.
"You're surprised by that?"
"At this point, I don't know what surprises me anymore."
The stranger actually laughed.
A real laugh.
Brief.
But genuine.
For a moment he looked younger.
Almost normal.
Then the expression vanished.
The atmosphere shifted again.
The young man sat opposite the fire.
"We need answers."
The stranger remained silent.
"No more half-truths."
Still silence.
Amara sat down as well.
"I agree."
The fire crackled between them.
Finally, the stranger exhaled.
"You won't like the answers."
"Try us."
For several seconds he simply stared into the flames.
Then he spoke.
"The woman you met."
"Seraphine."
He nodded.
"She created the final seal."
Amara's eyes widened.
"The final seal?"
"There were others before it."
The young man frowned.
"How many?"
"Six."
The room fell silent.
Six.
There had been six seals before the one beneath the chamber.
Six attempts.
Six failures.
The realization settled heavily in Amara's chest.
"What happened to them?"
The stranger's expression darkened.
"They broke."
A chill ran through the room.
One by one.
Over centuries.
The seals had fallen.
Until only one remained.
The last one.
The one connected to Amara.
The one now cracking apart.
The young man leaned forward.
"What exactly is behind the seal?"
For the first time, uncertainty appeared in the stranger's eyes.
Not fear.
Something worse.
Doubt.
"I don't know."
Amara blinked.
"What?"
"I know what people called it."
"Then tell us."
The stranger hesitated.
As though even saying the name carried weight.
Finally he spoke.
"The Hollow King."
The fire suddenly flickered.
The temperature in the room dropped.
Not dramatically.
Just enough for everyone to notice.
No one spoke.
The name itself felt wrong.
Like an old wound reopening.
Amara swallowed.
"The creature I saw..."
The stranger nodded.
"We think it's connected."
"Think?"
He looked at her.
"Nobody alive knows the full truth."
A sharp pain exploded behind Amara's eyes.
She gasped.
The room tilted.
The fire blurred.
Voices faded.
A memory flashed through her mind.
A throne.
Black stone.
Silver light.
A man standing in endless darkness.
Waiting.
Watching.
His face hidden.
His eyes glowing.
The same silver eyes she had seen beyond the seal.
Amara jerked upright.
Breathing hard.
The vision vanished instantly.
The stranger was already staring at her.
"You saw something."
It wasn't a question.
Amara hesitated.
Then nodded.
The stranger's face became grim.
"What did you see?"
"A throne."
Neither man spoke.
"A man."
The silence deepened.
"Silver eyes."
The stranger closed his eyes.
The young man's expression paled.
Neither reaction made Amara feel better.
"What?"
The stranger slowly opened his eyes.
"That's impossible."
The room shook.
Everyone froze.
A second tremor followed.
Stronger.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Then came a sound.
Three knocks.
Slow.
Heavy.
Deliberate.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
The sound came from outside.
Every muscle in Amara's body locked.
The young man stood immediately.
The stranger rose to his feet.
No one had followed them.
No one should even know they were here.
Yet someone was standing outside the ruined building.
Waiting.
The knock came again.
Once.
Slowly.
The stranger's face hardened.
"Stay behind me."
Amara's pulse thundered.
The young man stepped forward beside him.
Neither looked afraid.
But they looked ready.
Ready for a fight.
Ready for something dangerous.
The room fell completely silent.
Then a voice drifted through the ancient door.
Calm.
Polite.
And somehow more unsettling because of it.
"Forgive the interruption."
A pause.
Then—