Within a Hollow Heart

Chapter 135: Volume 2, Chapter 79: "Echoes of Forgotten Threads"

The night air felt cold and crisp as they made their way through the forest, the light from the stars above barely filtering through the dense canopy of trees. The battle in the chamber still echoed in Cole's mind, the image of the Severed leader's cold, glowing eyes burned into his thoughts. Despite their victory, the encounter had left a sense of unease in him that refused to fade.

Elara walked beside him, her expression drawn, though her focus remained on the threads of the Veil that still pulsed faintly in the air around them. She had been quiet since they left the chamber, her brow furrowed in thought as if she was trying to untangle some invisible knot that only she could see.

Selene and Marcus moved ahead, their eyes scanning the path for any signs of movement, their hands never far from their weapons. The silence between the four of them was heavy, filled with unspoken questions and the lingering tension from the battle.

After what felt like hours, Cole finally broke the silence. "Elara, do you think the Severed are acting alone? Or could there be something else—someone else—pulling the strings?"

Elara glanced at him, her eyes dark with thought. "It's hard to say. The Severed have always been isolated, fragmented groups, but they've never been this organized before. If there is someone uniting them, they must be incredibly powerful—and dangerous."

Cole nodded, his stomach twisting. The idea that someone could be orchestrating the Severed's actions, pushing them to tear open the Veil, made the threat of the void feel even more imminent. Whoever this mysterious force was, they were playing a long game, and it felt like the Severed were just the beginning.

"What if it's more than just the Severed?" Selene said suddenly, her voice breaking through the quiet. She turned back to face Cole and Elara, her eyes sharp. "What if the void itself is guiding them?"

Marcus frowned but didn't respond immediately. Instead, he kept his focus on the path ahead, his face set in hard lines.

"The void has always been a force of destruction," Elara said after a moment, her tone measured. "But it's never had agency. It doesn't think or plan—it just... consumes. The Severed might believe they're acting on its behalf, but the void itself isn't capable of orchestrating anything."

"But that doesn't mean someone isn't using the void," Marcus said, finally breaking his silence. "If there's a way to control the void—manipulate it—then that person could be using the Severed to carry out their plans."

A chill ran down Cole's spine. The thought of someone wielding the void like a weapon was terrifying, but it also made sense. The Severed's actions were too calculated, too precise to be mere chaos. There was a purpose behind everything they had done.

"We need answers," Cole said, his voice firm. "We can't keep fighting in the dark."

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Elara nodded. "The Guardian archives are our best hope. If there's any information about the Severed's history—or about someone trying to control the void—it would be there."

The group continued in silence, the weight of their mission pressing down on them with every step. As they traveled deeper into the forest, the trees grew taller, their twisted branches casting long, eerie shadows across the ground. The air grew colder, and the faint hum of the Veil that had lingered in the background became more pronounced, as if the threads of reality were vibrating with anticipation.

Finally, they emerged from the thick trees into a clearing. At the center of the clearing stood a large, crumbling structure—a Guardian ruin, half-buried beneath the weight of time. The stone walls were weathered and cracked, vines twisting through the gaps like creeping tendrils, reclaiming the space for nature.

"This is it," Elara said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "The archive."

The ruin loomed before them, its presence imposing and filled with the weight of forgotten knowledge. Cole could feel the energy of the place, the faint remnants of the Guardians' influence still lingering in the air, like an echo of the past.

They approached the entrance cautiously, Marcus and Selene leading the way, their weapons drawn. The stone doors had long since fallen, leaving the inside of the archive exposed to the elements. The interior was dark, save for the faint glow of the Veil that seemed to pulse faintly from the center of the structure.

Elara stepped forward, her eyes scanning the walls, her fingers tracing the symbols etched into the stone. "These markings... they're Guardian runes," she said softly. "They recorded their knowledge here, in these stones."

"Can you read them?" Marcus asked, his voice low as he kept his attention on their surroundings.

Elara nodded. "Some of them. But it's going to take time."

"We might not have much time," Selene said, her eyes narrowing as she looked into the dark corners of the ruin. "We don't know if the Severed are still following us."

Cole felt a knot tighten in his chest. The Severed had retreated after their leader fell, but that didn't mean they were gone for good. If they were still hunting the Knots, they could show up at any moment.

"I'll start translating what I can," Elara said, already moving toward one of the stone tablets set against the wall. "Cole, help me. We need to find anything that might give us a clue about the Severed's motives—or whoever is behind them."

Cole moved to her side, his heart pounding as he looked at the ancient symbols carved into the stone. He wasn't a Guardian, but over the months he had been with Elara, he had learned enough about their language to recognize some of the more basic runes.

As Elara worked, her fingers moving over the stone, she began speaking softly. "These runes talk about the Severed... about their fall from the Guardians' teachings. It says they believed the void was the only true force in the universe—that everything else was an illusion, a distraction."

"That's why they want to tear open the Veil," Cole muttered. "They think the void is the only thing that's real."

Elara nodded. "But there's something else here. It talks about a... a force. A being that exists beyond the void. Something ancient, older than the Guardians themselves."

Cole's heart skipped a beat. "A being?"

Elara's eyes flicked up to meet his. "It's not clear what this being is, but the Guardians feared it. They believed that if the Severed ever found a way to reach it, it would mean the end of everything."

Marcus, who had been listening in silence, stepped closer. "Are you saying the Severed are trying to summon this thing?"

Elara's expression was grim. "I think so. They believe the void is the key to reaching it."

A heavy silence fell over the group, the weight of the revelation settling in. The Severed weren't just trying to tear open the Veil for the sake of destruction—they were trying to unleash something far worse, something that could consume not just their world, but reality itself.

"We can't let them succeed," Selene said, her voice hard.

Cole nodded, his mind racing. "We need to stop them before they reach another Knot."

Elara continued scanning the runes, her eyes moving quickly over the ancient text. "There's more... it talks about a weapon, something the Guardians created to stop the Severed if they ever went this far."

"A weapon?" Marcus asked, his tone cautious.

Elara nodded, her eyes lighting up with hope. "It's hidden in one of the last sanctuaries of the Guardians. If we can find it, we might have a way to stop the Severed—for good."

Cole's heart pounded. A weapon capable of stopping the Severed, of preventing them from unleashing the void's full power... it was their best chance. "Where is this sanctuary?"

Elara pointed to the next line of runes, her voice steady. "North, beyond the mountains. We'll have to travel fast."

Marcus sheathed his sword, his expression set. "Then we move at first light."

As they prepared to leave the archive, Cole glanced back at the runes one last time. The weight of what they had learned pressed heavily on him. The Severed weren't just trying to tear open the Veil—they were after something far more dangerous.

The void was only the beginning.