Nightveil's lower catacombs had never been charted—not fully. Not even by Arion. Not even by Kael.
But something had awakened them.
Beneath the crumbling war sanctum, where the last of the moonsteel veins flickered with dying light, Kael stood with the High Enforcers at his back, a map of blood-inked runes sprawled across the stone floor.
"We were never meant to dig this deep," Vessa muttered. "Not without calling it."
Kael didn't look away from the runes. "We've already called it. The Hollowfire woke the moment I wore the crown."
"Hollowfire?" Marek echoed, sneering. "Another superstition?"
Kael's voice cut clean. "It's not a story. It's what the Moonborne blood sealed when they carved the Heartforge. An ancient burn—alive and waiting beneath Nightveil."
Evelyne's tone was low. "Waiting for what?"
Kael turned toward the cracked chamber wall. "A host."
Just then, the floor trembled—once, then again, deeper. A heat bled into the stones, black and furious. The sigils flared red, then burned away entirely, as if scorched from within.
From the shadows behind the war circle, a figure stepped out.
Not one of theirs.
Veila.
But not as she'd once been.
Her fae-wolf blood shimmered like starlight torn in two, her eyes glowing violet and silver. Wings—not feathered, but made of folded magic and bone—unfurled behind her, their tips flickering with embers.
"Too late," she said softly. "It's already rising."
Kael drew his blade, instincts sharp. "You were in hiding."
"I was surviving," Veila answered. "While you built this tomb of power."
Marek lunged forward. "Traitor!"
But before he could reach her, something struck the chamber ceiling from below—a pulse of heat, primal and brutal, like a second sun had ignited underground.
Veila looked at Kael. "You opened the gate. But only a Moonborne can close it."
"Then where's Nyra?" Kael demanded.
Veila smiled sadly. "Where she always is. In the center of the storm."
⸻
Meanwhile — The Whisper Court
Nyra stood in the forest between veils, her mark glowing like wildfire trapped beneath skin. She'd felt it—the Hollowfire. A call, deeper than prophecy, older than vengeance.
Selene approached from behind, her cloak dragging embers across dead leaves. "Do you feel it now?"
Nyra didn't turn. "It wants to burn everything."
"Not everything," Selene said. "Just what was never meant to survive."
"I should kill you for what you've done."
"You will," Selene replied smoothly. "Eventually. But not before you walk into the fire and take back what's yours."
Nyra finally looked over her shoulder, her eyes dark gold. "You mean the gate."
Selene nodded. "It's opening beneath Nightveil. And once it's fully breached, Hollowfire will consume this realm."
Nyra's jaw clenched. "Then why aren't you stopping it?"
"Because I can't," Selene whispered. "But you can."
Nyra turned fully now, the mark on her palm pulsing.
"And what if I choose to let it burn?"
"Then we both lose," Selene said. "And so does the prophecy."
⸻
In the Shadows — Varek Watches
Varek crouched above the Citadel's west wing, invisible under his woven fae-cloak, watching his sister below speak with Kael.
He hated that he remembered Kael's laugh from childhood.
Hated that he still smelled like the same mix of wild earth and winter steel.
But most of all… he hated that part of him still hoped Kael would remember who he was.
Veila had warned him.
"Don't let your blood distract you."
But now, as Kael stood inches from the gate of Hollowfire, Varek could feel the truth rattling inside his bones.
This wasn't just about vengeance.
It was about which bloodline would end the world—and which one would be left to rewrite it.
And if Kael stepped into that fire…
Only one would walk out.
⸻
Cliffhanger Ending
The ground beneath Nightveil split.
The Hollowfire surged.
Nyra took a step into the fracture—flames licking at her skin but not burning her.
Kael stepped forward on the other side.
And between them, the fire coiled like a living thing… waiting to choose.
To be continued.
Hollowfire Rising
Nightveil's lower catacombs had never been charted—not fully. Not even by Arion. Not even by Kael.
But something had awakened them.
Beneath the crumbling war sanctum, where the last of the moonsteel veins flickered with dying light, Kael stood with the High Enforcers at his back, a map of blood-inked runes sprawled across the stone floor.
"We were never meant to dig this deep," Vessa muttered. "Not without calling it."
Kael didn't look away from the runes. "We've already called it. The Hollowfire woke the moment I wore the crown."
"Hollowfire?" Marek echoed, sneering. "Another superstition?"
Kael's voice cut clean. "It's not a story. It's what the Moonborne blood sealed when they carved the Heartforge. An ancient burn—alive and waiting beneath Nightveil."
Evelyne's tone was low. "Waiting for what?"
Kael turned toward the cracked chamber wall. "A host."
Just then, the floor trembled—once, then again, deeper. A heat bled into the stones, black and furious. The sigils flared red, then burned away entirely, as if scorched from within.
From the shadows behind the war circle, a figure stepped out.
Not one of theirs.
Veila.
But not as she'd once been.
Her fae-wolf blood shimmered like starlight torn in two, her eyes glowing violet and silver. Wings—not feathered, but made of folded magic and bone—unfurled behind her, their tips flickering with embers.
"Too late," she said softly. "It's already rising."
Kael drew his blade, instincts sharp. "You were in hiding."
"I was surviving," Veila answered. "While you built this tomb of power."
Marek lunged forward. "Traitor!"
But before he could reach her, something struck the chamber ceiling from below—a pulse of heat, primal and brutal, like a second sun had ignited underground.
Veila looked at Kael. "You opened the gate. But only a Moonborne can close it."
"Then where's Nyra?" Kael demanded.
Veila smiled sadly. "Where she always is. In the center of the storm."
⸻
Meanwhile — The Whisper Court
Nyra stood in the forest between veils, her mark glowing like wildfire trapped beneath skin. She'd felt it—the Hollowfire. A call, deeper than prophecy, older than vengeance.
Selene approached from behind, her cloak dragging embers across dead leaves. "Do you feel it now?"
Nyra didn't turn. "It wants to burn everything."
"Not everything," Selene said. "Just what was never meant to survive."
"I should kill you for what you've done."
"You will," Selene replied smoothly. "Eventually. But not before you walk into the fire and take back what's yours."
Nyra finally looked over her shoulder, her eyes dark gold. "You mean the gate."
Selene nodded. "It's opening beneath Nightveil. And once it's fully breached, Hollowfire will consume this realm."
Nyra's jaw clenched. "Then why aren't you stopping it?"
"Because I can't," Selene whispered. "But you can."
Nyra turned fully now, the mark on her palm pulsing.
"And what if I choose to let it burn?"
"Then we both lose," Selene said. "And so does the prophecy."
⸻
In the Shadows — Varek Watches
Varek crouched above the Citadel's west wing, invisible under his woven fae-cloak, watching his sister below speak with Kael.
He hated that he remembered Kael's laugh from childhood.
Hated that he still smelled like the same mix of wild earth and winter steel.
But most of all… he hated that part of him still hoped Kael would remember who he was.
Veila had warned him.
"Don't let your blood distract you."
But now, as Kael stood inches from the gate of Hollowfire, Varek could feel the truth rattling inside his bones.
This wasn't just about vengeance.
It was about which bloodline would end the world—and which one would be left to rewrite it.
And if Kael stepped into that fire…
Only one would walk out.
⸻
Cliffhanger Ending
The ground beneath Nightveil split.
The Hollowfire surged.
Nyra took a step into the fracture—flames licking at her skin but not burning her.
Kael stepped forward on the other side.
And between them, the fire coiled like a living thing… waiting to choose.
To be continued…