[Scene Opens – Entrance of the Hollow Citadel]
The gates of the Hollow Citadel groan open not with hinges — but with voices. Each creak is a scream, each gust of wind carries a confession.
Arav and Elara step forward cautiously.
The path ahead is paved with obsidian skulls — their reflections flickering with memories not their own.
Elara (softly):
"This place… it watches."
Arav (gritting his teeth):
"Then let it watch. I'm done hiding."
---
[Scene: The Hall of Breaths]
They enter a grand hall. No torches. No lanterns. Just orbs suspended midair — each one containing a moving face.
A face whispering…
> "I was a traitor."
"I was a thief."
"I was a god once…"
Narrator (echoing):
"The Hall of Breaths. Here, every lie told to the Citadel is stored… breathing, rotting, echoing."
Suddenly, the orbs begin to swirl around Arav — faster, faster — voices rising into a storm of regret.
Orb Voice (harsh whisper):
"Your father… your betrayal… your birth was the lie!"
Elara (screaming):
"Get back!"
A flash of light — and Elara uses her sigil to break the circle.
The orbs fall silent.
---
[Scene: The Spiral of Sight – The Watcher Awaits]
The hallway spirals downward endlessly.
At its base — a throne carved from silver veins of bone.
Seated on it, cloaked in grey, face hidden by a shifting mask of glass — is Orren, the First of the Seven.
The Watcher.
Orren (calmly):
"So. The boy who was never meant to be… stands before me."
Arav (stepping forward):
"I want answers."
Orren (tilting head):
"You want absolution. But you don't know your sins."
He raises a hand — and Arav's mark begins to burn.
---
[Scene: Trial of the Eye – Arav's Truth]
The room twists — glass rising all around.
Each panel shows a memory — not just of Arav's life, but alternate versions.
Arav, as a prince.
Arav, never born.
Arav, as a killer of Elara.
Orren:
"Every shard of fate sees you differently. Which version do you believe is real?"
Arav (furious):
"This one. The one who bled. Who loved. Who lost. That's the only truth I need."
Orren (cold):
"Then you'll die as him."
The throne fractures — and Orren rises, revealing a third eye on his forehead, glowing bright.
---
[Scene: Battle – The Eye Sees All]
Orren moves without movement.
Every attack Arav launches — is countered before he even thinks it.
Elara (shouting):
"He sees your intent! Don't think — feel!"
Arav closes his eyes.
Lets go of logic.
He lets pain guide him — the ache of betrayal, the weight of the sword.
Slash— sparks fly as Orren is struck across the mask.
Orren (startled):
"You… broke the rhythm…"
Arav lunges — and drives the edge of his spirit-mark into Orren's third eye.
Light explodes.
---
[Scene: Aftermath – The Watcher's Gift]
The throne dissolves. Orren kneels, mask cracked.
He reaches into his chest — and pulls out a crystal shard wrapped in threads of time.
Orren (dying whisper):
"This… is the Eye of the Hollow. With it, see not what is… but what will be."
Arav takes it.
Instantly, his mind flashes — visions of future paths.
In one, Zia stands crowned in blood.
In another… he sees himself holding a baby with glowing eyes.
Arav (reeling):
"What is this?!"
Elara (softly):
"Possibility."
---
[Scene: The Sigil Awakens]
The shard fuses into Arav's mark.
The moment it settles — the walls of the Citadel shake.
Far above — a bell tolls.
Narrator:
"The first seal is broken. The first of Seven now rests."
A shadow whispers through the wind:
> "Six more remain. And not all will fall so easily."
---
[Closing Scene – Outside the Throne Room]
As they step into the next chamber — Elara clutches her head.
Blood trickles from her nose.
Arav:
"Elara?! What's happening?!"
She looks up — but her eyes are no longer hers.
They burn gold — like the Watcher's.
Elara (in foreign voice):
"You took from him. Now… he takes from me."
---
End of Chapter 33
Next Chapter 34: Elara the Forgotten Flame
> Her past wasn't just hidden… it was sealed. Now the seal is breaking. And she might not survive what comes out.