Blood and Oath
501 Words
The night pulsed with unnatural energy as Lorien and Ronan crept back toward the ruined altar. The rift gaped open, spilling dark mist that writhed like living veins. Elder Riven stood at the edge, hands raised, chanting in a language Lorien's blood seemed to understand—but her mind rejected.
"We shouldn't be here," Ronan whispered, gripping his dagger.
"We don’t have a choice," she murmured back.
The Hollow King was still forming, its shadowy limbs stretching outward, clawing at the edges of reality. But it was slow, incomplete. Lorien could feel the pull, the unnatural link between them. The ritual wasn’t finished.
Riven turned, his eyes gleaming with dark triumph.
"You came back," he said smoothly. "Good. The King is pleased."
Lorien's fists clenched. "You think I'm going to let you finish this?"
Riven only laughed. "Child, you were never meant to stop it. You are the final piece."
A shudder ran through her.
"The Blood Moon’s chosen vessel," he continued. "Born from the cursed line. Your blood will wake him fully."
"Like hell it will," Ronan snarled, stepping in front of Lorien.
But Riven lifted a hand, and darkness surged toward them.
Lorien barely had time to react before the shadows wrapped around her throat, lifting her off the ground. She clawed at them, choking, as the Hollow King’s deep, guttural voice rumbled through her skull.
"Give in."
The darkness invaded her mind, flooding her with visions—
A burning village. Wolves torn apart. A woman, bound and bleeding, screaming a name—her name.
"You belong to me."
Her vision blurred, pain ripping through her veins as the blood moon flared overhead. The rift pulsed. It was pulling her in.
No.
NO.
With everything she had left, Lorien thrust her will against it.
"I am NOT yours!"
A burst of power exploded from her, shattering the shadows holding her. She dropped to the ground, gasping, as Riven staggered backward.
"Impossible—!"
Ronan lunged. His dagger flashed, slicing across Riven’s chest. The elder howled, his form flickering like smoke.
"Now, Lorien!" Ronan shouted.
She didn’t hesitate.
Reaching deep inside, she called the power she had felt beneath the Hollow King’s command. But this time, it was hers to wield.
With a scream, she drove it forward—
Straight into the rift.
The air cracked. The Hollow King let out an enraged bellow as the portal shrieked, collapsing in on itself. The ground shook. Riven’s form dissolved into dust, his final scream swallowed by the darkness.
Then—
Silence.
Lorien staggered, barely catching herself. Ronan grabbed her arm, steadying her.
"Did we…?" he panted.
She stared at the empty space where the rift had been, heart still hammering.
"For now," she whispered.
But in the distance, beyond the trees—
A single whisper remained.
"This is not over."
Lorien met Ronan’s gaze, fear twisting in her gut.
She knew the truth.
The Hollow King was not gone.
He was waiting.
And next time, there would be no stopping him.
- Writer
