The air crackled with energy as the gate rumbled open, revealing a swirling abyss of shifting light and shadow. It wasn't just a doorway it was a wound in reality, an entrance to something ancient.
Ellie hesitated at the threshold, staring into the void.
"Beyond this gate lies the truth," the First Hollow intoned, its voice distant. "But beware truth is not always kind."
Ellie clenched her fists. "I don't care. I need to know."
Without another word, she stepped forward.
The moment her foot crossed the threshold, the world vanished.
A Place Beyond Time
Ellie's breath caught as she fell.
The darkness wasn't empty it was alive, whispering, shifting, forming and reforming like memories melting together. She tumbled through flashes of worlds long lost, moments of creation and destruction, cycles repeating endlessly.
And then
She landed.
Not on solid ground.
But on nothingness.
Yet it held her.
She looked around. She was in an endless expanse, stretching beyond sight, where stars burned like dying embers.
And in the distance
A figure stood waiting.
Ellie's heart thundered.
It wasn't the Hollow.
It wasn't the masked figure.
It was her.
Or at least… someone who looked like her.
But older. Worn. A version of her with shadows clinging to her body, her eyes gleaming like distant galaxies.
Ellie's voice came out as a whisper. "Who are you?"
The other her smiled sadly.
"I was you. A long time ago."
Ellie staggered back. "That's impossible."
The woman her future? A past self? A lie? tilted her head.
"Is it? After all, you are not the first. Nor will you be the last."
Ellie's mind raced.
Was this what the Hollow meant? That she was part of something bigger? That she wasn't just some anomaly, but part of a pattern?
Her hands tightened into fists. "Then tell me. What am I?"
The other Ellie exhaled, stepping closer.
"You are the one who was never meant to be. The one who exists outside of fate, outside of balance. The one who can break the cycle… or become its end."
A shiver ran down Ellie's spine.
Break the cycle or become the End.
Just like the masked figure.
She shook her head. "No. I'm not like him."
The other Ellie's gaze darkened.
"Aren't you?"
Ellie froze.
And then
The world shattered.
Darkness swallowed her whole.
And in the distance, she heard a voice her own voice whispering:
"Choose wisely."
The Choice That Was Never Meant to Be
Darkness coiled around Ellie, suffocating and endless.
She reached out but there was nothing. No ground beneath her. No sky above. No time.
Just the whispers.
"Choose wisely…"
Her own voice echoed around her, distorted ask if it came from a thousand different versions of herself.
Ellie gritted her teeth, refusing to be overwhelmed.
"No," she muttered. "I'm not playing this game."
She reached for her power the energy that burned within her and forced it outward.
Light exploded, shattering the void like glass.
And then
She was somewhere else.
The Ruins of the Forgotten
Ellie staggered, her boots kicking up dust as she landed on cracked stone.
The sky above was a swirling storm of silver and black, stars flickering in and out of existence. Around her lay ruins massive, broken monoliths carved with ancient symbols she didn't recognize.
But something about them felt… familiar.
Like she'd seen them before.
Like she'd been here before.
A wind stirred, carrying the faint sound of laughter.
Ellie's breath hitched.
That was her laughter.
She turned
And saw herself again.
Not the older, shadowed version from before but another Ellie.
This one stood tall, clad in silver and black armor, a long tattered cloak flowing behind her. Her expression was calm, unreadable.
But her eyes—those same gold-flecked eyes held power.
Ellie took a step forward. "Who the hell are you?"
The armored Ellie tilted her head.
"I am what you could become."
Ellie's pulse spiked. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
The other Ellie didn't answer immediately. Instead, she turned and gestured to the ruins.
"This is what happens when balance is broken. When the Hollow fails. When you fail."
Ellie felt her stomach tighten. "I don't"
"You don't understand now. But you will."
The other Ellie's gaze locked onto hers, suddenly intense.
"You are being pushed toward a choice. A decision that will shape not just you, but the entire cycle itself."
Ellie frowned. "What choice?"
The armored Ellie exhaled.
"You can break the cycle."
Ellie's breath caught.
"Or you can become what you fight against."
A heavy silence fell between them.
Ellie forced herself to breathe. "And what happens if I refuse to choose?"
The armored Ellie's gaze darkened.
"Then the End will decide for you."
A chill ran down Ellie's spine.
The masked figure.
The one who wanted the End.
Ellie took a slow step forward, voice firm. "Then tell me how to stop it."
The armored Ellie's eyes narrowed.
"Would you truly fight against what you are?"
Ellie clenched her fists. "I don't care what I was 'meant' to be. I'll make my own path."
The armored Ellie studied her for a long moment.
Then she smiled.
"Then you might have a chance."
The ruins rumbled.
The world shifted.
And before Ellie could react
Everything collapsed.
The Return
Ellie's eyes snapped open.
She was back standing before the gate, Sam and Malcolm beside her.
Her body trembled from the lingering echoes of what she had seen.
The First Hollow watched her, its gaze unreadable.
"You have seen."
Ellie swallowed hard. "Not enough."
Sam took a cautious step forward. "Ellie… what happened?"
She exhaled sharply.
"The choice is coming."
Malcolm frowned. "What choice?"
Ellie turned toward the Hollow, eyes burning with determination.
"How do I break the cycle?"
The Hollow regarded her for a long time.
Then
"Then you must prepare. The End is already moving."
Ellie's fingers tightened into fists.
She was done waiting.
Done being a pawn.
If the End was coming
Then she'd be ready.