The air grew heavier as the Hollow Beasts rose, their massive forms surrounding Ellie and her companions like a living wall.
The golden-eyed man was at her side, his presence a constant reminder of the power that was awakening within her.
Ellie stayed silent, the weight of the decision still pressing down on her shoulders. Her heart beat faster with every step she took toward the ruins that lay ahead—the remnants of what had once been a great kingdom, now reduced to nothing but rubble and twisted metal.
"The Hollow Throne lies beyond," the golden-eyed man murmured, his voice like a whisper on the wind. "You must walk the path alone."
Ellie looked back at Malcolm and Sam, who were watching her with a mix of concern and uncertainty.
"You don't have to do this, Ellie," Malcolm said, his voice tight. "We can leave. We can find another way."
Ellie's gaze hardened.
"No."
The word felt final, like a command.
Sam stepped forward, his brow furrowed. "Ellie, please—"
But she turned, her back to them. She couldn't let their doubts seep into her decision. She couldn't afford to hesitate now.
As she walked, the ground beneath her shook again, the air thick with the sense of something ancient, something alive beneath the surface.
The golden-eyed man did not follow her. Instead, he watched, waiting.
For Ellie to find her own path.
The Hollow Path
The path ahead was a maze of twisted stone and broken pillars, remnants of an empire that had fallen long before Ellie's memory could capture it. The very air felt different—charged with a strange, oppressive energy. The Hollow Beasts flanked her, silent, their eyes glowing as they followed her without question.
Her steps seemed to echo in the empty space, a constant reminder of the silence that filled the ruins. No birds, no insects, no sound of life—just the whispers of her thoughts and the occasional creak of a broken structure.
Her fingers tingled with power as she moved deeper into the ruins, the energy within her growing with each step. It was as if the Hollow Throne itself was calling to her, its presence growing stronger the closer she got.
Suddenly, a door appeared before her—a massive structure, adorned with symbols that seemed both familiar and foreign. It was as if the very walls had been carved to bear witness to her return. The door creaked open as if it had been waiting for her all this time.
Ellie's breath hitched.
This was it.
She could feel it now—the weight of the throne. The power that awaited her, but also the darkness that it carried.
The Hollow Throne
As Ellie stepped through the threshold, the world around her seemed to change. The ruins fell away, replaced by a vast hall of black stone and cold marble. The walls were lined with ancient carvings—depictions of past rulers, some human, some monstrous, all kneeling before the throne at the far end of the room.
The throne itself was a massive, twisted thing, made of bone and shadow. It pulsed with an eerie, otherworldly energy that sent a chill through Ellie's spine. She could feel the weight of it pressing down on her chest, and the voices—whispers of the long-dead—echoed in her mind.
She stepped forward, drawn to the throne, the power within her urging her to claim it. But as her fingers brushed the cold stone, a dark presence gripped her.
"You are not ready."
The voice wasn't hers. It was ancient, filled with an authority she could not deny. The power in the room seemed to flare, pushing against her, testing her resolve.
Ellie's heart hammered in her chest, but she stood tall. She had come this far, and she would not be denied.
"I am ready," she said, her voice steady despite the overwhelming force surrounding her.
The throne shifted, the dark presence pulling back slightly, as if weighing her words.
For a moment, everything stilled. The Hollow Beasts that had followed her into the hall stood in a perfect line, waiting.
Then—
The throne moved.
It was as if the throne had recognized her, the shadow that had held it together unraveling just enough to reveal its true form—a seat made of night itself, the seat of the Hollow Queen.
Ellie stepped forward again, and this time, the throne welcomed her.
The Crown
As she took her seat, a cold tingling sensation spread through her body. The energy of the throne surged through her, filling her with knowledge and power—but also with something darker.
Her mind swirled with images, memories that weren't hers—visions of past rulers, of battles fought and kingdoms destroyed, of alliances forged in the blood of her enemies. She saw herself—not as the girl she had been, but as a force that had reshaped the world.
She had done this. She had caused it.
But in this moment, Ellie felt something shift inside her. She wasn't just the queen of the Hollow Ones.
She was their reaper.
The weight of the crown pressed down on her head, and for the first time, Ellie felt its true power. The throne no longer felt like a burden but a destiny she could no longer escape.
A Throne Challenged
The moment Ellie sat upon the Hollow Throne, the air around her shook.
A deep pulse rippled outward, as if the very world had felt her ascension.
The Hollow Beasts let out a low, guttural roar, their eyes flashing with something ancient—devotion.
But Ellie barely had a moment to breathe before a voice cut through the silence.
"You claim the throne so easily, child."
The voice was cold, filled with something far older than the ruins surrounding her.
Ellie's fingers tightened against the arms of the throne as a figure emerged from the shadows beyond the hall.
A tall, wraith-like being, its form flickering between something human and something… not.
Its eyes burned with a cold, silver light.
It was a Hollow One—but not one of hers.
It had been watching. Waiting.
"Do you even understand what you have become?" the figure murmured.
Ellie's heart pounded, but she forced herself to stay calm.
This was her throne.
And she would not yield.
The First Challenger
The figure glided closer, its voice like a whisper of dead leaves.
"You sit upon the Hollow Throne, but you have not earned it."
Ellie met its gaze, the throne's power coiling around her like a second skin.
"I don't need to earn what is already mine."
The room darkened.
A dozen more figures stepped from the shadows, their bodies shifting like smoke.
Malcolm and Sam tensed, hands on their weapons, but the golden-eyed man remained still—watching.
"The Hollow Court has waited for a ruler, but not one who stumbles into power blindly," the wraith-like figure continued.
Ellie's pulse quickened.
This wasn't just a confrontation.
This was a test.
"If you are truly the Hollow Queen, prove it."
The figures lunged.
The Battle for the Throne
Ellie barely had time to react before the first wraith was upon her, its clawed hand reaching for her throat.
The throne responded to her panic.
A shockwave of dark energy blasted outward, slamming into the figures like a tidal wave of shadow.
But they did not fall.
They only laughed.
"Power without control is nothing, child."
The first wraith struck, and Ellie dodged, rolling from the throne's seat just as claws sliced through the stone.
Malcolm and Sam were already fighting, their weapons flashing as they battled the Hollow Court's shadows.
Ellie's blood burned, her body thrumming with the raw force of the throne.
She had to control it.
She had to become it.
With a deep breath, she extended a hand—and commanded.
"Kneel."
The room shook.
The wraiths hesitated.
For a moment, their silver eyes flickered.
But then—they resisted.
And Ellie understood.
This wasn't just about commanding.
It was about domination.
If she wanted to rule, she couldn't just claim power.
She had to take it.
The Hollow Queen Awakens
Ellie's power surged.
The throne's darkness wrapped around her like a living thing, whispering in her ear, guiding her.
She reached into it—fully, completely.
And then—
She unleashed it.
A wave of shadow exploded from her body, consuming the Hollow Court in an instant.
Their forms twisted, screaming, as they were bound beneath her will.
The wraith leader, now kneeling before her, gritted its teeth.
"Now you begin to understand," it whispered.
Ellie stepped forward, her shadow stretching long behind her.
The Hollow Beasts roared.
The golden-eyed man smiled.
Ellie exhaled.
She had won.
The Hollow Throne was hers.
But the battle for her kingdom had only just begun.