The deeper they traveled into Black Hollow Hills, the stronger the atmosphere of unease became.
Leon felt it in his bones—something was changing.
His beasts were on edge. The Steel Fang Wolf moved in tense silence, ears flicking at every unseen sound. The Phantom Stalker had faded deeper into the shadows, its presence barely noticeable even to Leon.
Jarek exhaled sharply. "This place is cursed. You can feel it, right?"
Leon nodded. More than that—he could hear it.
The whispers. Faint, distant, growing clearer.
"Veil weak... Gate opens..."
Leon clenched his marked hand. The symbol still burned faintly, though no visible harm had come to him—yet.
Then—
The ground trembled.
Jarek stopped in his tracks. "Okay, that's new."
Leon's instincts screamed. Something was coming.
He looked up. The trees ahead shuddered, leaves rustling despite the still air.
Then he heard it.
A low, guttural breath.
Followed by a shift in the shadows.
---
The Creature in the Fog
Leon's eyes narrowed. A beast. No—something else.
From the darkness of the trees, a figure emerged.
It was twisted—a creature unlike any found in Devia's original design.
[Corrupted Hollow Stalker] – A beast warped by an unnatural force. Moves between the veil of reality, feeding on fear.
Its form flickered, shifting between solid and shadow, like it couldn't fully exist in this world.
Jarek tightened his grip on his sword. "Tell me that's a normal monster."
Leon didn't answer.
Because it wasn't.
This was something new. Unrecorded. Unknown.
And worst of all?
It was watching him.
---
First Contact
The Hollow Stalker didn't attack immediately. It studied Leon, as if recognizing him.
Leon met its gaze. A test.
"What are you?" he thought.
The whispering in his mind shifted. A different voice.
"You hear the call. You see the veil."
Leon's eyes narrowed.
It was speaking to him.
This wasn't just a beast. It was a fragment of something bigger.
Leon took a slow step forward. His beasts tensed, waiting for his command.
Jarek hissed, "Leon—?"
But before he could finish, the Hollow Stalker moved.
Fast.
It flickered, closing the distance between them in an instant.
Leon reacted instantly.
"Steel Fang Wolf—Intercept!"
The wolf lunged, its silver fangs flashing—
But the Hollow Stalker shifted at the last moment, slipping through the attack like mist.
Leon's mind raced. Not just fast—it could shift between states.
He had to act—now.
"Phantom Stalker—Ambush!"
From the darkness, his hidden beast struck.
A flash of claws. A brief moment of solid impact.
The Hollow Stalker recoiled, letting out a distorted, echoing snarl.
Leon's eyes flickered. It could be hit—but only at the right moment.
Jarek took his chance.
"Got you now, freak."
He swung his blade in a fast arc—
And the Hollow Stalker vanished.
---
The Vanishing Beast
Silence.
The only sound was the fading rustle of leaves.
Jarek looked around. "Did… we kill it?"
Leon knew better.
"No. It retreated."
Jarek exhaled. "Damn thing knew it couldn't win."
Leon wasn't sure.
Because just before it vanished, he had felt something—
A pulse from his marked hand.
And in his mind, a final whisper.
"We are watching."
Leon clenched his fist.
This wasn't just some random corruption.
Something far worse was waiting beneath the surface of this world.
And now?
It knew him.
---