The Temple of Hollow Motion wasn't what Root expected.
It wasn't grand. It wasn't ancient. It wasn't even solid.
The space flickered at the edges, its walls warping like a half-remembered dream. Carved runes drifted across floating stones, and silhouettes of martial artists sparred in silence—just shadows on a reel. The floor was glassy obsidian that shimmered with threads of silver beneath his feet, like veins under translucent skin.
Root stood in the center of the temple's training circle, hands clenched and body still throbbing from the last fight. His breath steamed in the chill air of the inner space, but sweat still clung to his neck like glue.
A translucent system panel hovered before him.
[Martial Path Available: Way of Hollow Motion]
Tier 1: Shadowstep – 3 Hollow Points
Passive Style: Redirection + Flow
Purchase? [Y/N]
He stared at the screen. Three points. That's all he had after slaying the Mawhound.
But this wasn't just a technique. It was a path. Something Root never thought he'd have.
He accepted.
Pain followed.
Not the searing agony of forced growth—but something quieter. Stranger. His joints unlocked. His breath fell into rhythm. His thoughts stilled, like water after a storm.
The moment he blinked, the temple shifted.
Now he was facing a sparring dummy. Not the wooden kind, but something that looked eerily alive—a construct of moving shadow and light, forged from the same static as the Rift. It pulsed with sigil light, waiting.
Veyr appeared beside him, floating with a smug expression and his ever-present teacup.
"Congratulations. You've purchased footwork," he said dryly. "I expect great things from your fancy dancing."
Root rolled his eyes. "What do I do now?"
"You spar. You learn. And you don't die. Preferably in that order."
The dummy moved. Fast.
Root's reflexes flared—the upgrade he had taken before doing its job. He slid to the side, and instinctively leaned forward. His foot shifted—almost too lightly—yet the motion felt natural.
The system responded.
[Shadowstep Activated]
+20% movement speed
Momentum Rebound Enabled
Duration: 3 Seconds
Root's body shifted with unnatural grace. He circled the dummy. Its attacks were sharp—blades of light and sigil energy—but Root flowed around them, ducking and sidestepping like wind through branches.
He struck.
Not with power—but with timing.
A ripple of force echoed through the dummy's form as Root's elbow connected with its side during a precise redirection window. The thing reeled back, destabilized.
Shadowstep ended.
Root gasped for breath, heart pounding—not from fear, but exhilaration.
"That… felt good," he muttered.
Veyr sipped. "You're welcome."
Another screen materialized.
[Martial Mastery Initiated]
Way of Hollow Motion – Progress: 2%
New Feature Unlocked: Combo Memory
Next Tier: Unlocked at 25%
"You've taken your first steps," Veyr said, floating upside down now. "But don't get cocky. That dummy was tuned for beginners. The real tests are still ahead."
Root nodded slowly. His heart still beat hard, but a fire had lit in his chest. For once, the future didn't feel like a weight.
It felt like motion.
The glow from the Temple dimmed, but the exhilaration still surged in Root's veins. Not just the thrill of movement, but the realization that he could learn. There was no natural talent, no ancient lineage, no bloodline privilege. Just Hollow Points… and grind.
And for once, that felt fair.
Veyr flicked a finger, and the dojo dissolved into ambient mist. The platform returned beneath Root's feet, stable once more, if faintly pulsing with new energy. But the Hollow System wasn't done with him.
Another chime.
[New Hollow Quest Unlocked]
Quest: Echoes of Motion
Objective: Defeat 3 Illusory Hollows using Shadowstep in under 90 seconds
Reward: +6 Hollow Points | Combo Memory Upgrade
Failure Penalty: Movement Delay Debuff (-20% Speed for 6 hours)
Begin? [Y/N]
Root hesitated. "Illusory Hollows?"
"They're like memories," Veyr replied. "Fragments of dead summons, left over in the System. Not real, but still deadly. Think of them as echoes with claws."
Root narrowed his eyes. "And I only just got the Shadowstep skill. That's not exactly—"
Veyr pressed "Y" with his elbow.
The floor vanished.
Again.
He dropped into a dark coliseum, circular and wide, surrounded by black thrones etched with runes. No spectators. Just silent watchers—shapes that looked human, but bled static from their mouths and eyes.
At the center of the arena, three forms shimmered into being.
All of them wore the same sigil on their chest. Broken. Cracked. Identical to his.
"Those are… me?" Root whispered.
"No," said Veyr's voice in his mind. "They're what you could've been if you'd started earlier. If you didn't rot in silence. If your sigil bloomed when it was supposed to."
The timer appeared.
[Time Remaining: 1:29]
Illusory Hollows Remaining: 3
The first Hollow charged.
It moved like him—but sharper. Crisper. As if it had trained since birth. It swept in low with a blade of flickering bone, and Root barely Shadowstepped out of the way.
Too slow.
He pivoted. Let it chase him into a tight circle—then reversed with a feint and struck with the back of his fist to its core.
[Shadowstep Combo Detected]
Momentum + Redirection: +1 Combo Point
Illusory Hollow Stability: 62%
The Hollow reeled, then blurred again. Root ducked under a slash, launched upward with a knee, and drove his elbow into the ghost's throat.
The figure cracked. Then exploded into smoke and sparks.
[1 Target Eliminated]
Remaining: 2
Timer: 0:54
The next two came together.
A pair of mirrored shadows, one wielding twin claws, the other a staff of brittle flame. Root cursed and danced backward, using his enhanced reflexes to duck the staff and intercept a claw slash with his forearm.
Pain flared—but not enough to slow him.
Shadowstep triggered again.
He twisted through them like smoke—backwards roll, sweep kick, rise, pivot. His body moved ahead of thought, a ballet of survival written in blood and instinct.
He caught the clawed Hollow's arm mid-swing and redirected its force into the staff-wielder. The two collided, and Root leapt, twisting in mid-air and kicking both in the chest.
Impact.
[+2 Combo Points]
[Temporary Passive Unlocked: Flow Trigger – Bonus Damage x1.5]
[Illusory Hollow #2: Destroyed]
The final figure lashed out in fury. But Root was ready.
He crouched low, legs burning, and surged forward with a roar.
His veins lit up in silver.
[Emergency Hollow Surge – Veinbind Triggered]
Skill Unlocked: Sigil Flare (Passive – Chance to Ignite Target)
Trigger: On Perfect Combo Finish
He unleashed a flurry of strikes—left, right, palm to core, elbow to temple, pivot, spin-kick.
The Hollow shattered mid-scream.
The coliseum collapsed into mist.
[Quest Complete]
+6 Hollow Points Earned
Combo Memory Upgrade Unlocked
New Feature: Flow Style Memory Training Room
Root hit the ground knees-first, breathing like he'd run for hours. His muscles screamed—but not in pain. In awakening.
He had fought. He had moved. He had flowed.
And he won.
Back on the platform, Veyr hovered with an eyebrow raised. "I was expecting you to die on the second one, honestly."
Root grunted, too tired to reply.
The system offered him another set of choices.
[Spend Hollow Points]
• Veinbind Node 2 (5 Points)
• Unlock Martial Art: Hollow Foundation Manual (3 Points)
• Stat Upgrade: +1 Strength (1 Point)
• Stat Upgrade: +1 Endurance (1 Point)
• Unlock Passive: Sigil Awareness (2 Points)
Available Points: 6
He chose:
→ Veinbind Node 2 – 5 Points
→ +1 Endurance – 1 Point
Confirmed.
Veins across his chest flared. His lungs expanded like someone uncoiling a chain inside them. Stamina returned faster. The ache in his thighs dimmed.
He stood, steadier than before.
"Next?" he asked.
Veyr gave a devilish grin. "You'll hate it."