The sky never changed in Noctis Hollow.
It was always night — an unblinking, endless night wrapped in silence and old magic.
But for Jayden, the passing of time was marked by bruises, blade strikes, and the slow boiling of something wild inside him.
---
Training Under Fire
"Again."
Veyna's voice echoed through the sparring chamber as Jayden hit the floor, hard. His breath caught. The silver-edged dagger skidded from his hand and landed near the wall with a soft clang.
"That's the fifth time," he groaned, struggling up.
Veyna tossed him a cold cloth. "And you'll rise a sixth."
He wiped the blood from his lip and stared at her. "Why silver? That burns."
"Because your enemies won't care what hurts. And neither should you."
Jayden's hands shook, but not just from pain.
Something inside him was shifting.
Like claws behind his ribs, waiting.
Veyna saw it too. Her gaze softened for a moment.
"You're awakening faster than we expected."
Jayden didn't answer. But he felt it. Each day, his senses sharpened. His hearing, his speed — his ability to feel the blood in others.
And worse: the dreams.
They were getting louder.
---
The Split Within
Deep beneath the Hollow, in a room lit by soulflame lanterns, the Council gathered again.
Lord Kaelric stood before the Black Mirror — an artifact that reflected not one's face, but one's truth.
"The boy is unstable," Kaelric said. "He must be contained."
Lady Morrienna leaned forward. "He must be guided. Shaped. We cannot afford to drive him into the arms of the Outsiders."
Others murmured. Two visions for Jayden's fate were forming.
One: weaponize him.
Two: preserve him.
"If the prophecy is real," said the ancient seer Nyxa from the shadows, "he will bleed for both worlds."
"Or burn them," Kaelric replied coldly.
---
A Secret Offer
That night, Jayden sat by the Hollow's central spring — a pool of still black water said to reflect the soul.
From the shadows, someone approached.
"You don't belong here," said a quiet voice.
Jayden turned.
Caziel.
"You mean because I'm different?"
"Because you're more than they can control."
Caziel knelt beside him and flicked a stone into the water.
"There are others like us — not bound by Council laws. Vampires who live free. Outside. Rebellion runs in their blood."
Jayden stiffened. "You're talking about the Outsiders."
"I'm saying…" Caziel lowered his voice, "you have options. You don't have to play the Hollow's game forever."
He pressed something into Jayden's palm — a tiny, black insignia shaped like a broken fang.
"When you're ready… burn this. We'll find you."
And then he vanished.
---
The Brand of the Hollow
Later that night, Veyna found Jayden back in his room, sitting silently, turning the insignia over in his hand.
"What's that?" she asked.
He hesitated. "Nothing. Just a charm."
She didn't believe him — but she didn't press.
"Tomorrow," she said, "you'll receive your mark."
Jayden blinked. "What mark?"
Veyna looked at him carefully.
"The Brand of the Hollow. A blood seal. It links you to the Court… and lets them feel your presence."
"You mean like a collar."
"Like a promise," she said softly. "But yes — it can also be used to control you… or find you if you run."
Jayden felt the burn of betrayal in his throat.
He turned to the window, to the hollow night outside.
> He was powerful.
He was chosen.
And he was being watched — from both sides.
---
Far Away — The Hunter Awakens
In the Forest of Withered Gods, the hooded figure stood before a dying altar.
He raised a scroll made of stretched skin and spoke three words in a tongue older than time.
"Awaken the Hunter."
And far below the earth, something ancient opened its eyes.
Not vampire.
Not human.
Not tame.