[Scene Opens – Dusk, Edge of the Hollow Pass]
The valley narrows into a jagged ravine, cliffs rising on either side like ancient jaws.
Before Arav and Elara lies a bridge — not made of wood or stone — but of whispers and shadows, suspended by threads of light.
It hums softly… like it's alive.
Elara (uncertain):
"This is it. The Bridge of Falling Names…"
Arav (jaw clenched):
"And the only path to the Hollow Citadel."
They step forward.
Instantly, the world behind them vanishes.
---
[Scene: Memory Plane – Entering the Bridge]
The bridge flickers — one moment solid, the next intangible.
Their bodies feel light, like vapor. Their eyes blur.
Narrator (soft echo):
"To cross the Bridge of Falling Names, one must walk across the weight of their forgotten truths."
Suddenly, Arav sees something in the fog — a child version of himself, crying beside a grave.
Boy-Arav (echoed):
"Why didn't he come back?"
Arav steps forward — but the bridge fractures beneath him.
Elara (panicked):
"Don't touch it! Don't interact! It's trying to pull you under!"
---
[Scene: Elara's Trial – The Forgotten Face]
Elara halts.
A figure emerges from the fog in front of her.
A woman… dressed in white. Skin burnt at the edges.
Elara (trembling):
"Mother…?"
Mother (voice cracked):
"You left me, Elara… the day you chose magic over truth."
Elara's legs weaken.
Arav (yelling):
"Elara! It's not real!"
Mother (fading):
"Not real? Then why do you still carry the smell of fire?"
The bridge tilts — Elara screams, clutching her head as the wind howls with laughter.
Arav rushes to her, catching her arm.
Arav:
"We move. Now. Or we both fall."
---
[Scene: The Memory of the Pact]
Midway across, the bridge stabilizes.
But then — everything goes still.
And a door appears in midair.
An old door — wooden, cracked. Behind it, faint blue light leaks.
Arav steps toward it. The moment he touches the handle…
He's inside a candle-lit room.
At the center, a man stands, his back turned.
He holds a newborn wrapped in black cloth.
Man (low, grave):
"Make the pact. The boy will never remember."
A second voice replies, chillingly familiar.
Second Man:
"I accept."
The man turns.
It's Arav's father.
Arav gasps.
Arav (whispering):
"This… this was before I was born…"
The child in the black cloth… opens glowing eyes.
They match Arav's.
---
[Scene: Outside the Door – Elara Watches]
Outside, Elara sees Arav frozen.
Then the door explodes, and Arav stumbles out, eyes wide with horror.
Elara:
"What did you see?"
Arav (shaking):
"My father… he traded my soul… to bind the shards. I was never born free."
---
[Scene: The Storm of Forgotten Names]
The bridge begins screaming.
Voices — thousands — rise into a chorus.
> "Arav… Zira… Velan… Elara… Orren… Kalor…"
Arav:
"They're names… every soul who crossed this bridge and fell."
The wind tears at them. The bridge starts to shatter.
Elara (gritting teeth):
"We need to jump. Aim for the next ledge — trust your mark."
They leap — the mark on Arav's chest glows — and the wind curves around them.
They land hard on black rock.
The bridge vanishes behind them.
Only silence remains.
---
[Scene: The Citadel Appears]
Ahead, a new mountain rises — not natural.
Built from bones, obsidian, and memory itself.
The Hollow Citadel.
It pulses with shard-light.
And atop its tallest spire — stands a figure in silver robes.
Watching.
Narrator:
"The Citadel waits. So does the truth. But the price for remembering… may be too high."
---
End of Chapter 32
Next Chapter 33: The King's Eye Never Sleeps
> Within the Hollow Citadel, Arav meets the first of the Seven. And learns that to survive… he must die first.