The forest bled silence.
As Aelric and Rhea pressed deeper into the Frost Hollow, the trees twisted unnaturally, their bark scarred with old claw marks. The snow lay untouched in some places—others, it churned with faint tracks. Tracks that didn't belong to any animal Aelric recognized.
The System pulsed quietly, its interface hovering faintly at the edge of his vision.
[System Fragment Status: 11% Integrated][Available Skill: Predator's Insight (Active)][Environmental Anomaly: Lycanthropic Residue Detected.]
Aelric's eyes narrowed. "Lycanthropic?" he muttered under his breath.
Rhea caught the word. "What?"
"Werewolf," he replied simply, scanning the trees. "Or… close enough."
Rhea stiffened. "They haven't been seen here in—"
"Decades. I know." His gaze sharpened. "But their scent lingers."
The snow carried more than chill. Beneath the pine and ice was the sharp, copper tang of old blood—and something else. Musky. Predatory. Unmistakably wolf-like, but with a bitter, metallic undertone. Silver.
Aelric crouched, brushing snow aside near a tree trunk. Beneath it, faint fur strands clung to the bark—coarse, black, thicker than a wolf's.
The Hollow wasn't empty. And neither were the borders of this forgotten town.
"The Oldblood are watching," Aelric murmured.
Rhea hesitated, uncertainty flickering across her face. "You speak like them being real is fact."
Aelric straightened, cool gaze meeting hers. "It is."
Rhea opened her mouth to argue—but a distant sound cut her off.
A howl.
Low. Ragged. Filled with pain… and warning.
But this wasn't a natural wolf's call. It echoed unnaturally, vibrating through the trees like a ripple of old magic.
Aelric's System pulsed again.
[Proximity Alert: Moonborn Presence — Passive Influence Detected.][Faction Standing: Neutral (Unknown).][Caution Advised.]
Moonborn. The remnants of the werewolf clans. Exiled. Scattered. Feral, in some cases… but not without cunning.
Aelric's eyes narrowed. "We're not alone."
From the shadows beyond the trail, movement stirred. Figures—half-hidden, cloaked, watching. Their forms were humanoid… but their eyes glowed faintly. Amber. Predatory.
They weren't attacking. Yet.
But they weren't friendly, either.
Rhea's voice dropped to a whisper. "I thought the Moonborn kept to the mountains."
"Most do," Aelric agreed, hand drifting near his belt, ready. "But this Hollow? It draws the old things."
One of the figures stepped forward. Tall. Broad-shouldered. His face was mostly hidden by a fur-lined hood, but the sharpness of his features, the faint glint of elongated canines… unmistakable.
Not fully transformed. But close enough.
The man's voice was gravelly, thick with an accent unfamiliar to these parts. "You stray too far, human." His eyes flicked to Aelric's. Sharp. Calculating. "Or… perhaps not human at all."
Aelric didn't react. His mind raced, filing information. The Moonborn here were organized. Not feral. Not openly hostile. That was opportunity… if handled right.
Rhea tensed beside him, her fingers twitching near her blade. Aelric placed a steadying hand on her wrist.
"We're looking for a girl," Aelric stated plainly, voice calm but edged with quiet authority. "Taken. We followed her tracks here."
The Moonborn's lips curled faintly. Not quite a smile. "The Hollow takes what it wants. You'll find only ghosts beyond this point."
"Perhaps." Aelric's eyes sharpened. "Or perhaps there's more walking these woods than ghosts."
The Moonborn's gaze flicked to Aelric's neck, lingering on the phoenix-feather token. His expression shifted. Recognition. Maybe… respect?
Or caution.
"You carry old protection," the man observed.
"An old friend's parting gift." Aelric tilted his head. "It keeps lesser things away. I'm hoping it does the same for your people."
The man chuckled—low, almost amused. "We are not lesser things."
A pause. The Hollow whispered around them.
Then:
"Follow the eastern ridge," the Moonborn offered. "You'll find what you seek… or what's left of her." His voice darkened. "But know this, outsider—this Hollow is claimed. You walk it at your own peril."
Aelric inclined his head, the ghost of a smile touching his lips. "I prefer peril."
The Moonborn snorted softly, stepping back into the shadows. His companions melted away with him, vanishing into the treeline.
The Hollow swallowed the silence again.
Rhea exhaled, tension loosening. "What… was that?"
"Negotiation." Aelric turned east, already moving. "And a warning."
"About the Hollow?"
"About the Moonborn." His eyes gleamed faintly, the System interface pulsing at the edges of his vision. "And the game that's about to begin."
The Hollow wasn't just cursed. It was a crossroads. The Oldblood were gathering. Forgotten powers stirred.
And Aelric?
He intended to carve his place among them.
...
The eastern ridge loomed ahead, jagged stone veined with frost and old lichen. Sparse trees clung to its slopes, their skeletal branches clawing at the grey sky.
Aelric moved quickly, eyes scanning the frozen ground. Faint tracks—small, human—wound toward the ridge's base.
"Lyra…" Rhea whispered, kneeling beside them.
The tracks were erratic. Uneven. Stumbling.
"She was running," Aelric observed, studying the impressions. His System whispered softly at the edge of his thoughts.
[Observation Complete: Human Tracks Confirmed.][Additional Sign Detected: Residual Blood — Trace Amounts.]
His gaze sharpened. "She's hurt."
Rhea's breath quickened. Worry flickered across her face, but to her credit, she held her ground.
"Stay close. Eyes up," Aelric ordered.
The ridge narrowed into a small, natural pass—rocks jutting upward like broken teeth, creating a bottleneck. The perfect place for an ambush.
The System pulsed again.
[Environmental Disturbance: Negative Energy Residue Detected.][Caution: High Probability of Predatory Entity Nearby.]
Predatory entity. That could mean many things in this realm. But Aelric's gut—and his fragmented System—suggested something… worse than Hollowspawn or Moonborn.
The faint scent of blood hung heavier here. But layered beneath it, almost hidden, was a different note—old earth, cold stone, and… ash.
Vampire.
Nightbound.
Aelric's jaw clenched. Vampires were supposed to be rare on the frontier. Their clans had fallen centuries ago when the Old Empires shattered… but whispers claimed they still lingered in shadows, especially near rifts like the Hollow.
"Someone's watching," Rhea muttered, voice tight.
"Not someone." Aelric scanned the rocky outcroppings. "Something."
Movement—a flicker of black fabric—vanished between two boulders ahead. No sound. No footfall. Just the unmistakable sensation of eyes lingering too long.
The System's interface sharpened, a faint hum rippling behind his eyes.
[System Fragment Awakening Triggered.][Skill Fragment Acquired: Predatory Sense (Rare).][Effect: Enhanced awareness of hidden or stalking threats within a 15-meter radius.]
Perfect.
The world clarified. Subtle shifts in air pressure, faint disturbances in snow patterns, the quiet, unnatural absence of wildlife—all painted a clearer picture.
They were being stalked. Patiently. Skillfully.
Predator to predator.
Aelric motioned for Rhea to stay behind him as they slipped into the pass. The rocks closed in on either side, shadows pooling unnaturally beneath the jagged formations.
A voice echoed softly from the shadows ahead. Smooth. Cold. Amused.
"Impressive. Most would've walked right into my jaws."
Aelric didn't startle. His eyes scanned the dim stone corridor. "You'll have to sharpen them first."
A figure emerged, stepping gracefully from the shadows.
Tall. Lean. Pale as moonlight. Midnight-black hair cascaded over his shoulders. His eyes gleamed faintly crimson, fangs glinting behind a thin smile.
A Nightbound. Undeniably.
But not feral. Not Hollow-twisted.
A noble.
"Clever tongue," the vampire observed, tilting his head. "And the faintest scent of divinity clinging to you." His eyes narrowed with mild interest. "Reincarnate?"
Aelric's heart skipped for a fraction of a second—but his expression remained calm.
"Does it matter?"
The vampire chuckled. "Not… yet." His gaze flicked to Rhea. "The girl you seek? Alive. For now. But the Hollow… hungers." His eyes returned to Aelric, sharp now, voice dropping an octave. "And so do I."
Rhea shifted nervously, blade ready—but Aelric held up a hand.
"You've had opportunity," Aelric noted. "But you haven't struck."
The vampire's lips curled. "Observing first. It's… entertaining, watching fledgling powers stumble through the Hollow."
"You have a name?"
A faint pause. "Caius." The vampire dipped his head mockingly. "Of the Hollow Court."
Aelric filed the name away. The Hollow Court—likely a remnant gathering of Oldblood vampires clinging to forgotten influence. Dangerous. But also… useful.
"I'll be taking the girl," Aelric stated plainly.
Caius chuckled again, turning away, fading partially into the shadows. "By all means, mortal. Survive the Hollow, and she's yours." His crimson eyes lingered one last time. "But beware… not all who stalk these woods speak with courtesy."
Then he was gone—vanishing like mist into the rock and snow.
Rhea exhaled shakily. "That… was a vampire."
"Nightbound," Aelric corrected, already moving deeper into the pass. "And he wasn't lying." His eyes gleamed cold, calculating. "The Hollow's crawling with worse."
The System pulsed at the edge of his mind, strengthening. His fragmented power grew. His enemies revealed themselves.
And Aelric?
He smiled faintly.
Good.
Because this cursed world… was finally starting to feel like home.