The air was thick with ash. Sid's lungs burned with every breath as if the Hollow itself wanted to choke him into silence. He staggered against a crooked tree of bone, its surface twitching like living flesh, and pressed his hand to his chest. His heart pounded irregularly, every beat echoing with something not his own.
The world swam around him—half the mortal realm, half the battlefield of gods he had just witnessed through Ravh'Zereth's memory. Voices layered inside his skull: screams, prayers, laughter, weeping. They weren't his.
"You saw me once, a voice whispered, velvet and venom. Now you will feel me forever."
Sid clutched his temples. "Shut up! You're not me!"
The laughter deepened, rolling like thunder across a ruined sky. His shadow writhed at his feet, stretching upward until it looked like a man with flame instead of eyes. It tilted its head, mocking.
" Every flame you call yours belongs to me. Godlight, demonflame, Hollowfire—they are but echoes of my origin. Why resist what you are becoming?"
Sid's knees buckled. His reflection shimmered in the river of black water before him. It wasn't his face—it was Ravh'Zereth's, crowned in fire, grinning.
"No…" His voice cracked. "I'm not you. I won't let you erase me."
The reflection spoke back, lips moving in perfect unison:
"Then burn yourself, boy. Burn until there's nothing left but me."
The weight inside his chest became unbearable. His arm, the one fractured by the Seal, flared with light and shadow, twisting violently. Sid screamed and slammed his hand into the ground, summoning the last of his strength.
"Nox!" he shouted hoarsely. "Anchor me!"
The raven-like demon appeared, wings rippling with distorted black fire, but its tone was hesitant.
"Sid… Anchoring works on others. To use it on yourself—"
"I don't care!" Sid roared. His voice broke into a cough, but his eyes were blazing. "If I don't do it now, I'll lose everything. I'd rather burn part of me away than let him take all of me!"
The shadow-Ravh'Zereth stepped closer, its voice like a blade slicing into bone.
"Yes. Tear pieces of your soul apart. Every scar will bring you closer to me. You can't escape—only delay."
Sid bit his tongue hard enough to taste blood. With trembling fingers, he traced the Anchor's sigil into his own chest. The runes glowed sickly white, searing straight into his flesh.
He collapsed forward, gasping.
"Sid!" Nox screeched, fluttering in panic. "You're burning your own soul! Stop—before there's nothing left!"
Sid forced a grin, wild and broken. "If it means staying myself, then let it burn."
The Anchor ignited. Flames erupted from within him, a clash of godlight and demonflame spiraling violently. They roared outward, eating at his clothes, his skin, his very essence. Sid's scream tore through the Hollow, echoing across bone forests and rivers of black.
His shadow split apart, shrieking in Ravh'Zereth's voice, before being dragged back into him by chains of light.
For a moment—just a moment—silence fell.
Sid lay on the ground, chest heaving, eyes bloodshot but steady. His hand glowed with the scar of the Anchor burned into his skin.
Nox landed beside him, voice low. "You've burned a piece of your own soul away. This path… it's going to kill you."
Sid coughed, a bitter smile forming despite the blood on his lips. "Maybe. But I'd rather die as Sid… than live as him."
From the darkness, the whisper came again—quieter this time, almost pleased:
" Each burn binds you closer to me. You're already mine, little flame."
Sid's body shook, but his gaze hardened. He whispered back, more to himself than to the god in his blood:
"Then I'll keep burning until nothing of you fits."
And with that vow, Sid dragged himself upright, his scarred chest glowing faintly in the Hollow's endless dark.