The further they descended, the less the Hollow resembled earth at all. The stone grew slick, breathing faintly as though alive. The mist coiled around their ankles, whispering in countless voices—some pleading, some mocking, some crying like lost children.
Kael kept his hand on the Moonsilver Sword, its silver runes glowing dimly in defiance of the darkness. Each step felt heavier, the whispers pressing harder against his thoughts. What if they are right? What if Isolde cannot resist him? What if your sword dooms more than it saves?
He shook his head, forcing the lies away, but doubt lingered like poison.
Isolde walked close, her cloak wrapped tight around the Crown of Dawn. Its light pulsed steadily, guiding them forward, but with every pulse the whispers grew clearer.
You are not guiding the crown… it is guiding you.
Her hand trembled at her side. She said nothing.
---
They reached a wide cavern, its ceiling lost in shadow, its floor covered in broken links of chain as thick as tree trunks. At the far end stood statues—towering figures of obsidian, their faces hidden beneath helms of jagged stone.
Lady Elira's voice was hushed, grim. "The guardians. They were bound here when the Shadow King was chained. No living soul has faced them since."
As if in answer, the statues stirred. Their stone cracked and split, black flame spilling from within. One lifted a blade the size of a tree. Another raised a hammer that shook the cavern as it moved. Their eyes flared crimson.
Hunters had been dangerous. These were death given form.
Kael stepped forward, Moonsilver Sword blazing brighter. "Then we're the first."
The guardians roared, and the battle began.
---
The Keepers surged forward, their runes blazing as they struck at the giants' legs. Steel clashed against stone, sparks flying. But the guardians swung their weapons with terrifying strength, scattering men like leaves. One Keeper was crushed beneath the hammer's fall, another flung into the mist by a sweep of the obsidian blade.
Kael charged, the Moonsilver Sword's light cutting a streak of silver across the guardian's arm. The stone cracked, black flame spilling free. The creature shrieked, stumbling back.
"Kael!" Isolde cried, her fire bursting from her palms. Golden flames wrapped around the Moonsilver Sword, merging blade and flame. Together they struck, the sword blazing with molten silver and gold. The cut split deeper, the guardian's arm severed in a burst of shadow.
But even as it fell, the second guardian raised its hammer high above Isolde.
Kael shouted, too far to reach her in time.
Isolde's fire surged instinctively, the Crown of Dawn blazing on her brow. Light burst outward in a wave, shattering the hammer to shards. The guardian staggered, blinded, its black flame sputtering.
The cavern shook with their combined power.
---
At last, the guardians collapsed into heaps of broken stone, their flames guttering out. Silence returned, broken only by ragged breaths.
The Keepers gathered, fewer now, their faces drawn with grief but their eyes alight with awe. Never had they seen such fire, such light.
But Isolde's knees buckled, the crown's glow still burning across her face. Kael caught her, his arms steady, his voice rough. "You did it. We did it."
Her voice was faint, trembling. "Kael… every time I call on it, I feel him closer. What if this power isn't ours at all?"
He held her tighter, pressing his forehead to hers. "Then we'll make it ours. Together."
Yet in the depths below, the Hollow's whispers rose louder than ever.
Come, little flame. Come, little blade. The guardians are broken, the chains are failing. All roads lead to me.