Rowan's POV:
The vibration deepened, rolling through the moss like a warning growl. The boy pressed himself against my side, fingers fisting in my sleeve. His glow flickered—soft, frightened, too fragile for a place like this.
"Rowan…" His voice was barely a breath. "Something's coming."
"I know."
I didn't mean for it to sound gentle. It just came out that way.
The air thickened, colder, heavier, as if the Hollow itself had inhaled and forgotten how to exhale. Shadows stretched along the ground, bending toward us like hungry things. The trees creaked, their branches twisting in a direction trees had no business moving.
The Hollow wasn't confused anymore.
It was choosing a target.
"Stay behind me," I said, stepping forward. My hand hovered near my dagger—not that steel did much against magic, but it made me feel less useless.
The boy didn't let go. His grip only tightened.
A low rumble echoed beneath the roots, followed by the sharp crack of bark splitting. Something massive shifted in the dark between the trees—too big, too heavy, too wrong.
Of course.
Of course, the Hollow would send a monster before I had time to process the fact that a moon‑born boy knew my name.
The fog parted.
Two eyes glowed from the shadows—wide, feral, and dripping with corrupted magic. A creature stepped into the clearing, its body twisted by the Hollow's darker instincts. Bark‑skin cracked with every movement. Vines writhed like veins. Its jaw unhinged too far, teeth glinting like splintered bone.
The boy whimpered.
I didn't think.
I moved.
"Back," I ordered, pushing him gently behind me. "Don't run. It'll chase."
He trembled so hard I felt it through my armor. "Rowan… I don't want it to find us."
"It already has."
The creature lunged.
I threw up a shield spell—thin, shaky, barely holding. The impact rattled my bones, sparks flying as claws scraped against the barrier. The boy cried out, light flaring around him in a sudden burst.
The creature recoiled, hissing.
I stared at him. "Did you—?"
"I didn't mean to," he whispered, terrified. "It just… happened."
Great.
A newborn moon‑child with magic he couldn't control.
A monster made of corrupted Hollow instinct.
And me, running on adrenaline and questionable life choices.
The creature circled, snarling.
I tightened my stance. "Listen to me," I said without looking back. "When I move, you move. Stay close. Don't fall."
"Okay," he breathed.
The creature lunged again.
I charged to meet it, not because I thought I could win — but because putting myself between it and the boy felt like the only thing my body knew how to do.
Steel met bark‑bone with a jarring crack. The impact rattled up my arm, nearly knocking the dagger from my grip. The creature's claws scraped across my bracers, sparks flying as it shoved me back with impossible strength.
I dug my heels into the moss, teeth gritted. "Stay behind me!"
The boy whimpered, light flickering around him like a candle in a storm.
The creature lunged again, faster this time. I barely raised a shield in time — the barrier flared gold, thin and trembling, as claws slammed into it. The force sent me skidding backward, boots tearing grooves into the moss.
"Rowan!" the boy cried.
"I'm fine," I lied, breathless.
The creature reared back for another strike.
And that's when the boy screamed.
Not loud — soft, terrified — but the magic that burst from him wasn't soft at all.
Moonlight exploded outward in a blinding wave.
The creature shrieked, stumbling back as the blast hit it square in the chest. Its bark‑skin cracked, vines recoiling like burned nerves. The entire clearing lit up silver, shadows fleeing from the force of it.
The boy collapsed to his knees, shaking. "I—I didn't mean— I can't—"
"I know," I said, grabbing his arm and pulling him behind me again. "Just breathe. You're okay."
But the creature wasn't down.
It roared — a sound like splintering wood and tearing roots — and charged again, angrier, faster, its form warping with every step. The Hollow's corruption pulsed through it like a heartbeat.
I raised another shield. It shattered instantly.
The impact threw me to the ground. My back hit the moss hard; air knocked from my lungs. The creature loomed over me, jaws opening wide enough to swallow my head whole.
The boy screamed again — but this time, no magic came.
He was too drained.
"Rowan!" he sobbed, reaching for me.
I forced myself up, dagger raised, knowing it wouldn't be enough.
The creature lunged—
And the ground beneath us split open.
A violent tremor ripped through the clearing, roots snapping upward like spears. The creature jerked back, snarling, as the Hollow itself convulsed — not in recognition this time.
In rage.
The boy's glow flickered wildly, his breath coming in panicked gasps. "Rowan… what's happening?"
"I don't know," I said, pulling him close, shielding him with my body as the earth heaved again. "But we need to move. Now."
The creature steadied itself, eyes burning brighter, preparing to strike—
And then something moved in the trees.
Fast.
Silent.
Coming straight toward us.
Not the creature.
Not the Hollow.
Something — or someone — answering the Oracle's call.
The creature turned its head, sensing it too.
The boy clutched my cloak, trembling. "Rowan…?"
I tightened my grip on him, heart pounding.
"Stay behind me," I whispered. "Whatever's coming… it's almost here."
The shadows shifted.
A figure stepped into the clearing.