Page 57

Ivros Hollow

T he rising sun only brought cold along with it.

I didn’t want to leave the warm embrace of Sky, the pair of us wrapped up in a heavy woolen blanket.

But the sun was insistent, and our party was stirring.

As much as I wanted to stay there with him forever and forget about all the danger awaiting us in Ivros Hollow, I knew I couldn’t.

All of us were counting on one another to disrupt Boromia’s ritual.

If anyone backed out, the plan would fail.

Sky stirred beside me, his wolf ears twitching as he sensed my wakefulness. His blue eyes opened slowly, piercing in the dim morning light.

“You’re thinking too loud,” he grumbled, voice rough with sleep as he hugged me closer. “I can practically hear the gears turning in your head.”

I sighed and ran a hand through my tangled hair. “Sorry. I’m just… worried about what we’ll face today.”

Sky sat up, the blanket falling away from his lean torso.

The chill air raised goosebumps on his skin, but he seemed unbothered.

That was one of the many things I’d come to admire about him, his ability to endure discomfort without complaint.

He was always so tough, something I knew I could never be.

But when he was intimate, soft, and open with me…

well those were the moments that made my heart melt.

“Boromia won’t succeed,” Sky said firmly, reaching for his tunic. “Not if we move quickly.”

“And if this sleeping god is as dangerous as the ritual would lead us to believe?” I asked, voicing the fear that had kept me awake long after Sky had drifted off.

His ears flattened slightly, the only indication of his own concerns. “Then we’ll deal with that too.”

Around us, the rest of our makeshift camp was coming to life.

The smell of a cooking fire drifted through the air, along with hushed conversations.

No one was speaking loudly. We were all too aware of the danger that lay ahead in the ruins of Ivros Hollow with no idea if we might survive its depths.

Sky stood and offered me his hand. “Come on. No use delaying the inevitable.”

I took his hand, savoring the warmth of his calloused palm against mine.

For someone so standoffish, his touch had become my anchor in this strange world.

When I’d accidentally run face-first into him on the streets of Selas, I never would have imagined finding comfort in the presence of such a gruff loner.

“But at least we have each other,” I said, squeezing his hand before reluctantly letting go.

Sky’s tail swished once, the subtle gesture I’d learned to recognize as affection, before he turned to gather his gear.

I watched him move with practiced efficiency, strapping his brand-new leather armor in place and checking the honed edge of his spear.

His movements were fluid, economical, nothing wasted.

He set his mouth into a hard line, preparing himself for what lay ahead.

As Sky readied himself, I noticed how the morning light caught in his dark hair, highlighting strands I’d never noticed before.

He was so unbelievably handsome, so much so that it was hard to believe he wanted anything to do with me.

But the way he always had one ear swiveled in my direction told me he cared, that he was always watching out for me.

The affection bloomed in my chest, and I caught myself wanting to say something, to admit that terrifying feeling deep in my heart.

“If you’re done staring,” he said without looking up, ears twitching in amusement, “you might want to get your own gear ready.”

My cheeks flushed as I hurried to follow his example, checking my staff and securing the pouches containing my two healing potions.

The weight of my new spell books pressed against my back where I’d tucked them into a new leather satchel.

Lifewell, Sacred Shield, Twilight’s Judgment…

they were names that had seemed so powerful back in Selas now felt like flimsy protection against whatever awaited us.

The harsh reality that we were just a bunch of newbies was really starting to sink in .

Across the camp, Kai was rolling up maps and speaking in hushed tones with Rhia. His face was drawn, the usual warmth in his eyes replaced by something harder, more determined. Our leader had been quieter since learning he was most likely going to be the focal point of the ritual.

“Everyone gather round,” Kai called, his voice carrying just enough for us to hear without echoing through the twisted forest. “We need to go over the plan one more time.”

We formed a tight circle around the dying embers of our fire. Mira looked pale, her blue hair tied back severely, while Kuro fidgeted with the hilt of his sword, uncharacteristically solemn.

“According to the maps, we’ll reach Ivros Hollow by midday,” Kai began, his fingers tracing the route on a small parchment. “The captain and his men are likely half a day or more behind us. That gives us time to scout the ruins and locate the ritual chamber before they arrive.”

“And then what?” Kuro asked, voicing the question we were all thinking. “We just hide and wait for them to show up?”

Kai shook his head. “No. If we can find the focal points for the ritual, we might be able to sabotage them before Boromia even arrives. Mira’s been studying the diagrams and there should be markers or runes at each position.”

Mira nodded, her slender fingers clutching her spellbook. “The ritual requires perfect alignment. If we can disrupt even one point, the energy won’t flow correctly, and the god won’t wake up.”

“And if Boromia tries to force it anyway?” Sky asked, his tail swishing anxiously behind him.

A heavy silence fell over our group. None of us knew what would happen if a corrupted ritual was attempted. Perhaps nothing, or perhaps something worse than what the captain intended.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Rhia said firmly, adjusting the wraps on her hands. “For now, we focus on getting there first and finding those ritual markers.”

We packed up quickly after that, erasing all signs of our camp. The forest seemed to watch us with suspicious eyes as we gathered our belongings. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the twisted trees themselves were observing our every move, perhaps even reporting back to some ancient intelligence.

“Everyone ready?” Kai asked, shouldering his pack and adjusting his bow.

We nodded silently, our breath forming small clouds in the cold morning air. The path ahead narrowed as it wound up into the mountains, barely visible through the corrupted vegetation that seemed to actively reclaim it with each passing season.

Sky moved to the front with Kai, their keen senses most likely to detect any dangers ahead. Rhia positioned herself near Mira as always, while Kuro and I brought up the rear. The formation felt natural for now, each of us finding our place within the group without discussion.

“So,” Kuro muttered as we began our ascent, voice low enough that only I could hear, “you and the wolf-boy, huh?”

I nearly stumbled on a loose stone. “What?”

He smirked, though it lacked his usual cockiness. “Come on, Oliver. We all know. Those ‘ watch shifts ’ aren’t fooling anyone.”

Heat rushed to my face. “Is it that obvious?”

“Only to anyone with eyes,” he replied, then his expression softened. “But hey, I get it. End of the world, potential death around every corner... makes you grab onto whatever happiness you can find. And Sky’s a good guy. You could do worse.”

I studied him, surprised by the unexpected wisdom. “That’s... remarkably insightful coming from you.”

Kuro shrugged, his red hair catching the dappled light filtering through the canopy. “I’m not just a pretty face and amazing sword skills, you know.”

And there was the Kuro I knew. I shook my head, smiling despite myself.

“Just... be careful,” he added, his voice dropping even lower. “Not about Sky, he’s clearly got it bad for you too. But about what’s coming. We’re walking into something none of us understand, and I don’t want to see anyone get hurt because they’re distracted.”

His concern touched me. Beneath all his bragging and posturing, Kuro cared deeply about our group even if he never showed it. We could all tell by how hard he fought during battles to keep everyone alive.

“I’ll be focused when it matters,” I promised.

The path grew steeper as we continued, forcing us to conserve our breath for climbing rather than conversation.

The vegetation changed too, becoming more alien the higher we ascended.

Flowers with translucent petals that seemed to pulse with an inner light.

Vines that recoiled when approached. Trees with bark that whispered when touched.

“Does anyone else hear that?” Mira asked suddenly, stopping in her tracks.

We all froze, straining to listen. At first, I heard nothing but our own breathing and the occasional rustle of the strange plants around us. Then came a faint, rhythmic sound like distant drumming. But it was slow, methodical, and unchanging.

“It’s coming from ahead,” Sky confirmed, his wolf ears swiveling forward.

“Like a heartbeat,” I whispered, the realization sending a chill down my spine.

Sky nodded grimly. “Too slow to be human, too regular to be natural.” He paused, closing his eyes. “And I can feel it through my feet. Whatever it is… it’s huge .”

Kai motioned for us to gather closer. “Everyone stay alert. We might be closer to Ivros Hollow than we thought.”

The drumming grew more distinct as we continued our ascent, a deep, resonant thrum that seemed to vibrate through the ground itself.

With each step, the corrupted landscape became more unsettling, trees bent at impossible angles, their trunks twisted like tortured bodies.

There were flowers that wept clear fluid when we passed and stones that appeared to shift position when not directly observed.