The Hollow Realm.
A place that exists beyond the reach of Heaven and Hell, where no god dares to tread and no mortal can endure for long.
The air itself was thick with despair, heavy and cold, as if every breath carried the weight of a thousand dying screams. The sky bled with a cursed crimson sun, its light warped and sickly, casting twisted shadows that writhed across the land like living things. The moon was nothing more than a shattered husk, its broken pieces drifting endlessly among the clouds of black ash.
Below, the land was fractured into jagged, floating masses of rock, suspended over a churning abyss that devoured anything falling into its depths. Rivers of pitch-black ichor flowed between these isles, their surfaces shimring with an oily, unnatural sheen. The stench of rot clung to everything, so strong it seed to seep into the skin.
Colossal, nightmarish beasts road the drifting landmasses—creatures of impossible size with flesh like molten tar and eyes burning an unnatural crimson. They moved with a hunger that was not just for flesh, but for the soul itself. Their very presence warped the ground, leaving trails of corruption in their wake.
It was a realm stripped of hope, where silence was broken only by the distant wails of the damned. Even the strongest warrior's resolve would falter here, for the Hollow Realm was not rely a place. It was a living nightmare that would never end.
Sowhere in the Hollow Realm…
"Mongrel… remind , how did you manage to die again?"
The devilish voice slithered through the air, echoing in the vast obsidian looking platform. His tone was cold enough to make even shadows tremble.
"F-Forgive , my Lord," ca a voice, weak and desperate, drifting from the darkness with no body to claim it. "That Dragonborne… he is cunning beyond belief. He killed through deceit… Please, grant another chance. Resurrect my body, and I shall not fail you again."
A pause. Then a slow, mocking chuckle.
"Mongrel, you deserve no second chance. You wasted an entire swarm of pawns just to hunt down one dragon—and still, you failed. How am I to face the Council with such humiliation?"
"My Lord… please," the voice stamred. "You do not understand. He is terrifyingly strong, and his power grows at an unnatural rate. If we let him live, he will beco a stumbling block for you when the Grand Awakening cos. That… that lizard must be cleansed imdiately."
The Devilish figure's frown didn't disappear. Instead it turned colder.
He stood up from his massive throne.
Instantly a low tremor rippled through the air. The clouds above twisted unnaturally, parting to reveal a figure that dwarfed even the tallest of mountains.
He was a humanoid giant, skin as dark as the void between stars, radiating an oppressive, ancient presence. Three unblinking eyes burned like molten suns on his face, each carrying a weight of knowledge and destruction that could crush a mortal's soul.
Every step he took cracked the earth beneath him, sending deep fissures crawling across the land. The wind howled in fear, bending away from his titanic form.
In his shadow, entire hills vanished, swallowed by the aura that rolled off his body like a tidal wave of pure dominance. His gaze swept over kneeling shadowy figure with disdain.
"What did you say? I—Void Lord Azathoth—would be scared of a re Dragon hatchling?"
His voice rumbled like the cracking of the void, each syllable dripping with contempt.
His face twisted into rage.
"Begone!"
He raised his hand, and reality itself trembled. The air warped, bending toward a sphere of absolute darkness forming in his palm. The black hole grew, its pull irresistible, shredding the air with a hungry roar.
The kneeling shadow scread, its form unraveling into threads of darkness.
"My Lord... No—"
The words were cut short as the shadow was torn apart, swallowed into the void without leaving even dust behind. The black hole shrank with a final pulse before vanishing into Azathoth's hand, leaving silence in its wake.
He turned, eyes glowing with abyssal light.
"Now... where is that hatchling?"
---
In the Human Realm.
"What? You went to find food for us? At least don't give us that la excuse," Rudos said, arms crossed and brow furrowed.
Ryu remained calm. "Let explain fully, Rudos. A flying Hollowfied creature suddenly grabbed and carried through the air. I fought it and survived. Along the way, I ca across a cornfield, so I decided to gather so grains. That's all there is to it. I have nothing to hide."
"Ohh, that makes sense," Felix said with a casual wave of his hand.
"Well, I believe you, Ryuzen. It's not like you were the one involved in that terrifying battle earlier, right?" Irina added with a teasing smile.
Ryu barely managed to hide the sweat forming on his brow. Sheesh… this girl's intuition is scary.
The others dismissed the idea as ridiculous. The battle they'd sensed had been soul-shakingly intense, the kind that ca with thunderous draconic roars. There was no way an ordinary human could have been there.
'He's lying… But where could he have disappeared to?' Luthor mutter internally.
His sharp eyes studied Ryuzen, searching for any signs of a struggle or injury. Yet, there was nothing—no torn clothes, no bruises, no blood. So his suspicion still remained.
But he found no proof.
Despite his doubts, he couldn't reach a conclusion. So, for now, he let it go.
"Alright," Luthor said at last. "Now that Ryuzen is here, we need to refocus on our mission. That life-threatening incident won't stop us from completing it. We'll create the map and bring it to Garrison 7."
"You're right, Captain. We won't stop here," Irina added with bright determination.
Luthor's gaze returned to Ryuzen.
"Ryu, since you've already been to the farming fields, you should lead the way," he said calmly, masking his suspicion.
Ryuzen nodded without expression. He wasn't aware of Luthor's suspicions.
Even if he had noticed, he wouldn't have panicked. Because he had already made sure no one had been around when the battle happened. If questioned, he could easily co up with another excuse. If nothing else, he had grown very skilled at lying.
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