Within a Hollow Heart

Chapter 166: Volume 2, Chapter 110: "The Void’s Reflection"

The frozen wasteland outside the stronghold felt different after the battle. The air was still cold and biting, but the oppressive weight of the void had receded, leaving a strange stillness in its place. Cole could still feel the tension in the Veil, but it was no longer on the verge of snapping. They had bought themselves time, but the clock was ticking.

The group made their way down the ice ridge, their breaths visible in the frigid air. Each step felt heavier than the last, the exhaustion of their efforts pulling at them. Despite the calm, there was a lingering sense of unease—an understanding that whatever they had encountered in the depths of the stronghold was far from defeated.

"We need to find shelter," Marcus said, his eyes scanning the horizon. The wind had picked up again, blowing snow across the open plains. "We can't stay out in the open like this. We'll freeze before the void even gets another chance."

Selene nodded, her hand resting on the hilt of her blade. "There's an outpost nearby, according to the maps. A day's journey, maybe less if we push through the night."

Elara shivered, pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders. "We don't have much choice. Staying out here isn't an option."

Cole remained quiet, his mind drifting back to the fragment and the shadow they had left behind. The void's presence had been overwhelming, but it wasn't just the raw power that had unnerved him—it was the intelligence behind it. Someone, or something, was guiding the void, pulling at the threads of the Veil. And that meant they weren't just fighting a force of nature anymore. They were fighting something much more dangerous.

As they continued across the ice, the landscape shifted from jagged cliffs to wide, open plains of snow and rock. The wind howled across the expanse, and the sky above was a dull, steel gray, as if the world itself had been drained of color.

"Do you think the Guardians knew this would happen?" Cole asked, breaking the silence. His voice sounded small against the vast emptiness around them.

Elara glanced at him, her eyes filled with thought. "I think they feared it. The Guardians were always cautious when it came to the void, but they didn't fully understand it either. They created the Knots to hold it back, but they didn't know how to stop it."

"So we're in the same position they were," Selene said, her tone grim. "Except now we're running out of time."

Cole clenched his fists, the cold biting at his skin even through his gloves. "There has to be something they left behind—some clue, some weapon that can help us stop this. We can't keep patching Knots forever. The void is getting stronger every time."

Elara nodded. "The Guardians left behind archives, hidden sanctuaries, places where they stored their knowledge. If we can find one of those, we might find answers."

"Then we head for the outpost," Marcus said, his voice decisive. "Rest, regroup, and then find this archive. If there's any chance of stopping this, we need those answers."

They pressed on, the cold seeping into their bones, but their determination carried them forward. The endless white landscape stretched on before them, offering no sign of life, no sign of hope. It was as if the world had been consumed by the void already, leaving behind nothing but emptiness.

As they walked, Cole's thoughts drifted back to the fragment. The way it had pulsed with energy, the way the Veil had trembled around it—it was unlike anything they had encountered before. And the shadow that had risen from the depths... it hadn't been the void, not entirely. It had felt different, more intelligent, more aware.

"What if it's not just the void?" Cole asked, his voice low. "What if there's something else—something worse?"

Selene glanced at him, her eyes sharp. "What are you saying?"

Cole hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "The void... it's destructive, chaotic. But what we faced back there—it felt more deliberate. Like something was using the void, controlling it."

Elara's eyes widened slightly. "You think there's something behind the void? Something guiding it?"

Cole nodded. "I don't know. But it feels like it's more than just a force of destruction. It's like the void is being weaponized."

The wind howled louder, as if echoing his thoughts. The idea hung in the air between them, unspoken but undeniable. The void had always been an enemy, but now it felt like there was something more—something lurking in the shadows, pulling the strings.

"We need to find out," Elara said, her voice firm. "If the void is being controlled, we need to know who—or what—is doing it."

They continued in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts. The outpost was still hours away, and the cold was becoming unbearable. But as they pushed forward, a flicker of movement caught Cole's eye.

"Wait," he whispered, holding up a hand to stop the group.

They froze, their eyes scanning the horizon. At first, it seemed like nothing more than a trick of the wind, but then Cole saw it again—a shadow, moving across the snow.

"Do you see that?" Selene asked, her voice low.

"I see it," Marcus replied, his hand moving to his sword. "We're not alone out here."

The shadow moved again, closer this time, and Cole's heart began to race. The void's presence, which had been faint since leaving the stronghold, was growing stronger. Whatever was out there, it wasn't friendly.

"Stay ready," Marcus whispered, his eyes locked on the shifting shadow.

The wind picked up, blowing snow across the plains, and for a moment, the shadow disappeared. But then it reappeared, closer now, its shape becoming clearer. It wasn't just one figure—it was several. Dark, humanoid forms, moving with unnatural speed and grace.

"Void-touched," Elara said, her voice filled with dread.

Cole's pulse quickened. They had encountered void-touched before—people or creatures twisted by the void's influence, transformed into something monstrous. But these figures were different. They moved with purpose, their forms sleek and shadowy, like they were made of the void itself.

"They're coming straight for us," Selene said, her voice sharp.

"Get ready!" Marcus barked, drawing his sword.

Cole unsheathed his own blade, his heart pounding in his chest. The void-touched were fast—unnaturally so—and their numbers were growing as they closed in.

"We can't outrun them," Elara said, her voice tense. "We'll have to fight."

The first of the void-touched reached them in a blur of motion, its dark form lunging at Marcus with razor-sharp claws. Marcus deflected the attack with a swift parry, his blade slicing through the creature's shadowy form, but it didn't slow down. The void-touched seemed to absorb the blow, its body rippling like liquid darkness.

Selene was beside him in an instant, her blade flashing as she struck down another void-touched. Her movements were precise, her strikes lethal, but the creatures kept coming, their forms reforming with each hit.

"They're not going down!" Cole shouted, slashing at one of the void-touched. His blade passed through it, but the creature simply reformed, its eyes glowing with an eerie light.

"We need to cut them off from the void," Elara said, her hands already reaching for the threads of the Veil. "They're feeding off it, using its energy to stay intact."

"Do it!" Marcus grunted, slashing at another void-touched.

Elara closed her eyes, her fingers moving through the air as she reached for the Veil. The air around them pulsed with energy, the threads trembling as she began to weave them together.

But the void-touched sensed what she was doing. They lunged toward her, their forms twisting and writhing as they closed in.

"Not happening," Selene growled, throwing herself between Elara and the creatures. Her blade flashed as she cut through the void-touched, holding them back long enough for Elara to focus.

Cole fought beside her, his sword a blur as he fended off the relentless attacks. The void-touched were fast, but they weren't invincible. If they could sever their connection to the void, they could defeat them.

With a final, sharp motion, Elara completed the weave. The air around them shimmered, and the void-touched froze, their forms flickering as the threads of the Veil tightened around them.

"Now!" Marcus shouted.

Cole and Selene struck simultaneously, their blades slicing through the creatures' dark forms. This time, the void-touched didn't reform. They dissolved into shadows, their connection to the void severed.

The battle was over as quickly as it had begun, the air around them silent once more.

Cole's breath came in ragged gasps, his body shaking from the exertion. The void-touched were gone, but the weight of their presence still lingered.

"We need to keep moving," Marcus said, sheathing his sword. "There could be more."

Elara nodded, her face pale from the strain of weaving the Veil. "We can't stay here."

They continued on, the cold biting at them as they pressed forward through the frozen wasteland. But even as they moved toward the outpost, Cole couldn't shake the feeling that the void was watching them, waiting for its next move.

The void-touched had been drawn to them for a reason.

And Cole feared they were only the beginning.

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