Within a Hollow Heart

Chapter 138: Volume 2, Chapter 82: "The Rift Opens"

The wind roared like a beast unleashed, whipping through the sanctuary and sending waves of biting cold across the battlefield. Cole's heart pounded as he pushed forward through the swirling chaos, his eyes locked on the Severed leader standing at the heart of the vortex. The shadowy figure's hands were raised high, their chants mingling with the growing storm as the dark shape above them solidified.

The ancient being was almost fully formed now—its massive outline looming in the sky like a nightmare made flesh. Tendrils of black energy spiraled from its body, writhing like serpents, reaching for the fragile threads of the Veil and pulling them apart with merciless precision. Every time one of the Severed's dark tendrils snapped a thread, Cole felt a tremor deep inside his chest, as if the very fabric of reality was unraveling.

"Push through!" Marcus shouted, his voice rising above the storm as he cut down a Severed with brutal efficiency. "We need to stop them before it's too late!"

Selene moved like a shadow, her blade flashing in the dim light as she dispatched two more of the Severed who had appeared to defend their leader. Her movements were swift and lethal, each strike precise and calculated. But even with their skill, it felt as though they were fighting a losing battle.

There were too many of them, and the ritual was nearly complete.

"Elara!" Cole shouted, his voice raw from the cold and the strain. "We need to disrupt the ritual! How do we stop it?"

Elara, her face pale and drawn with concentration, stood near the edge of the battlefield, her hands glowing with a soft light as she worked furiously to weave the fraying threads of the Veil back together. But even she was struggling against the immense force being exerted by the Severed and the ancient being they were summoning.

"We need to sever their connection to the Veil!" Elara cried, her voice strained with effort. "If we can disrupt their control of the threads, we can stop the summoning!"

"How do we do that?" Cole asked, cutting through a Severed who lunged at him with dark energy crackling in their hands.

Elara's eyes flickered to the amulet she had taken from the Guardian outpost. "The amulet—it's designed to reinforce the Knots, but it can also be used to disrupt a Weaving. If I can get close enough to their leader, I can sever the connection between them and the Veil!"

Cole's stomach twisted. The leader of the Severed was at the very center of the ritual, surrounded by a swirling storm of dark energy and protected by dozens of Severed acolytes. Reaching them would be nearly impossible.

But they didn't have a choice.

"Then we need to clear a path for you!" Cole shouted, turning to Marcus and Selene. "We have to get Elara to the leader—she's the only one who can stop the summoning!"

Marcus's face was grim as he nodded. "Understood. Selene, with me."

The three of them surged forward, cutting through the Severed with renewed ferocity. Cole's sword moved almost of its own accord, the blade flashing as he slashed through the dark energy that crackled around the Severed acolytes. Each strike was met with resistance—an unseen force that pushed back against him, as though the very air had thickened with the void's influence.

Beside him, Marcus and Selene fought with brutal precision, their blades slicing through the Severed with lethal grace. But for every enemy they cut down, another seemed to take its place, rising from the shadows like a dark tide.

"We're running out of time!" Elara shouted, her voice rising in panic as the ancient being above them began to stir. Its eyes, glowing with an eerie, unnatural light, opened, and its gaze fell on the battlefield below.

Cole felt a chill run down his spine as the ancient being's gaze swept over him. It was as if the void itself was looking into his soul, probing the depths of his mind, searching for weakness. His breath caught in his throat, and for a moment, the world seemed to tilt, the ground shifting beneath his feet as the dark energy of the void pressed down on him.

But then Elara's voice cut through the fog, sharp and clear. "Cole! Stay with me!"

With a gasp, Cole shook off the suffocating presence of the void and forced himself to focus. The Severed leader was still chanting, their voice rising in intensity as the ritual neared its completion. Dark tendrils of energy spiraled from the leader's hands, feeding into the ancient being above, strengthening its form with every passing second.

"We have to get to the center!" Cole shouted, his voice hoarse from the cold. "Now!"

Marcus and Selene pushed forward with renewed urgency, cutting down the last of the Severed who stood between them and their leader. Elara followed close behind, her hands glowing with a brilliant light as she prepared to use the amulet to sever the connection between the Severed leader and the Veil.

But just as they reached the edge of the swirling vortex of dark energy, the Severed leader turned, their eyes locking onto Cole with a cold, calculating gaze.

"You're too late," the leader said, their voice echoing with dark power. "The void has already answered. It will consume everything."

Cole's heart raced as the leader raised their hands, summoning a wave of dark energy that surged toward him and the others with terrifying speed.

"Get down!" Marcus shouted, pushing Cole and Elara to the ground as the wave of energy slammed into them with the force of a hurricane.

The air was knocked from Cole's lungs as he hit the ground hard, the impact jarring every bone in his body. For a moment, the world spun, the wind howling in his ears, and all he could see was the swirling darkness above.

But then, through the chaos, he saw Elara, still clutching the amulet, her face pale but determined.

"Elara!" Cole gasped, struggling to his feet. "Now! You have to do it now!"

With a grim nod, Elara raised the amulet high, her hands trembling as she directed its energy toward the Severed leader. The light from the amulet flared, bright and blinding, cutting through the darkness like a blade.

The Severed leader's eyes widened in shock as the light struck them, severing their connection to the Veil. Their chant faltered, and the dark energy surrounding them began to waver, flickering like a dying flame.

"No!" the leader screamed, their voice filled with fury as they struggled to regain control of the ritual. "You cannot stop this!"

But it was too late. The connection had been broken.

The ancient being above them let out a terrible, deafening roar as its form began to unravel, the dark tendrils of energy snapping and fraying as the summoning collapsed. The ground shook violently, and the sky seemed to tear open as the void's presence was pulled back, its hold on the sanctuary weakening.

"We did it!" Selene shouted, her voice filled with triumph.

But even as the ancient being began to fade, the Severed leader's eyes burned with hatred. "This isn't over," they snarled, their voice dripping with malice. "The void will return, and when it does, you will all be consumed."

With a final, desperate scream, the Severed leader was consumed by the collapsing energy of the failed ritual, their body disintegrating into nothingness.

The battlefield fell silent.

For a moment, all Cole could hear was the sound of his own ragged breathing, the wind howling softly around him as the last remnants of the void's influence faded from the air.

They had done it. The summoning had been stopped.

But as Cole looked up at the sky, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.