Within a Hollow Heart

Chapter 67: Volume 2, Chapter 11: "Fragments of Light"

The silence that followed the Weaver's disappearance was heavy, the only sound the wind whispering through the trees and the faint hum of the Knot, now stable once more. Cole's body ached, every muscle protesting as he leaned on his sword for support, his breath coming in ragged gasps. They had won, but the cost of that victory weighed heavily on him.

Elara's hands were still glowing faintly from the remnants of her spell, her face pale and drawn. She had given everything to hold the Knot together, to stop the void from breaking through, and it had taken its toll. Her breath came in shallow bursts as she slowly lowered her hands, the light around her fading.

"It's done," she whispered, though her voice was tinged with exhaustion. "The Knot is stable... for now."

Marcus sheathed his sword, his face set in grim determination as he surveyed the battlefield. "That Weaver was stronger than anything we've faced before. If there are more like them out there..."

"There are," Selene interrupted, wiping the blood from her blade before sheathing it. Her eyes were dark, filled with the weight of the battles they had yet to fight. "The Severed won't stop, not until the void has consumed everything."

Cole glanced toward the Knot, its threads faintly pulsing with a soft light. The battle had been fierce, but the void hadn't broken through this time. The knot of tension in his chest loosened slightly, but he knew this victory was only temporary. The void was relentless. It was always waiting, always pressing.

"We bought ourselves time," Cole said, his voice low. "But it's not enough. We need to figure out what's happening with the Knots—why they're unraveling so quickly."

Elara nodded, though her eyes were distant, as though she was still feeling the frayed edges of the Veil in her mind. "The Weaver we fought... they weren't just using the void. They were manipulating the Veil itself. If they can do that, it means they've found a way to twist the threads, to unravel them from the inside."

"But how?" Marcus asked, frustration clear in his voice. "Only Weavers should be able to manipulate the threads, and even then, the kind of power we saw... that's not something you learn easily."

"It's not something you learn at all," Elara replied quietly. "The Guardians kept that knowledge hidden for a reason. If someone has unlocked it, then we're dealing with something far more dangerous than just the void."

Selene's jaw tightened as she crossed her arms. "We need to go after them, find their base, wherever they're gathering. If we can stop the Severed at the source—"

"We don't even know where they are," Marcus cut in. "The Severed have been attacking the Knots all across the land. They're always one step ahead of us."

Cole's mind raced. Every encounter with the Severed had been more coordinated than the last. Each attack had felt deliberate, targeted. But the Weaver they had just faced—that had been different. There had been a desperation in their strikes, a sense of urgency that Cole hadn't seen before.

"We're missing something," Cole said, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside him. "That Weaver wasn't just trying to tear open the Knot. They were stalling us, keeping us here for as long as possible."

Selene frowned. "You think it was a distraction?"

Cole nodded slowly, the pieces starting to fit together in his mind. "They weren't trying to win the battle—they were trying to keep us from moving forward. Something else is happening, something bigger, and we're being kept in the dark."

Elara's eyes widened as she processed his words. "If that's true, then the Severed have a larger plan. The Knots may just be the beginning."

The weight of that realization settled over the group like a suffocating blanket. The Severed weren't just attacking randomly—they were playing a larger game, one that they had only just begun to understand.

Marcus broke the silence, his voice grim. "Then we need to figure out what they're really after. We can't afford to keep reacting to their attacks."

"Agreed," Elara said, her voice gaining strength as she stood a little straighter. "The Guardians' records might hold the answers. If we can find more of their sanctuaries, we might be able to piece together what the Severed are trying to do."

"But we can't keep chasing after them blindly," Selene added. "We need information. We need to know where to hit them."

"There's one place we haven't checked," Marcus said, his tone cautious. "The Citadel of Ash."

Elara's head snapped up at the mention of the name, her expression hardening. "That place is forbidden. No one has gone near it in centuries."

"The Severed don't care about old rules," Marcus replied. "And if they're looking for ancient knowledge, that's exactly where they'd go."

Cole looked between the two of them, the name "Citadel of Ash" sending a chill through him. He had heard stories, whispered tales of a ruin deep within the mountains, where the last of the Guardian outcasts had gathered before the void consumed them. The Citadel was said to be cursed, a place where the Veil had thinned so much that the void had left a permanent scar on the land.

"What's the Citadel?" Cole asked, though part of him already knew the answer.

Elara's expression darkened. "It was the last refuge of those who turned away from the Guardians. They believed that the void could be harnessed, controlled. They were wrong. The Citadel of Ash is all that's left of them—and it's where the Veil is weakest."

Selene's eyes narrowed. "If the Severed are there, they're planning something big."

Marcus nodded. "It's the only place left that holds the kind of knowledge the Severed would need to unravel the Knots on such a large scale."

A heavy silence settled over the group as they absorbed the implications. The Citadel of Ash wasn't just another ruin. It was a place where the very threads of reality had been torn apart, and if the Severed were gathering there, it meant they were planning something far worse than just unraveling the Knots.

"We have to go," Cole said, his voice filled with determination. "If the Severed are there, we need to stop them before they can finish whatever they're planning."

Elara hesitated, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "The Citadel is dangerous. The void is stronger there than anywhere else. We might not make it back."

Marcus stepped forward, his gaze steady. "We don't have a choice. If the Severed succeed, the whole world could fall apart. We have to take the risk."

Selene nodded in agreement, her hand resting on the hilt of her blade. "We've come too far to turn back now."

Cole felt a surge of resolve as he looked at his companions. They had faced the void before. They had fought against its darkness and won. The Citadel of Ash might be the most dangerous place they had ever encountered, but they couldn't let fear stop them.

"We're not alone in this," Cole said, his voice firm. "We have each other. And as long as we fight together, we have a chance."

Elara gave him a small, grateful smile, the weight of her exhaustion still visible in her eyes. "You're right. We've faced worse odds before."

With their path set, the group gathered their supplies and prepared to leave. The Citadel of Ash loomed in their future, a place of forgotten darkness and dangerous secrets. But they were ready.

As they set off toward the mountains, Cole couldn't shake the feeling that they were heading toward something far larger than any of them could comprehend. The Severed were playing a game with stakes higher than they had ever imagined, and they were running out of time to stop it.

But no matter what they faced at the Citadel, they would face it together.

And they would find a way to win.