The Temple of Hollow Sky rose from the canyon like a jagged tooth, its spires crooked and broken, silhouetted against the rising sun. Clouds clung to its base like a mourning veil, and even from a distance, I could feel it—the hum of something old and wounded beneath the surface.
"It's worse than the Grave," Kieran muttered beside me, arms crossed as he watched from the edge of the airship deck. "That place was haunted. This one feels… angry."
We stood on the deck of The Valkyris, flanked by two smaller support vessels. Below us, a force of one hundred elite strike soldiers waited in drop formation. Each of them had volunteered, knowing this wasn't just another mission—this was a push into enemy-held territory, where even reality seemed uncertain.
Cira joined us, checking her gauntlet's readouts. "There's a storm forming just above the temple's peak. Atmospheric pressure's spiking, and the Divin flow is fluctuating. The seal's unraveling faster than we thought."
Elara stepped up beside me, her armored gauntlets glowing faintly with gathered mana. "Then let's hit hard and fast. We get in, reinforce the seal, and cut down anything in our way."
I nodded, eyes fixed on the broken spires in the distance.
The Harbinger was already there.
Waiting.
Descent
The first wave hit the ground with precision, establishing a perimeter as the rest of us descended by gravity harness. The wind screamed through the canyons, tearing at our cloaks, kicking up dust that stung the skin.
The closer we got to the temple, the more distorted things became. Trees twisted into spirals, rocks floated aimlessly, and ghostly flickers darted through the fog like fractured memories.
"It's the seal," Cira said, checking her sensors. "It's leaking now—Divin and time itself are starting to unravel."
We moved quickly, our squad advancing up the temple's shattered steps. Enemy resistance hit us immediately.
Aberrations poured from the temple's base—misshapen beasts with too many limbs, eyes that glowed like molten glass, and roars that echoed with whispers. Our vanguard met them head-on, blades and spells slashing through corrupted flesh.
Elara cracked a creature's skull with a glowing fist, while Kieran blinked through three at once, leaving only severed torsos behind.
I held back the tide with arcs of Crown-born energy, forming a protective wall around our healers and engineers as they pushed forward toward the temple's entrance.
Still, something gnawed at me.
This wasn't their full strength.
This was a distraction.
Into the Hollow
Inside the temple, the world changed.
There were no straight halls. The architecture bent in on itself—corridors spiraling, stairs leading both up and down at once. Symbols scrawled across the walls shifted when we looked away. At times, the light dimmed, and voices echoed without source.
I saw flashes of myself—my past self—walking these same halls, a blade in one hand, a crown in the other. I heard his laughter. Felt his pride.
"This was your kingdom once."
"You took the Hollow Sky by force."
I gritted my teeth, pushing the memories down. "Not anymore."
The inner sanctum lay just ahead—guarded.
A lone figure stood at the gate.
Tall, armored in fractured gold, eyes burning like dying stars.
Not a Silencer.
Not a priest.
A Herald.
The Herald of Collapse
"I knew you would come," the Herald said, his voice both calm and commanding. "You wear the Crown, but you do not command it."
He raised a jagged spear. "So I will test you. And break you."
He struck.
Faster than thought.
I barely blocked in time, the impact sending me skidding back across the stone. The air trembled with the force of the blow.
He came again, each strike more violent, more precise. My arms burned with the effort of parrying, dodging. Behind me, Cira called out orders to keep the rest of the squad away.
"I don't have time for you!" I shouted, slashing a golden arc across the floor.
"You make time," the Herald replied coldly, "for your end."
He stabbed again, this time aiming for my throat—but Kieran intercepted, his blade deflecting the spear wide. Elara rushed in, driving a mana punch into the Herald's side.
The Herald didn't fall.
Instead, he laughed.
And exploded.
A Fracture in the Ranks
The blast was sudden, a shockwave of shattering force that launched us backward. Dozens of soldiers were thrown into walls, impaled on shattered stone. I landed hard, vision blurring.
Smoke choked the air. Shouts rang out. Alarms screamed in Cira's gauntlet.
Then I saw him.
Walking from the smoke—Darian Voss.
Only it wasn't him.
Or rather—it was.
But his eyes were wrong.
Empty.
"I tried," he said, his voice cracking. "I really did."
Elara froze. "Darian?"
He looked up at us. "He showed me what's coming. What you're keeping from us. The gods… they aren't saviors. They're parasites. Just like the Crown."
"You're wrong," I said. "The Crown—"
"Is a leash," he snapped. "And you're wearing it."
He raised his sword. "Forgive me."
Then he attacked.
Brother Against Brother
Darian's blade met mine in a clash of sparks and raw energy. He fought with the same precision, the same instincts—but his strikes were angrier. Desperate.
"I don't want to kill you," I shouted, deflecting a wide slash aimed at my shoulder.
"Then don't," he snarled. "But I'll do what you won't. I'll finish this."
He forced me back toward the center of the chamber. Behind him, more Silencers slipped from the shadows, engaging the scattered remnants of our team.
Cira fought to keep the engineers alive. Kieran was locked in a deadly dance with two Silencers at once. Elara held the line with a mana shield, deflecting spells raining from the ceiling like fire.
I looked back at Darian.
"I know you're still in there," I said. "You saved my life more than once."
His eyes flickered.
For a heartbeat.
Then he screamed and attacked again.
Breaking Point
We clashed in the heart of the temple, Crown against corrupted steel. The seal pulsed behind us, a stone heart cracking open with every second. Black tendrils slipped through the fractures.
I had no choice.
With a roar, I unleashed the Crown—not to kill, but to strip the corruption.
Golden light exploded from me, wrapping around Darian, searing the void from his veins. He collapsed, twitching, his sword clattering to the floor.
The room fell still.
The seal—half broken—shimmered weakly behind him.
"We can still save it," Cira called, rushing toward the monolith. "I just need time."
Shattered Trust
Kieran helped Darian sit up as I approached.
He looked at me, pain in his eyes. "I'm sorry."
I nodded slowly. "We'll talk after we fix this."
But in my heart, something cracked.
Not just because he betrayed us.
But because I understood why.
He'd seen the truth. Or a truth.
And the worst part?
He wasn't entirely wrong.
The Crown was a leash.
And I was still figuring out who held the other end.