Evelyn's grip tightened around the flask as Nathaniel took another step forward.
His blackened eyes held no recognition, only a chilling emptiness. His once-familiar face was wrong, as if stretched too thin, like something wearing a mask of him but not fully understanding how to use it.
"You shouldn't have come." His voice was off, layered with something deeper, something inhuman.
Evelyn's pulse hammered.
This wasn't just Nathaniel. The Hollow One was inside him. Speaking through him.
Behind him, the shadows swirled thick, alive, reaching toward her like something hungry.
Evelyn stumbled back. "Nathaniel, if you can hear me, fight it! You're stronger than this thing!"
His lips curled into something that wasn't a smile.
"Stronger?" His voice warped, deepening, twisting. "I am strong. Stronger than I've ever been."
Evelyn shook her head. "This isn't you!"
Nathaniel's expression didn't change. But then, something flickered in his posture. A slight tension. A hesitation.
A part of him was still there.
She had to reach him before the Hollow One took the rest.
A Desperate Attempt
Miriam's voice echoed in her mind. If it tries to take you, spill a drop on your skin.
Evelyn's hand shook as she unstoppered the flask. The sharp, burnt scent made her stomach twist.
Nathaniel lunged.
She had no choice.
She poured a drop onto her wrist.
The pain was instant.
A searing burn, like ice and fire ripping through her veins. She bit back a scream, barely managing to stay upright.
And then
Nathaniel froze.
His body jerked, his hands clawing at his chest as if something inside him was fighting.
The Hollow One didn't like this.
Evelyn steeled herself. If she had any chance of saving him, this was it.
She grabbed him by the wrist and pressed her burning skin against his.
Nathaniel's body convulsed.
A terrible sound tore from his throat a choked, inhuman scream that sent ice down Evelyn's spine.
The shadows recoiled.
And for the briefest moment
Nathaniel's eyes cleared.
"Evelyn," he gasped. "It's—it's inside"
His voice cut off as the shadows surged forward.
Miriam's voice shouted from behind her. "Get back!"
The lantern flared.
The Hollow One screamed.
And suddenly
Evelyn was somewhere else.
A Glimpse Beyond the Veil
She was no longer in the mine.
The world around her was shifting, flickering like an old film reel, torn between reality and something else.
Figures stood in the dark, their faces blurred.
She recognized some of them.
Lillian.
Others strangers.Missing people.
They were watching her. Reaching.
And then
A voice. Soft. Familiar.
"Evelyn."
Her breath hitched.
It wasn't Nathaniel.
It was Lillian.
She turned, heart pounding.
And there she was.
But something was wrong.
Lillian's form flickered part flesh, part shadow.
She wasn't just here.
She was part of it.
A Voice from the Shadows
Evelyn's breath caught in her throat.
Lillian stood before her, but she wasn't whole.
Her form flickered between flesh and shadow, as if she were trapped between two worlds one real, one something else entirely. Her eyes, once bright with life, were now hollow pools of darkness.
Yet beneath the eerie stillness, something was there. Something familiar.
"Evelyn."
Her name escaped Lillian's lips in a whisper, carrying the weight of fifteen years of silence.
Evelyn's pulse hammered. "Lillian?"
Lillian's face twitched, like a glitching image struggling to stabilize.
"I—I don't have much time." Her voice cracked, fractured. "It knows I'm talking to you."
Evelyn's throat went dry.
The Hollow One.
It wasn't just controlling Nathaniel.
It had Lillian, too.
A terrible thought chilled her to the bone. Is she even real anymore?
Evelyn took a hesitant step forward. "Lillian, listen to me. I'm going to get you out of here."
Lillian's head jerked sharply to the side, her fingers tensing at her sides.
"No," she whispered, desperate. "You don't understand. It doesn't let go. Not fully."
Evelyn's stomach twisted. "There has to be a way."
Lillian's lips parted, as if she wanted to say more. But then
She flinched.
The shadows behind her stirred.
A deep, guttural voice rumbled through the darkness.
"Enough."
A cold wave rushed over Evelyn, sending an electric pulse of dread through her body. The temperature plummeted. The air became thick suffocating.
Lillian shuddered, as if something was pulling her back.
"No," she gasped. "Not yet!"
Evelyn lunged forward but before she could reach her, Lillian was ripped backward into the shadows.
And the world collapsed.
Back to Reality Or Something Else?
Evelyn gasped as she slammed back into the mine.
Her knees hit the cold stone floor, her breath ragged. The Hollow One's presence was gone but its echoes lingered.
Miriam was kneeling beside her, gripping her shoulders.
"You blacked out." Her voice was urgent. "What the hell happened?"
Evelyn's vision swam. Lillian's face was burned into her mind. Her fear. Her warning.
"She's alive," Evelyn whispered. "Lillian is alive."
Miriam stiffened. "Evelyn"
"I saw her." Evelyn forced herself up. "She spoke to me. She" Her voice faltered. "She's trapped."
Miriam's eyes darkened.
"Then she's already gone."
Evelyn's chest tightened. "No. She's fighting it. She told me"
Miriam's jaw clenched. "That's what it wants you to think."
Evelyn shook her head. "No. This was her. I know it was."
Miriam hesitated.
But before either of them could say another word
Nathaniel gasped.
Evelyn spun around.
He was on his knees, his eyes clearing. The Hollow One's influence was receding but something was wrong.
His hands trembled as he looked at Evelyn.
"I saw it," he whispered. "I was it." His breath hitched. "Evelyn… it's coming."
The words sent a chill through her bones.
The Hollow One wasn't done with them.
And now, it knew exactly where they were.
End of chapter 9.
📚📚Want more chapters? Let's hit 50 power stones this week, and I'll release a bonus chapter! Also, leave a comment—I love hearing your thoughts! And don't forget to add this novel to your library so you never miss an update!😊.