The ruins shook again, the wind howling as if the world itself demanded her answer.
Ellie's pulse pounded. She wanted time—time to think, time to understand—but there was no time left.
A deafening roar split the sky.
Malcolm's sword was in his hands in an instant. "What the hell was that?"
Sam cursed, already moving toward Ellie. "We need to go. Now."
But the golden-eyed man didn't move.
"They're here."
Ellie's breath caught.
Before she could ask who—
The sky split open.
The Beasts of the Hollow
A crimson rift tore across the heavens, spilling shadows that twisted and writhed, forming shapes—monsters.
Eyes like burning coals. Limbs too long. Mouths that stretched open with inhuman wails.
They descended like a plague.
And Ellie knew them.
Even if she didn't remember their names, she knew.
They were the Hollow Beasts.
And they had come for her.
No Time Left
Malcolm shoved Ellie back. "Ellie! Move!"
A beast lunged, but the golden-eyed man raised his hand—a wave of gold fire erupted, slamming into the creature and sending it screeching into the sky.
Sam barely dodged another, hurling a dagger that sank into its throat—but the thing just kept coming.
Ellie's heart raced.
This wasn't just an attack.
This was a hunt.
And she was the prey.
She turned to the golden-eyed man.
"Did you do this?" she demanded.
He didn't look at her.
"No. But they were always coming."
The ground split beneath them as another beast erupted from below, snarling as it clawed toward Ellie—
She moved without thinking.
Her hand shot out, light flaring around her fingers—
A pulse of raw power exploded from her palm—
The beast was obliterated.
Ellie staggered back.
She hadn't meant to do that.
But it had felt… natural.
Like breathing.
Like she had done it a thousand times before.
Malcolm stared at her.
Sam's mouth was slightly open. "Uh, Ellie…?"
The golden-eyed man finally turned, his gaze dark with something close to relief.
"Now you remember."
The Cycle Begins Again
The Hollow Beasts shrieked, circling overhead. They weren't just mindless monsters.
They were waiting.
For her.
Because they knew.
Ellie clenched her fists.
She wasn't sure of everything yet.
But one thing was clear.
She had been a queen.
She had started a war.
And now—it was coming for her.
Her choice had already been made.
Now, she just had to survive it.
Queen of the Hollow Ones
The Hollow Beasts circled above, their screeches shaking the ruins.
Ellie's hands burned with power, the last remnants of the attack she'd unleashed.
She could feel it now—the truth clawing its way back.
She had been a queen.
These creatures were hers.
And yet, they were attacking her.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
A Choice of Power
Malcolm was already moving. "Ellie, we need to run."
Sam grabbed her wrist, eyes wide with something close to fear.
But Ellie stood firm.
She wasn't the same girl she had been moments ago.
The flicker of power inside her was growing, rushing back.
She could feel commands on the tip of her tongue.
If she spoke, they would listen.
She just had to remember how.
The golden-eyed man took a step forward.
"Ellie. Take control."
She turned to him. "How?"
His gaze never wavered.
"They are Hollow. And you are their queen. Command them."
A beast dove toward her—claws stretched, fangs bared—
Ellie threw out her hand.
And the air split with her voice.
"Kneel."
The Hollow Ones Bow
The Hollow Beast froze.
For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Then—one by one, they dropped from the sky.
Massive, nightmarish creatures bowed before her, their bodies pressed into the broken stone.
Sam staggered back. "Oh… what the hell?"
Malcolm's grip on his sword tightened. "Ellie?"
She barely heard them.
She was breathing fast, her body vibrating with power she didn't fully understand.
But she understood one thing.
They had obeyed.
She wasn't just a lost girl running from her past.
She was still their queen.
And the golden-eyed man was watching her, waiting.
"Now, do you see?"
Ellie swallowed.
"I see."
But she still didn't know everything.
Not yet.
The Hollow Throne Awaits
The wind howled, but the Hollow Beasts remained still.
Ellie turned to the golden-eyed man.
"You knew this would happen."
He inclined his head.
"I did."
Sam scowled. "So this was some kind of test?"
"No." The man's voice was even. "It was a necessity."
Malcolm narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
The golden-eyed man finally smiled.
"Because the Hollow Throne has been waiting for its queen to return."
Ellie's breath caught.
A kingdom she had ruled. A war she had started.
A throne that still belonged to her.
And now—
It was calling her back.
The Throne Calls
The ruins whispered around Ellie, voices of the past scratching at the edges of her mind.
She wasn't just standing in the remnants of an ancient battlefield.
She was standing at the threshold of her destiny.
The Hollow Beasts remained kneeling, their burning eyes fixed on her.
The power in her veins pulsed like a second heartbeat.
"Because the Hollow Throne has been waiting for its queen to return."
The golden-eyed man's words rang in her skull.
Her throne.
Her past.
Her kingdom.
Ellie's fingers curled into fists.
This was what she had tried to escape.
The war, the cycle, the power that never truly let her go.
But it was back now.
And it demanded an answer.
A Battle Within
Malcolm stepped closer, voice low. "Ellie, you don't have to do this."
Sam nodded, uneasy. "Yeah, we can just… walk away, right?"
Ellie looked at them.
Walk away?
Could she?
The Hollow Beasts still knelt.
The golden-eyed man was still watching.
The world had paused, waiting for her answer.
And she felt it.
Deep inside.
A pull.
A whisper.
The Hollow Throne was waiting.
Her throne.
A place she had once ruled.
A place she had destroyed.
And yet, it still wanted her back.
Ellie took a shaky breath.
If she accepted it—what would she become?
If she refused—what would happen to the Hollow Ones?
Her past and future were colliding.
And she had to choose.
The Weight of a Kingdom
The golden-eyed man finally spoke.
"You fear what you might become."
Ellie's breath hitched.
"But the truth is, you were never afraid of the power."
His golden gaze burned into hers.
"You were afraid of what you did with it."
The words hit her like a knife.
Because he was right.
Ellie had been a queen.
A ruler.
A destroyer.
And now, she had to decide if she would be one again.
The Hollow Throne was waiting.
Ellie steeled herself.
Then—
She took a step forward.
The ruins shook.
The Hollow Beasts lifted their heads.
The golden-eyed man smiled.
And Ellie whispered, "Take me to it."
End of Chapter 21.
Should Chapter 22 focus on Ellie's journey to the Hollow Throne, or should an outside force—perhaps an enemy faction—interfere before she can reach it?