Grey Hollow had not seen sunlight in years.
Not because of storms.
Not because of clouds.
But because the massive ruins surrounding the settlement blocked the sky itself.
Collapsed transport towers leaned over the abandoned streets like dead giants while endless layers of grey mist crawled between broken buildings and shattered highways.
Somewhere far beyond Grey Hollow…
the Black Continent waited.
And beyond that—
something ancient was waking up.
Inside one of the abandoned transport warehouses, Sunny finally opened his eyes.
Pain hit immediately.
Every muscle in his body screamed as unstable Aether surged beneath his skin like burning needles.
"…Tch."
"You're awake."
Sunny slowly turned his head.
The silver-haired boy sat nearby sharpening a short black dagger calmly.
Layla stood near the broken entrance of the warehouse, staring outside toward the empty streets.
Sunny forced himself upright slightly.
Bad idea.
Pain exploded through his chest instantly.
"You should stay down," the silver-haired boy said casually. "Your pathways are still damaged."
Sunny ignored him.
His red eyes locked onto Layla immediately.
"…Where are we?"
"Grey Hollow," Layla answered quietly.
Sunny frowned.
"The abandoned checkpoint city?"
The silver-haired boy nodded.
"Welcome to the edge of nowhere."
Sunny looked around slowly.
Broken crates.
Rusted transport rails.
Ancient Aether-powered machinery long since dead.
This place felt forgotten.
But not empty.
He could feel things moving outside.
Watching.
Layla suddenly spoke again.
"The creatures here avoid this building."
Sunny narrowed his eyes.
"Why?"
Layla glanced toward the strange glowing symbols beneath her sleeve.
"…Because they're afraid."
Before Sunny could ask more—
a loud metallic crash echoed somewhere outside.
The silver-haired boy immediately stood up.
Sunny's instincts sharpened instantly.
That sound wasn't random.
Something had entered Grey Hollow.
And it was big.
The boy moved toward the shattered entrance carefully.
"I'll check it out."
Layla grabbed his arm before he could leave.
"Don't."
Her voice was calm.
But serious.
The silver-haired boy frowned. "You sensed something?"
Layla's pale blue eyes slowly shifted toward the distant streets outside.
"…Three things."
Sunny felt it a second later.
Aether signatures.
One violent.
One unstable.
And one…
empty.
Not weak.
Not hidden.
Empty.
Like a void moving through the city itself.
Sunny's expression darkened.
"What the hell is that?"
No one answered.
Outside, somewhere deep within Grey Hollow—
something massive moved between the ruined buildings.
An old tower collapsed in the distance.
The ground trembled slightly.
The silver-haired boy cursed quietly.
"That's too big to be a corrupted human."
Layla remained silent for several seconds.
Then—
"…It found us faster than expected."
Sunny immediately looked toward her.
"You know what that thing is?"
Layla hesitated.
For the first time since meeting her—
she looked uneasy.
"…A Hollowborn."
The warehouse went silent.
Even the silver-haired boy's expression changed instantly.
"You're joking."
Layla shook her head slowly.
"No."
Sunny frowned. "What's a Hollowborn?"
The silver-haired boy answered first.
"A failed purification experiment."
Sunny blinked.
"…What?"
The boy tightened his grip on the dagger.
"Long ago, demons tried creating artificial beings that could survive the corruption spreading from the Black Continent."
His expression darkened.
"Most of them went insane."
Another distant impact shook Grey Hollow.
This time closer.
Sunny slowly stood despite the pain.
"…And one of them is here?"
Layla nodded once.
"But this one is different."
Her glowing symbols flickered faintly beneath her sleeve again.
"It's searching for something."
Suddenly—
all three of them froze.
Heavy footsteps echoed outside the warehouse now.
Slow.
Massive.
Each step shaking the ground slightly.
Sunny's breathing sharpened.
The silver-haired boy extinguished the faint lantern nearby instantly.
Darkness swallowed the warehouse.
Then—
a gigantic shadow passed in front of the broken entrance.
Sunny's pupils shrank.
Even from inside the darkness, he could see part of it.
Tall.
Humanoid.
Its body looked stitched together from blackened flesh and pale bone while glowing cracks spread across its skin like molten lava beneath stone.
But the worst part—
was its face.
Or rather…
the lack of one.
Nothing existed there except a hollow abyss.
No eyes.
No mouth.
No expression.
Just emptiness.
The Hollowborn stopped moving.
Sunny felt cold sweat run down his neck.
It sensed them.
The creature slowly tilted its head toward the warehouse.
Then—
it spoke.
Not with sound.
But directly inside their minds.
"Where… is…the vessel?"
Sunny immediately grabbed his head.
"What the hell—"
The silver-haired boy staggered backward.
Layla's expression hardened instantly.
"…It's looking for Sunny."
The Hollowborn stood motionless outside the warehouse.
Its massive body blocked the broken entrance completely while faint black vapor leaked from the hollow void where its face should've been.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Then—
the thing took a step forward.
The floor trembled.
Sunny's instincts screamed instantly.
Danger.
Not normal danger.
Certain death.
The silver-haired boy tightened his grip on his dagger, but his hands were shaking slightly now.
"…This thing's pressure is insane."
Layla's glowing markings flickered brighter beneath her sleeve.
"It found the vessel faster than expected…"
Sunny looked at her sharply. "Stop calling me that."
The Hollowborn suddenly tilted its head again.
"Return…the vessel…"
The voice echoed directly inside their minds once more.
This time stronger.
Sunny felt blood drip faintly from his nose.
The silver-haired boy cursed. "Mental interference too?!"
Then—
something unexpected happened.
A sharp blue light suddenly appeared in front of Sunny's eyes.
Transparent.
Floating.
Like a holographic screen.
[ SYSTEM WARNING ]
Sunny froze.
"…What?"
The silver-haired boy's eyes widened.
"You see it too?"
Another screen appeared before Layla.
Then another.
All three of them stared at the glowing messages floating in the darkness.
[ THREAT LEVEL: CATASTROPHIC ]
[ ENTITY IDENTIFIED: HOLLOWBORN ]
[ SURVIVAL PROBABILITY IF ENGAGING: 0.02% ]
The warehouse went silent.
Then the system message changed.
Bright crimson letters appeared this time.
[ PRIMARY OBJECTIVE UPDATED ]
[ RUN ]
Another notification appeared instantly after.
[ DO NOT ENGAGE ]
[ FAILURE TO ESCAPE WILL RESULT IN TOTAL PARTY ELIMINATION ]
Sunny's pupils shrank slightly.
"…The system is warning us to run?"
The silver-haired boy slowly lowered his dagger.
"I've never seen it do that before…"
Even Layla looked unsettled now.
And that scared Sunny more than the Hollowborn itself.
Because Layla had remained calm through everything until now.
Outside—
the Hollowborn stepped closer again.
The warehouse walls cracked instantly.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
Then all the system screens flashed violently.
[ ESCAPE ROUTE GENERATED ]
A glowing blue line suddenly appeared on the floor.
Leading downward.
Toward the underground train tunnels beneath Grey Hollow.
Sunny immediately understood.
The system itself was trying to guide them out.
The Hollowborn leaned toward the warehouse entrance slowly.
The empty void where its face should've been darkened further.
"Found…you…"
One massive hand burst through the warehouse wall instantly.
The silver-haired boy reacted first.
"MOVE!"
All three of them jumped backward as the creature's arm tore through steel and concrete like paper.
The warehouse began collapsing immediately.
Sunny forced Aether into his damaged body and sprinted after the glowing blue line while Layla and the silver-haired boy followed closely behind.
Behind them—
the Hollowborn entered the warehouse fully.
Its gigantic body barely fit inside.
The system notifications flashed again urgently.
[ WARNING ]
[ ENTITY IS ATTEMPTING PURSUIT ]
[ RECOMMENDATION: DO NOT LOOK BACK ]
Naturally—
Sunny looked back.
Big mistake.
The Hollowborn's empty face suddenly shifted toward him instantly.
Even without eyes—
it was staring directly at him.
Then Sunny noticed something horrifying.
The glowing cracks across its body…
were beginning to resemble Aether pathways.
Human Aether pathways.
Like it was evolving.
The Hollowborn reached toward him slowly.
"Vessel…"
The entire warehouse exploded apart behind them.
The underground tunnel shook violently as the warehouse above collapsed.
Chunks of concrete crashed behind them while ancient transport rails twisted beneath the pressure of the Hollowborn forcing its way underground.
Sunny nearly fell the moment they entered the tunnel.
Pain shot through his body so intensely that his vision blurred again.
"Tch—!"
He slammed one hand against the wall to steady himself.
The silver-haired boy grabbed his arm immediately.
"Keep moving!"
The glowing blue system line continued deeper into the abandoned train tunnels beneath Grey Hollow.
Darkness stretched endlessly ahead.
Behind them—
BOOOOM!
The Hollowborn tore through the underground entrance.
Its massive body barely fit inside the tunnel, yet it continued crawling forward relentlessly while black vapor spread around it like living smoke.
[ WARNING ]
[ ENTITY HAS ENTERED PURSUIT MODE ]
[ ESTIMATED TIME UNTIL CONTACT: 03:41 ]
Sunny's breathing grew uneven.
Three minutes?
That thing would catch them in three minutes?!
The silver-haired boy cursed under his breath and pulled Sunny forward faster.
But Sunny's body was failing.
Every step felt like knives tearing through his muscles.
His unstable Aether pathways flickered violently beneath his skin now, glowing cracks spreading further up his neck and arms.
Layla glanced back once.
Then her expression hardened slightly.
"He's getting worse."
"No kidding," the boy snapped. "His pathways are collapsing!"
Sunny pushed him away weakly.
"I can walk."
The moment he tried—
his legs nearly gave out again.
The silver-haired boy caught him before he hit the ground.
"Yeah. Sure you can."
Another massive impact echoed behind them.
BOOOOOOM!
The Hollowborn smashed through several tunnel walls at once.
The entire underground system trembled violently.
Old lights flickered overhead before exploding one after another.
Darkness swallowed sections of the tunnel completely.
Then—
the voice returned.
Inside their minds.
Closer this time.
"Do not…run…"
Sunny grabbed his head instantly.
The mental pressure felt heavier underground.
Like the creature's voice was drilling directly into his skull now.
The silver-haired boy gritted his teeth.
"It's trying to slow us mentally."
Layla suddenly stopped.
Her pale blue eyes narrowed toward the tunnel ahead.
"…No."
The others looked up immediately.
The tunnel ahead had collapsed.
Massive chunks of concrete and twisted steel blocked the path entirely.
The glowing system line flickered against the rubble desperately.
Then updated.
[ ROUTE OBSTRUCTED ]
[ RECALCULATING ESCAPE PATH ]
Behind them—
another impact shook the tunnel.
Closer.
Far too close.
The Hollowborn was adapting to the underground environment rapidly.
Black growths spread along the tunnel walls wherever it touched them, almost like corruption infecting the structure itself.
Sunny's chest tightened painfully.
They weren't going to outrun this thing.
The silver-haired boy noticed too.
"…Damn it."
Layla stepped toward the collapsed tunnel calmly.
Symbols beneath her sleeve glowed brighter.
"I'll open a path."
Sunny frowned immediately.
"You can destroy that much rubble?"
Layla hesitated slightly.
"…Not exactly."
Before she could explain—
the tunnel behind them suddenly exploded apart.
BOOOOOOOOM!
The Hollowborn forced itself through the destroyed passageway violently.
Its gigantic frame scraped against the walls while pieces of blackened bone protruded from its body now.
And worst of all—
faint glowing blue cracks had begun forming inside the empty void where its face should've been.
Like eyes were slowly developing.
The silver-haired boy's face paled.
"It's evolving again?!"
The Hollowborn stretched one massive arm toward Sunny.
"Return…the vessel…"
The system screens flashed violently across all their visions.
[ CRITICAL WARNING ]
[ ENTITY EVOLUTION RATE INCREASING ]
[ SURVIVAL PROBABILITY DROPPING ]
[ 0.02% → 0.01% ]
Sunny clenched his teeth.
His body shook violently from exhaustion.
If he kept forcing Aether through his damaged pathways—
he could die.
But if they stopped—
that thing would kill all of them anyway.
Then—
Layla suddenly grabbed Sunny's hand.
"Don't resist."
Before he could respond—
the glowing symbols beneath her sleeve spread across her arm instantly.
Ancient blue markings illuminated the entire tunnel.
The Hollowborn froze.
For the first time—
it stopped moving.
Its unfinished glowing eyes widened slightly.
"…You…"
Layla's calm expression darkened.
Then she slammed her hand against the collapsed tunnel wall.
The symbols exploded with light.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The rubble ahead vanished instantly.
Not destroyed.
Erased.
Like space itself had been removed.
A massive hidden tunnel appeared beyond the debris.
Cold air rushed outward from the darkness ahead.
The system updated immediately.
[ NEW ESCAPE ROUTE DISCOVERED ]
[ RUN ]
The hidden tunnel stretched endlessly beneath Grey Hollow.
Ancient black rails disappeared into the darkness while strange glowing symbols lined parts of the underground walls like remnants of an older civilization.
The moment the new path opened—
the system's blue line immediately extended deeper underground.
Almost urgently.
[ ESCAPE ROUTE UPDATED ]
[ RECOMMENDED ACTION: CONTINUE FORWARD ]
The silver-haired boy didn't hesitate.
"Move!"
He dragged Sunny forward again while Layla followed close behind.
Behind them, the Hollowborn let out a horrifying mental screech.
"LAYLAAAA—"
BOOOOOOOM!
The creature slammed into the tunnel entrance violently, but for some reason—
it stopped.
It didn't enter immediately.
The unfinished glowing eyes within its hollow face narrowed toward the tunnel itself.
Almost cautiously.
Layla noticed instantly.
"…It doesn't like this place."
The silver-haired boy looked back briefly while helping Sunny walk.
"Great. I still hate it."
Sunny could barely focus anymore.
His vision kept flickering in and out while blood dripped slowly from his fingertips.
The unstable Aether cracks spreading across his body were getting worse.
Much worse.
[ WARNING ]
[ HOST CONDITION CRITICAL ]
[ AETHER PATHWAY FAILURE IMMINENT ]
Sunny cursed weakly.
"Can this thing stop talking…"
But Layla wasn't paying attention to Sunny anymore.
Her eyes remained fixed on the floating system notifications.
Especially the latest ones.
[ SURVIVAL PROBABILITY UPDATED ]
[ 0.01% → 4.7% ]
That number shouldn't have increased that much.
Not after they encountered a Hollowborn.
Not after Sunny's condition worsened.
And yet—
the system kept recalculating routes.
Kept warning them.
Kept actively trying to preserve them.
Layla slowed slightly.
The silver-haired boy noticed immediately.
"What's wrong?"
Layla stared silently at the glowing blue line ahead.
Then at the system notifications floating around them.
"…It's helping us too much."
Sunny weakly looked toward her.
"What?"
Layla frowned slightly.
"The system usually observes."
Another notification appeared instantly as if responding to her thoughts.
[ THREAT DETECTED AHEAD ]
[ SAFE ROUTE GENERATED ]
The glowing line shifted again immediately.
Layla's expression darkened.
"…See?"
The silver-haired boy blinked.
"…You're saying the system is protecting us?"
"No."
Layla looked back toward the tunnel where the Hollowborn still lurked in the darkness.
"…It's protecting Sunny."
Silence.
Even Sunny looked at her now.
The system notifications flickered again.
[ PRIMARY VESSEL MUST SURVIVE ]
All three froze.
The silver-haired boy's face changed instantly.
"…Primary what?"
Sunny narrowed his eyes dangerously despite his exhaustion.
"Okay, I'm getting really tired of being called that."
But Layla's mind was racing now.
Because this changed everything.
The Hollowborn called Sunny "the vessel."
Now the system itself had used the same word.
That couldn't be coincidence.
Another realization hit her immediately after.
The Hollowborn wasn't trying to kill Sunny.
It was trying to retrieve him.
And somehow—
the system was trying to stop that from happening.
Layla slowly looked toward Sunny.
His unstable Aether pathways glowed beneath his skin while fragments of grey mist unconsciously leaked around him.
The same grey mist he used to escape before.
The same mist that didn't behave like normal Aether.
Then Layla remembered Scarlet's old experiments.
"Huh , who was that , and why did I remember that now ?"
Her expression changed slightly.
No…
Surely not.
The silver-haired boy suddenly stopped moving.
"…Guys."
Everyone froze.
Ahead of them—
the tunnel split into two separate paths.
But the system line only extended down one.
The other tunnel…
had no system guidance at all.
Only darkness.
Yet from that darkness—
they could hear breathing.
The breathing was slow.
Heavy.
Wet.
Like something enormous was sleeping somewhere deep within the darkness ahead.
The silver-haired boy immediately pulled Sunny backward slightly.
"…Tell me that's not another Hollowborn."
No one answered.
The system line continued glowing faintly down the left tunnel.
Safe.
Stable.
But the right tunnel—
the one without guidance—
felt wrong.
The air itself felt heavier there.
Ancient.
Alive.
Layla stared at the darkness carefully.
Then another system notification appeared.
[ DO NOT ENTER RIGHT PATH ]
[ EXTREME RISK DETECTED ]
[ CONTINUE LEFT ]
The silver-haired boy pointed immediately.
"Well, there's our answer."
But Sunny kept staring toward the right tunnel.
Something about it bothered him.
Or rather—
something inside him reacted to it.
Faint grey mist unconsciously leaked from his fingertips again.
Layla noticed instantly.
"…Sunny."
He frowned weakly.
"You feel it too?"
The silver-haired boy blinked between them.
"Feel what?"
Sunny's red eyes narrowed toward the darkness.
"…Something's down there."
Another breath echoed from the right tunnel.
Closer this time.
The lights overhead flickered once.
Then died completely.
Darkness swallowed the underground passage.
Only the glowing blue system line remained visible.
Then—
a low growl echoed from somewhere behind them.
The Hollowborn was moving again.
Fast.
Very fast.
BOOOOOOM!
The tunnel shook violently.
Black corruption spread rapidly across the walls behind them while chunks of concrete collapsed from the ceiling.
The silver-haired boy cursed instantly.
"Nope. We are NOT staying here."
He immediately started dragging Sunny toward the left tunnel.
Layla followed—
but stopped after only two steps.
Her pale blue eyes widened slightly.
"…Wait."
The others turned.
Layla stared at the system notifications floating before them.
Something had changed.
[ ESCAPE PROBABILITY ]
[ LEFT ROUTE: 12% ]
[ RIGHT ROUTE: 47% ]
The silver-haired boy froze.
"…What?"
A second notification appeared immediately after.
[ WARNING ]
[ RIGHT ROUTE CONTAINS UNKNOWN ENTITY ]
[ ENTITY NOT HOSTILE ]
Sunny frowned weakly.
"The system changed its mind?"
Layla's expression hardened.
"No…"
Her glowing sleeve markings flickered uneasily.
"…Something in the right tunnel forced the recalculation."
The Hollowborn roared behind them.
This time the mental pressure was overwhelming.
"THE VESSEL BELONGS TO US—"
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The tunnel behind them exploded apart completely.
The Hollowborn forced itself through the collapsing passage at terrifying speed now, its body mutating further as glowing blue eyes fully formed within the empty void of its face.
Dozens of them.
Watching.
Learning.
Hungry.
The silver-haired boy's face paled instantly.
"RUN!"
But before any of them could move—
the right tunnel suddenly changed.
Darkness shifted unnaturally.
Then two glowing golden eyes opened deep within the abyss.
Everything stopped.
The Hollowborn froze instantly.
Its newly formed eyes widened with something that looked terrifyingly close to fear.
Silence consumed the underground tunnels.
Then—
a voice echoed from the darkness.
Calm.
Ancient.
Cold.
"…You are making too much noise."
The pressure that followed was monstrous.
Not violent like the Hollowborn.
Not overwhelming like Scarlet.
This pressure felt deeper.
Like standing before something that existed long before humans.
The Hollowborn immediately backed away.
Actually backed away.
Its massive body trembled violently now.
The golden eyes within the darkness slowly narrowed.
"…Leave."
One word.
That was all.
The Hollowborn was blasted backward instantly by an invisible force.
Its gigantic body smashed through multiple tunnel walls before disappearing into the darkness behind them.
Silence returned.
The silver-haired boy stared blankly.
"…What the hell was that?"
The system notifications flickered violently again.
Then stabilized.
[ NEW OBJECTIVE ]
[ ENTER RIGHT PATH ]
Sunny's heart pounded slowly.
The golden eyes were still there.
Watching them from the darkness.
Layla stepped forward carefully.
For the first time since entering Grey Hollow—
she looked genuinely shaken.
Because she recognized that pressure.
And if she was right…
then something impossible was waiting inside that tunnel...