Hollow Sun

The light was already digging at his skin, searing through layers of dust and cloth as if it had hungered for him.

'This is it...'

'The end of it all.'

No more waking up to their laughter. No more pretending he didn't hear the whispers behind his back. No more being the weakest. The unwanted.

He took a step back, and his heel scraped against the stone like a plastic chair being dragged on its tilt.

"Run, you idiot!"

The voice barely registered. The shouts, the desperation, the hands reaching out—none of it mattered anymore. He had already made his choice.

He took another step back, closer to the edge. But then he heard the voice of which he hated most.

"You know what happens next, don't you!" A young boy yelled the warning, still clutching the chain of an antique pendent that read: Mommy's little Kael.

In that exact moment, a rush of wind howled through the canyon, rattling through rusted barricades and skeletal remains of old outposts—as well as the hanging pendant, its silver-patched surface glinting as it spun in the light. He soon felt it in his bones, that final, inevitable moment creeping closer. Then, the sun reached him.

The warmth of it turned blistering. The heat seeped past his skin, digging deeper, until it inevitably clawed at his bones. His body screamed as pure agony raced through his veins.

Maybe now, he could finally be free.

"....."

Nothing.

It didn't happen.

Simultaneously, the hands reaching for him recoiled. Suddenly, the fear in their eyes turned to something worse—Horror.

The boy collapsed to his knees, gasping, and digging his fingers into the newly scorched ground, drawing blood as he did. His breath hitched due to the weight of the sun pressing into his lungs. Yet, he was still here. Still breathing. Still… human.

He should have burned. He should have turned into one of them. And in that moment, as the shadows of those watching turned to horror, Kael realized the truth.

He hadn't been allowed to die.

He had been chosen.

****

ASH CANYON – Northern Cape

Years Later

"I'm not dying today."

The words felt empty, but he spoke them anyway.

The teenage boy stood at the edge of the enclave, his boots scraping against the rusted steel of the barricade as they always had. It had become his telltale, a call-sign of his coming presence. Below the edge, the canyon stretched endlessly. Jagged cliffs, carved deep by centuries of wind and time, waited with warning. High, from his position, he watched as the first light of morning spilled over the rocks, igniting the world in gold and blood.

Beautiful, he thought.

But terrible.

All at once.

He exhaled, and watched his breath turned into mist in the cold air. Behind him, Ash Canyon stirred to life—merchants shouting over each other, metal ringing against metal, the scent of burning coal and damp earth filling the air. This was life as they knew it now, hidden in the cracks of the world and shielded from the sun's deadly reach. It should have felt safe.

It didn't.

"What are you staring at, Solis?"

The teen didn't turn, surprised to hear his last name being called so casually—there were only two men that called him that, and he recognized the baritone of this man easily.

The man leaned against a barricade beside him, rolling a cigarette between his fingers. As usual, he had the air of someone who had seen too much, the kind of weariness that never quite left the eyes.

"Not thinking about testing your luck again, are you, Solis?"

The teen's fingers tightened on the railing. The memory of that day was still burned into him, the phantom heat of the sun clinging to his skin like an old wound.

"Yeah. But this time--it's different. And my name is Kael. Arvin."

"Good." Arvin replied before lighting his cigarette and exhaling a slow stream of smoke. "Would hate to waste a good cigarette on a funeral."

It was a joke. The way his lips curled slightly, the way his voice dipped just enough to sound casual—it was meant to be funny.

But Kael didn't laugh.

Because everyone saw what happened that day. They saw Kael step into the light, standing there for longer than it was thought possible.

And they saw him not turn.

"Hey, Arvin--" Kael began, but stopped when he turned to face Arvin, only to catch the sight of his figure already disappearing into a empty bar.

"Ah... never mind."

****

The Barricade

The last line of defense. A haphazard wall of reinforced stone and rusted metal, marking the end of Ash Canyon and the beginning of the wasteland beyond.

And, beyond that, the sun ruled.

Kael leaned against the railing, allowing his gaze to drift over the cliffs. The first Hollows had been sighted there, long ago. The books written on history said they used to be human—people who stayed in the light too long. Some claimed they still remembered pieces of their past, trapped in bodies that no longer belonged to them.

But Kael wouldn't know. Because he was still here. Still human. And still breathing when he shouldn't be.

The thought just kept knocking, and he swallowed in a dry throat. He should be grateful, shouldn't he? Shouldn't he want this second chance?

Then why did it feel like a punishment?" he thought, but it was short-lived.

"Kael!"

The voice snapped him out of it. He turned to see Captain Drevan striding toward him, his broad shoulders and heavy boots making him look more like a boulder than a man. Drevan had been with the Chosen Corps for years. His earth-based affinity duely made him one of the strongest defensive fighters in the region. Which, in turn, made him a revered legend, something that spoke to his no-nonsence personality.

And, as far as Kael could remember, he had never seen the man smile.

"You're wasting time, Solis," Drevan said bluntly—the only othe man to call him that. "Get to the plaza. The convoy leaves in an hour."

Briefly, Kael hesitated. He wasn't sure if it was the morning chill or something else, but his stomach churned with unease.

Whatever the case, he had orders, so he straightened and measured his voice.

"Yes, sir."

Drevan's eyes lingered on him for a second too long, as if he were looking for something, or perhaps, as if he'd known something.

Then, with a grunt, he turned and walked away.

Kael exhaled, finally, curling his hands into fists. He could feel the eyes of those watching him—Drevan, Arvin, all of the others. They all, almost always, had the same question in their eyes.

Why is he still here?

Neither did Kael have the answer to that popular question. He wasn't sure if he belonged here either—if he ever would. Today was his first mission as a Chosen, and already his doubts played house deep within his head.

But he made a promise to himself on that day, the day he didn't turn. And if—for any reason—he died toady, he could never keep it, so—

"I won't die... not today."

****

25 minutes until departure...

The plaza buzzed with activity. Merchants called out from their makeshift stalls, their voices competing with the clang of blacksmiths working on radiant gear - the only real defense against Hollows. Civilians bustled past, carrying crates of supplies or guiding children through the crowded streets. It was chaotic, but Kael found comfort in the noise. It reminded him that life still went on, even in the shadow of the Hollow Sun.

He passed by a stall selling amulets carved from obsidian—a popular choice among those who believed in warding off the sun's curse. Further down, a mechanic argued with a customer over the price of a solar lantern, a device designed to mimic sunlight without the radiation. Everywhere Kael looked, there were signs of humanity's resilience. It was fragile, but it was there.

The convoy was parked near the plaza's edge, a line of reinforced vehicles loaded with supplies and guarded by Chosen.

Kael moved through the crowd, the sunburst insignia on his chest marking him as one of the Chosen, and so, the people of Ash Canyon stepped aside as he passed.

But, not out of respect.

Out of fear.

Near the convoy, he spotted Rendrik Vale leaning against one of the trucks, a smirk plastered across his face. The pyrokinetic's red-tinted armor gleamed in the dim light, making him impossible to miss.

"Well, well," Rendrik called out. "Look who finally decided to show up. Thought you were gonna chicken out."

Kael adjusted his vambrace, forcing his voice to stay steady. "Not today, Rendrik."

"Good. Wouldn't want you to miss the fun." Rendrik's smirk widened. "You sure you're ready for this? I mean, shadows are great for hiding, but out there? You'll need more than a few parlor tricks to survive."

Kael didn't take the bait. Instead, his gaze drifted to the refugees being loaded into the convoy—families huddled together, faces pale and drawn. Most of them were farmers from an outlying settlement, fleeing after a recent Hollow attack.

And then there were the others. The ones who wouldn't meet his eyes. The ones who whispered behind his back when they thought he couldn't hear.

"Alright, listen up!"

Drevan's voice cut through the noise, silencing the plaza.

"This is a simple escort mission. We're taking these people to Hollowshard Pass. Two days there, two days back. Stay in formation, watch the cliffs, and keep the civilians alive. If you see anything—anything—out of the ordinary, report it immediately."

Kael nodded along with the others, though the unease in his stomach refused to fade.

Simple. That's what they always said.

As the convoy neared its departure, Drevan called the group of Chosen together, his sharp gaze sweeping over them. Kael stood at attention, feeling the weight of the captain's scrutiny. Beside him, Rendrik fiddled with the straps on his armor, his smirk fading slightly under Drevan's stern presence.

"We've been over this before, so I'm not taking any chances. Some of you are new. With that being said, I'd rather not scrape what's left of you off the canyon walls," Drevan growled. His voice carried the weight of experience, each word sharp and precise. "Let's go over the basics. Someone tell me—what are we dealing with out there?"

Rendrik straightened, though his smirk remained.

"Hollows. Twisted, bloodthirsty freaks. You stab 'em, they die. Pretty straightforward."

Drevan's glare froze the smirk on Rendrik's face and he replied, "Wrong. Hollows aren't just monsters, Vale. They were human, once. Or animal. Or something in between. The sun didn't just kill them—it twisted them, corrupted them. It gave them strength. They're faster than you, stronger than you, though few of them are smart enough to use that against you."

He turned to the group, his expression hard.

"Hollows are ranked by threat level. Someone tell me the classifications."

Kael hesitated, unsure if he should speak, but another Chosen beat him to it.

"Lesser Hollows," the woman said confidently. "The weakest ones. They're fast, but fragile."

Drevan nodded. "Right. Lesser Hollows are small, mostly animal types—wolves, birds, even vermin. But don't let their size fool you. They'll overwhelm you in packs if you're not careful."

The woman continued.

"Next are the Elites. Hunters."

"Hunters are a whole different problem. They're bigger, stronger, and smarter. They stalk you, pick off your weakest, and retreat before you can even react. If you see one, don't engage alone. Call for backup."

"And the big ones?" Rendrik asked, leaning back with mock curiosity. "The ones that make even you nervous?"

Drevan's eyes narrowed, and his voice grew threatening.

"Behemoths. Colossal Hollows. I've only seen one up close, and I don't plan on seeing another. They're massive, slow, and nearly impossible to kill. Takes a whole unit of S-Class Chosen to bring one down, and even then, you're lucky if half the team survives. If you spot one, you run. Don't let it spot you first."

The group fell silent as the weight of Drevan's words settled over them. Kael felt a chill crawl up his spine, testing every syllable in his mind. Behemoths sounded like something out of a nightmare, but it was the next question that truly unsettled him.

"And the last kind?" Kael asked softly, surprising even himself.

Drevan's expression darkened, and for the first time, his voice wavered.

"Ascended Hollows," he said grimly. "The rarest and most dangerous. Some people don't even believe they exist. But make no mistake, they are very real. I've seen one—once."

The group exchanged uneasy glances. Even Rendrik had fallen silent. His usual bravado faded easily under the weight of his words.

"They're… different," Drevan continued. "Stronger, smarter, and—somehow—more human-like. They don't just hunt. They plan. They lead. If you ever come across an Ascended Hollow, pray it doesn't notice you. Because if it does…" He trailed off, leaving the warning unfinished.

Kael swallowed hard. The idea of a creature that retained some semblance of humanity, something that could think like them, unsettled him more than anything else.

"What do we do if we see one?" he asked quietly.

Drevan's gaze locked onto his: "Then it's too late. The order is simple... you buy time for the rest of us. Understood?"

Kael's body went cold, but somehow he mustard a nod, perhaps instinctively due to his training.

"Understood, sir."

Drevan stepped back, his tone shifting to a sharp bark of command.

"Good. Remember this: Hollows don't care how strong you think you are. One mistake, one single lapse in judgment, and they'll rip you apart. Stick to your training, stay in formation, and follow my lead. If you do that, you just might live long enough to see the end of this mission."

He scanned the group one last time, his eyes lingering on Kael for a moment longer than necessary.

"Alright, get to your positions. We leave in two."

Kael exhaled slowly as the group dispersed, the tension in his chest refusing to fade. He could still hear Drevan's voice echoing in his mind, describing the different types of Hollows in chilling detail. The way the captain had spoken about the Ascended Hollows left a gnawing pit of dread in his stomach. If Drevan was afraid of them, what chance did someone like him stand?

As Kael adjusted his gear, Rendrik sidled up beside him, his smirk back in place.

"Don't let him scare you too much, rookie. Most Lesser Hollows go down with a good swing or two. Just don't freeze up, and you'll be fine."

Kael didn't reply. Instead, his gaze drifted to the cliffs above. The sunlight cast jagged shadows across the rock, making the canyon feel smaller, more oppressive. And for a moment, he thought he saw something shift in the shadows—a flicker of motion, too fast to follow. His stomach twisted, but when he blinked, the movement was gone.

It was probably nothing. Just nerves, he thought, shaking his head as though it would somehow leave by force.

But the feeling didn't leave him. As the engines roared to life and the convoy rumbled toward the pass, it began.

The first growl came just as the sun dipped below the mountain.

".... I'm not going to die. Not today! Not ever!"