Cherreads

Chapter 13 - Chapter 13: The Hollow Sovereign Moves

The sky over Ashspire no longer burned. But it did not shine either.

Kael stood atop the southern battlement, both blades resting beside him. Wind tugged at his cloak. Below, soldiers worked to rebuild the shattered wall, and mages placed new wards laced with divine runes. Yet Kael felt it—a wrongness pressing from beyond the horizon, like a shadow preparing to rise.

Arin joined him, a scroll in hand. "It's spreading."

She laid it out—a diviner's war chart, enchanted to track global events tied to System energy. Kael's gaze narrowed as he saw the new marks:

• Sanctuary: Repaired (White)

• Ashspire: Stabilized (Blue)

• Hollowmarch: Corrupted (Black) – Movement Detected

• Veilspire: Lost Signal (Red X)

Arin tapped the black stain over Hollowmarch. "This wasn't like the other incursions. This one… moves with intent."

[System Alert – Global Event Detected]

• Entity: The Hollow Sovereign

• Classification: Unknown (Above Tier Limit)

• Status: Active

• Current Location: Eastern Wilds

• Projected Trajectory: Ashspire

• Estimated Arrival: 5 Days

Kael read the alert twice, his jaw tightening.

[New Global Quest Unlocked – "When Sovereigns Walk"]

• Objective: Survive the Hollow Sovereign's arrival

• Optional: Delay its march

• Time Remaining: 119 Hours 58 Minutes

Arin whispered, "What even is the Hollow Sovereign?"

Kael didn't answer right away. Instead, he reached into his inventory and retrieved the Crown of the Hollowed—the cursed artifact they'd taken from Emberfall. It pulsed now, dark and eager, as though sensing its master's awakening.

[Item Reaction – Crown of the Hollowed Resonates with Incoming Entity]

• Trait Unlocked: Whisper Access (Passive Vision)

• Warning: Each use increases Corruption Exposure

Kael sighed. "I think we're about to find out."

He focused.

The world spun sideways. In a blink, Kael found himself standing in a mirror realm—a world built of glass and shadow, the landscape warped and colorless. Far away stood a throne of bone, and seated atop it was a figure too large to be human, too precise to be beast. It had no face, only an open hole where a head should be—inside it, stars swirled like an endless void.

The Hollow Sovereign.

It saw Kael.

And it spoke without sound.

"Bearer of balance… breaker of silence… you delay the inevitable."

"You walk between laws and heresies. You do not belong."

"So I will unmake you, one realm at a time."

The vision ended with a shudder. Kael gasped, falling to one knee. Arin rushed to his side.

"What happened?!"

He opened his eyes. "It spoke. Not words. Just… intent. Malice. Clarity."

He turned to face the city. "We don't have much time."

🔥 Day One: Preparation

Kael met with Talien and the Skyforged Council within the spire's war chamber. Maps littered the table. Dozens of sentinels and battlemages waited on orders.

"Five days," Talien said grimly. "No one has ever survived a Sovereign's march. Cities simply vanish."

Kael pointed to the eastern mountains. "We don't wait for it to reach us. We meet it halfway."

Talien raised an eyebrow. "You intend to strike it down?"

Kael's voice was steady. "No. I intend to slow it. Long enough to prepare for the real war."

[Quest Branch Unlocked: Strike Force Protocol – Optional Assault on Entity Advance]

• Reward: Artifact Enhancement Core, Stat Boost (Temporary)

• Risk: Permanent Injury or Death

Kael turned to Arin. "You in?"

Arin shrugged, smirking. "Only if I get to set something on fire the size of a mountain."

🌑 Nightfall: Visions

That night, Kael dreamed again.

He stood in a field of swords. A single figure waited at its center—a man cloaked in both light and shadow. His face was Kael's, but older. Hardened. Scarred.

"You think this ends with Sovereigns?" the vision-Kael said.

"The System isn't a blessing. It's a measuring tool. When it deems you worthy, it resets the board."

Kael stared. "Who are you?"

"I'm what you'll become. Or what you'll choose not to be."

Lightning cracked. The swords burned.

Kael awoke with a start.

[System Trait Mutated – Dreammarked → Dreamforged (Rare)]

• Visions now reveal possible futures

• +10 INT during combat if acting according to 'Foreseen Path'

• Warning: Incorrect actions may lead to Fate Divergence

🗡️ Dawn: Into the Wild

At first light, Kael, Arin, and a strike team of elite Skyforged warriors departed Ashspire, bound for the Eastern Wilds—where the Hollow Sovereign marched.

Their goal: sabotage, delay, gather intel—and survive long enough to return.

As they left the safety of the city, a silence fell over the group.

The trees were blackened. The birds were gone. The ground cracked like old skin.

Kael looked ahead.

And far off in the mist—an entire forest bent backwards, like something massive had simply walked through it.

The Sovereign was coming.

And Kael intended to meet it head-on.

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