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Beneath the Surface
Last Updated:
2025-08-16 23:19:40
Latest chapter
THE HEIR AND THE HOLLOW VOW Beneath the Surface
Chapter 44 – Beneath the SurfaceCold swallowed her whole.Not the clean, sharp cold of the pool’s surface, but a deep, crushing chill that seeped into her bones and stripped the air from her lungs.The world tilted into disorientation—no up, no down—just currents that twisted around her like invisible hands. Shadows swirled in the murk, shapes that seemed almost familiar before dissolving again into the dark. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, a panicked drumbeat counting down the seconds she had left before she drowned.“Riven—” Her voice broke into a stream of bubbles that spiraled upward—if up was even real anymore.Something moved below her.Not swimming—gliding. A vast silhouette, fluid and shifting, as if its form wasn’t bound to one shape for more than a breath.Then a voice, deep and resonant, bloomed in her head like an echo carried through water.Do not fight the current. It carries you where you must go.Her instinct screamed at her to claw for the surface, but her body
THE HEIR AND THE HOLLOW VOW Ash Between the stones
Chapter 43 – Ash Between the Stones The cold stones under Seraphine’s boots seemed to hum with the remnants of violence. Her fingers were still curled in Riven’s, the calloused heat of his grip grounding her in a world that felt as if it were dissolving at the edges. “The Tribunal is relentless,” he’d said—and now, the words clung to her like frost. She could feel them in the still air between the broken walls, in the faint tremor of the earth beneath their feet. Somewhere, far off, something was moving. She let out a slow breath, steadying herself, but didn’t let go of him. “Then we have to move,” she murmured. He gave a small nod, eyes scanning the jagged skyline of the ruins. The wind that wove through the crumbling archways carried the scent of damp ash and something metallic, sharp enough to sting her nose. They moved as one, careful but quick, their footfalls muffled by centuries of dust and debris. The ruins were a maze—columns snapped in half, doorways leading to collaps
THE HEIR AND THE HOLLOW VOW The Quiet Before the Storm
Chapter 42The morning air was sharp, carrying the scent of frost and distant wood smoke. Seraphine moved quietly beside Riven, every step measured, ears straining for the slightest crack of movement. Their night had been short and restless—filled with fleeting dreams of shadowed figures and the echoes of the Tribunal’s magic—and now, as the first light struck the treetops, the weight of it pressed down on her chest like iron.Riven’s presence beside her was grounding, though it carried the same tension that hummed through her veins. He scanned the forest with the meticulous care of a hunter, eyes narrowing at every rustle. His fingers brushed hers occasionally—brief, deliberate—reminding her that they weren’t alone in this danger. That small touch steadied her heartbeat more than any magic could.“How far to the ruins?” she asked, her voice low, cautious.Riven’s gaze didn’t leave the tree line. “About two miles. If we move fast and stay quiet, we can get there before they catch our
THE HEIR AND THE HOLLOW VOW chapter 41
Chapter 41**The ground trembled beneath Seraphine’s boots. The Tribunal’s creature towered before them—an amalgamation of shadow and bone, its elongated limbs bending at wrong angles, its head tipped in a soundless snarl. The air rippled around it, thick with the weight of Tribunal magic, and every instinct in her screamed to run.Riven didn’t move. His sword was already drawn, its blacksteel edge catching the dim light, his stance squared and unyielding. “Stay behind me,” he said without looking at her. But she could feel the truth in his voice—he didn’t believe either of them could truly stand behind anything in this moment.The creature lunged first.Its movement was a blur—one second crouched low, the next hurtling forward with a speed that defied its bulk. Riven met the charge with a side-step and a slash, the blade biting into its arm. The strike landed deep, but instead of blood, a hiss of pale smoke burst from the wound. The creature recoiled, twisting with an unnatural bend
THE HEIR AND THE HOLLOW VOW chapter40
Chapter 40 The forest felt narrower, the air sharp with frost and something heavier—like the ground itself was holding its breath.Riven’s blade was still in his hand, angled low but ready. “We keep moving,” he said, voice low. “Whatever that was, it won’t give us long.”Seraphine nodded, though her chest still burned with that strange, answering pulse from before. Every step sent a ripple through her bones, a reminder of the figure’s gaze—how it had seen her, cut straight through her as if her soul was laid bare.Branches rattled overhead. Not wind. The sound came in short bursts, closing in. She reached instinctively for her power, but the glow in her chest flared too sharply, making her stagger.Riven caught her arm. “You’re bleeding it out too fast. Hold it in.”“I’m trying,” she whispered. The truth was, the power wasn’t just leaking—it was *pulling*, as if answering something beyond her control.A low hum began to rise from the treeline, vibrating in her teeth. Then—like a ripp
THE HEIR AND THE HOLLOW VOW Chapter 39
Chapter 39 – The light caught the stranger’s face at last.Seraphine’s breath turned to ice. Every detail struck her like a hammer—those eyes, sharp and impossibly familiar; the curve of a mouth that had once spoken her name like a promise. But here, now, it carried no warmth—only the cold edge of recognition wrapped in something far darker.The air between them tightened, as if the world itself leaned in to listen. Riven shifted subtly, his stance protective, but he didn’t speak. His silence gave her space, though it felt like the ground beneath her was tilting.The glow in her chest flared—pain and longing tangled into a single pulse—and for an instant she thought she might collapse. The stranger’s gaze swept over her, lingering just long enough to strip her bare.Then he smiled.Not the way she remembered. This smile was laced with calculation, as if every heartbeat she had left was something he could bargain for.“You’ve been hard to find,” he said softly. Too softly.Somewhere b
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