Reverie At River Hollow Novels & Stories

Remembering. ~~~ LUCIEN’S POV (IN THE HOLLOW): The Hollow stretches before me like a mirror made of shadows. But today, the shadows feel thinner. Something presses at the edges like heat, light and maybe mt memory. I start walking without knowing where I’m going until I find myself standing before a pool. Its surface is glass, reflecting not just my face but hers. Rhea. Dragon wings and eyes of flame. Her voice is real this time and not imagined. It echoes in my chest like thunder.

As I stooped to gather them, I noticed a strip of birchbark wedged into the windowsill, etched in tight silver ink. “Ophelia Voss we seek your witness. Come to the Hollow Lake before the next moonrise. A story waits for no one.” There was no signature. No seal. Only the trace of Spiral markings curling beneath the words. The forest knew how to speak to me. And it had chosen now. 2. Return to Hollow Lake Hollow Lake wasn’t on any map. But I remembered how to find it through memory more than trail. It had once been a sacred place for the Hollow Blooded, before even the first flame. A cradle of silence. A mirror to the soul. The lake had no bottom, they used to say. Only reflections.

The wind howled across the high cliffs of Dark Woods Valley, carrying with it the scent of pine, damp earth, and the heavy anticipation of change. Reva stood barefoot on the uneven stone, her dark hair untamed, eyes fixed on the boulder a few meters ahead. Her heart pounded—not from fear, but from something new: determination.

And suddenly I feel it Not hunger. Not rage. Sorrow Infinite sorrow. The Hollow trembles violently. And for the first time in eternity The Devourer begins to cry too

And somewhere in the dark valley below, the river carried on keep ing every secret, holding every moan, reflecting every star. While upstairs, they started again. Slow. Deep. Forever. Fade out.

What a fool I’d been. I went to my room for the last time. I didn’t pack a thing. What was there to take? Memories? Wounds? Those were already etched into me. When I came back to the living room, no one was there to see me off. The faint ticking of the wall clock filled the silence. A bitter laugh escaped me. It sounded hollow. Then I followed the assistant outside. A sleek black Porsche waited at the curb, gleaming like polished sin. I slid inside, the leather cold against my skin, and the tinted glass sealed me away from the world.

Chapter 13 – The Hollow Network The river glowed faintly under the fractured moon, its surface slick with oil and ash. Clara stood knee-deep in mud, staring at the tag in her hand. PHASE C – ACTIVE. The letters seemed to breathe, their etched grooves shimmering as if lit from within. Behind her, the city whispered distant sirens, power lines humming, the ghost of traffic that no longer moved. Every sound felt amplified, yet hollow, like an echo from somewhere that didn’t quite exist.

And tomorrow, on the darkest night of the year, the valley fights back. No permanent marks. Just permanent people worth bleeding for. We’ll be ready. The Hollow Choir Dawn, March 21, 2027 The sky is turning that bruised purple that comes right before sunrise. We’re still on the north ridge, steam rising off our clothes, the smell of ozone and gun-smoke thick in the air. I turn to Remy. My voice comes out raw, cracked from screaming Vinča syllables and lightning. Celeste: “I have a bad feeling, Rem.

Echoes of the Hollow The morning light seeped weakly through the shattered windows of the old chapel, casting long shadows across the cracked stone floor. Sarah sat against the cold wall, the bloodstone nestled in her palm, its faint pulse syncing with the rhythm of her racing heart. The air was thick with silence, but beneath it, she could feel the echo of the Hollow’s power distant, but persistent. John knelt beside her, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. His eyes were dark with worry, but beneath the fear lay a burning determination. “We made it through last night, the first one is gone... for now.”

Reya's POV. We claimed the blackened wreckage of Black Hollow, and its moon was crimson.' Ash blew across the clearing like scattered bones. Fires erupted from the distance where Dante's Death Pack had lodged. The entire place was surrounded by dust, blood, and battle-tested wolves. I didn't feel the smoke coming out of my eyes. Not now. "I whispered, 'This is the limit of your time.” Or the commencement of a new phase." The old Riverdale sigil was being held by Sebastian in the center behind me.