Slow Hollows Novels & Stories

(Ethan’s POV) It is almost sunset, and the hotel’s roof garden was one of the most incredible spots of the Grand Lake Hotel. You can already see from here the beauty of Springville Town. It has not changed much for six years except for this hotel and other small shops or businesses. After that, there was nothing added in this town like I never left. The couple who got lost in the forest allowed Dad to construct another hotel. For many years, the town has been quiet, and no one has ever witnessed the opening of a portal or that entrance from hell, yet many wait for that day. The Council of the Moon Shadows has continued to monitor it, but so far, the only thing it did was give revenue to the

I replied, my fingers digging into the rough stone as a massive, gray wolf with milky white eyes and a jaw that hung loosely from its hinges stepped into the light of the cave entrance. ​"They’re Hollowed, they’re what happens when the shadows we saw at the gate catch a wolf and peel the soul right out of the skin, leaving nothing but a hungry shell that doesn't feel pain and doesn't stop until it’s shredded to pieces," Kael explained, his voice flat and grim as three more of the creatures scrambled over the rocks, their movements jerky and unnatural.

“It’s like the forest is scared.” Kael tightened his grip on his sword. “Forests don’t get scared.” Lena didn’t correct him this time. Because they all knew better now. They walked slowly, every step deliberate. The deeper they went, the darker it became, though the sky above remained pale and open. The light simply refused to reach the ground. Like it was being swallowed. Then they saw it. The Hollow. It wasn’t a pit. Not exactly. It was a circle where nothing existed.

She could feel its power pulsing faintly, like a heartbeat. “How much farther?” Sasha asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “Not much,” Ethan replied. “You’ll know when we’re there.” He was right. The moment they crossed into the Hollow, Sasha felt it—a sudden, bone-deep cold that seemed to seep into her very soul. The trees here were completely bare, their gnarled branches clawing at the sky like skeletal fingers. The ground was dry and cracked, as if nothing living could survive here. “This place is… wrong,” Sasha murmured, wrapping her arms around herself.

There, by the flames, her place stands ready. Every morning, she shows up before the sun clears the trees Fog stretched thin as we moved without words. Now, the Hollow carried a pulse where once there was stillness. It breathed slowly beneath cracked stones, quiet but certain. A shift had settled without warning, like frost at noon. This place once empty now hummed under the skin of dust and shadow. Not loud, just present felt more than heard. Beside the path, trees tilted our way. Faint shapes moved as if tuned in. The air held its breath just then.

Not the Hollow. Something older. Something watching. And waiting.

Evangeline swallowed, her throat raw. “The Outer Veil. We’re moving west, towards Aetherreach. The Hollow breached the inner sanctum less than an hour ago.” “I don’t even know what the Hollow is.” Evangeline’s chest tightened as Cassius met her unblinking and steady eyes “They are what was left when hope was ripped from something that used to be alive.” he replied, grumpily, as though forced to speak. "That’s not even an answer.” Evangeline blinked. “True, but it’s the only one that fits, goddess.” Selene shrugged.

My legs ached, and my eyes grew heavy, but the whispers urged me on. By the time dawn was breaking, I was on the verge of collapse from exhaustion. Just when I thought I couldn't take another step, we arrived at a waterfall. The sight of it took my breath away. The cascading water sparkled in the early light, creating rainbows in the mist. It was like something out of a dream, a hidden paradise within the forest. Merilla led me behind the curtain of water, where we discovered a cave filled with ancient symbols that I couldn't decipher. The air inside was cool and filled with the scent of damp earth.