Chapter 399: Through the Hollow

Meanwhile, Sophia was still at the nest.

The woman lifted her hands again.

Not pointing this time.

Not beckoning.

She mimicked a striking motion instead — palms turning inward, arms pulling back and driving forward like she was hitting the invisible surface in front of her.

Sophia stared at the gesture for half a second.

Then understanding clicked.

"You want me to hit it," Sophia murmured under her breath.

The woman nodded once, sharply.

Another hiss slithered through the nest behind them, vibrating along the resin-coated walls and bones like a warning drumbeat. The cracked eggs twitched visibly now, fissures crawling across their shells like spiderwebs ready to split apart.

Sophia didn’t waste another second.

She carefully lowered Tarin onto the floor, easing him down against the wall so his head wouldn’t hit the surface.

"Stay right there," she whispered, brushing his damp hair back gently. "I’ll be fast."

His eyelids fluttered weakly, but he nodded.

Sophia turned back to the wall and planted her feet.

She drew both hands back and slammed them forward.

Thud.

The impact sent a dull ache shooting up her arms, but the wall barely reacted.

Her jaw tightened.

She hit it again.

Thud!

Nothing.

Behind her, another crack echoed — sharper this time. A hiss followed immediately, louder than before.

Sophia’s pulse spiked.

"Come on..." she muttered.

She struck again — harder.

Her palms burned as friction scraped against hardened resin and compacted dirt. The sting bloomed quickly, but she ignored it, leaning into the motion, letting fear fuel force.

On the fourth strike, something felt... different.

Her palms rebounded slightly instead of dead-stopping. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The woman nodded urgently now, her translucent form flickering faster like a flame fighting wind.

Another violent crack split the air.

Sophia didn’t hesitate.

She drove both hands into the wall again — harder.

Pain exploded across her palms and wrists. The skin scraped raw. She felt something warm smear against the surface.

Blood. But she didn’t care. She struck again.

And again.

And again.

Her breathing became ragged, every hit punctuated by another hiss from behind her — the sound of something waking, stretching, tasting the air for prey.

Her wrists screamed. Her fingers throbbed. Her knuckles split open, blood streaking down onto the hardened wall and dripping to the floor.

She didn’t stop.

Not when her hands shook.

Not when the sting turned into burning fire.

Not when her arms felt like lead.

She slammed her palms forward again with everything she had left.

CRACK.

The wall caved inward.

A chunk of compacted resin and dirt broke loose, tumbling inward with a hollow rumble.

A narrow opening appeared behind it. It was a cave — dark and cramped, just wide enough for someone like her to squeeze through with Tarin.

Sophia froze, staring at it in disbelief.

Her chest heaved.

Her hands trembled violently, blood smearing against her palms and wrists.

For a split second, she couldn’t process that it had actually worked.

She turned sharply to the side to thank the woman, but she was gone.

The space where she’d been standing was empty.

"...Thank you," she whispered into the empty space anyway.

Another sharp crack split the nest.

This one sounded final.

Alive.

A full-bodied hiss erupted, deeper and stronger than the others — a predator’s breath filling the chamber.

The vibration crawled through the cave opening, brushing against Sophia’s spine like cold fingers.

Fear slammed into her hard.

She spun back toward Tarin.

He was visibly shaking now, teeth chattering faintly beneath her cloak. His breathing was shallow and uneven. The dark veins had crept further up his hands, branching like ink beneath his skin.

Her stomach clenched painfully.

"Hold on," she murmured softly, lifting him carefully into her arms. "I’m getting us out of here."

She cradled him tightly against her chest, adjusting her grip so his head rested safely against her shoulder, his small pouch still pressed securely between them.

Her arms protested the added weight.

Her wrists screamed too, but she ignored it.

Another hiss echoed behind them — closer now — and this time the hiss was answered by another.

Sophia knew then that there were two Trihydras coming for her.

Sophia didn’t look back.

She stepped into the narrow cave opening.

The stone scraped against her shoulders and elbows as she squeezed through, turning slightly sideways to avoid scraping Tarin against the jagged edges. The passage was tight, barely allowing her movement, forcing her to move carefully and slowly despite her panic.

Darkness swallowed them almost immediately.

The air inside was cooler, damp, thick with earth and mineral scent.

She had barely taken five steps when the nest behind them exploded with sound.

A violent hiss tore through the chamber — loud enough that the vibration rattled the cave walls.

Sophia’s legs nearly buckled.

Her breath hitched, her heart racing so violently it felt like it might tear itself apart.

She tightened her grip on Tarin and forced her legs forward.

One step.

Then another.

Her boots scraped against loose stone, and her twisted ankle throbbed with pain. Her shoulder brushed jagged rock. Her wrists screamed every time she adjusted her grip.

She swallowed back rising panic.

"Please don’t let this be worse," she whispered under her breath. "Please don’t let this lead me to something else..."

The cave twisted slightly downward, narrowing further in places. She had to duck her head and angle her shoulders to keep moving, careful not to bang Tarin against the stone.

Behind her, the hissing echoed again. It sounded closer, and she heard another answer it — like they were in the cave with her.

"Goddess tits!" she cursed as she moved faster.

---

At the same time

Noctis ran like his life was on the line.

He tore through the forest like something unchained.

Snow exploded beneath his paws as he pushed his body beyond comfort, beyond reason, beyond what any sane creature would demand of muscle and bone.

The bond burned like a live wire inside his chest — tight, frantic, screaming urgency without words.

Fear flooded him, but it wasn’t his own. It was Sophia’s.

It surged through the bond in sharp pulses, twisting his instincts into raw panic.

Sophia was in trouble.

Deep trouble.

His heart hammered violently as he tore through low-hanging branches and thick undergrowth, snow spraying into the air behind him like shattered glass.

He didn’t slow.

He didn’t question the direction his instincts dragged him.

He followed the pull blindly, his body responding faster than conscious thought ever could.

Behind him, the others struggled to keep up.

Their shapes blurred through falling snow, their breaths ragged, visibility reduced to shadows and motion. All they could truly see was the powerful black silhouette of Noctis cutting through the forest ahead of them — his tail flicking sharply as he changed direction, his form barely visible through the white haze.

They followed regardless, because losing him meant losing Sophia.

Noctis leapt over a fallen tree, claws digging into icy bark before pushing off hard, landing cleanly and accelerating again without breaking stride.

The pull intensified suddenly.

His chest tightened violently.

His ears flattened against his skull.

A low growl vibrated instinctively from his throat.

They were close.