《Trial Of The Forgotten》 Whispers Of The Forbidden Eris shouldn''t be here. But then again, Eris had never belonged anywhere. She had tried¡ªtried to be the daughter her family wanted, tried to carve a place for herself in a world that had already chosen its favorites. But no matter how hard she worked, no matter how much she longed for recognition, she was always second. Her twin, Celeste, had been born with brilliance. A prodigy. Destined for greatness. The light of their family. And Eris? She was a shadow. A reminder of what could never be. She still remembered the day everything shattered¡ªthe day she turned fifteen. That was the year magic was meant to awaken. The year every heir of noble blood stepped into their power, their potential revealed in a grand ceremony. The moment when destinies were set in stone. For Celeste, it had been nothing short of magnificent. She had stood in the center of the grand hall, her hands raised high as Divine Mid-tier magic swirled around her, a radiant glow that left the nobles speechless. The air had crackled with energy, and in that moment, Eris could see the future unfold¡ªa future where Celeste was the star, the heir, the chosen one. But when it was Eris''s turn, the magic that was supposed to flow from her¡ªmagic that should have sparked like a flame¡ªfizzled. It was nothing more than a weak, barely perceptible ripple of Neutral High-tier power, the kind of magic that common nobles wielded. It was useful, yes. But it wasn''t enough. Not for a Princess. Not in a family where greatness was expected. Her father, King Ariston, had been disappointed. His sharp eyes had flashed with a mixture of frustration and disbelief, though he said nothing aloud.His silence cut deeper than any reprimand. Her brothers¡ªAlistair, who had Divine Mid-tier magic, and Fabian, whose power was Divine Low-tier¡ªhad stood beside their sister with pride, eyes filled with admiration for her. But for Eris? There was no glory. Only whispers of pity, like she was nothing more than a failure. The Kingdom needed a strong heir or heirs¡ªnot a daughter with small, unremarkable power that was just slightly above inferior magic which the commoners wielded. The magic of royalty was supposed to be undeniable, potent. Celeste had it. Alistair had it. Even Fabian had it, though not as strong. But Eris? She was destined to be average. And so, she had done what she always did¡ªkept her head down, swallowed her pride, and learned to live in Celeste''s shadow. But the sting of failure had never dulled. It festered, deep and painful. With every passing day, Eris''s desperation grew. Then she found the book. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. In the library, bent over an ancient tome, her fingertips brushing against pages faded with time. The words spoke of forbidden magic, an altar hidden deep within the kingdom''s castle¡ªan altar that promised power beyond imagination. A forbidden altar that granted the one who dared approach it an unimaginable gift. But at a cost. At first, it had seemed like just a story. A legend meant to scare children. Yet the whispers kept coming¡ªwords shared by servants in hushed voices, by scholars with trembling hands, and by those who had ventured too close to the edges of the kingdom''s oldest ruins. It was said that the altar could take a broken soul and mend it, grant power to the powerless, and offer freedom from the chains of fate. Eris was desperate. Desperate enough to believe in anything. They spoke of a similar forbidden altar, hidden deep within the castle¡ªa relic of formerly practiced ancient magic, shrouded in mystery and fear. Some claimed it was cursed, others said it could grant power beyond imagination. A place for those who had nothing left to lose. Eris had dismissed it at first. Such things were fantasy, stories to comfort the weak. But then came the night when she could stand it no longer¡ªthe crushing weight of her family''s expectations, the ridicule in the eyes of those who had once admired her. The disappointment in her mother''s gaze. She had found herself wandering the corridors, drawn inexplicably to the distant, forgotten corners of the castle. She stumbled upon the passage by accident, hidden behind a tapestry of faded threads. It was a narrow stairwell that led beneath the castle, to a room no one spoke of, a room that had not seen light in centuries. She didn''t know how she had found it. Only that something called to her. The first time she had hesitated. But tonight¡­ tonight, she could bear it no longer. The altar loomed before her, a relic of something far older than the kingdom itself. Shadows clung to its edges, shifting unnaturally in the dim glow of the flickering torches. The air was thick¡ªtoo thick. It pressed against her skin, against her lungs, as though something unseen was watching, waiting. Eris hesitated, her fingers hovering above the cold stone. A faint hum thrummed beneath her palm, pulsing in a slow, measured rhythm¡ªlike a heartbeat. No. Not a heartbeat. A presence. Her breath hitched. The stories she had heard whispered of ancient forces, of magic that demanded more than it gave. The smart choice would be to turn back. To forget she had ever come here. But she couldn''t. The weight of failure, of insignificance, pressed against her like an iron shackle. Celeste had been chosen. Alistair and Fabian had been chosen. And Eris? She had been left behind. Not anymore. She pressed her palm against the altar. The reaction was instant. A violent shock surged through her veins, ice-cold and searing-hot all at once. The stone beneath her hand pulsed, and the carvings ignited¡ªnot with light, but with something deeper, something wrong. The sigils moved. Shifted. They slithered across the surface like living things, rearranging themselves in patterns that made no sense, twisting into symbols she almost understood¡ªbut the meaning slipped away before she could grasp it. A sound rippled through the chamber. Not an echo. Not the shifting of stone. A whisper. It didn''t come from the altar. It didn''t come from the air. It came from inside her mind. "What is it you seek?" The voice was not one. It was many. Layered, fractured, as though countless souls spoke at once. A question. A demand. A warning. Eris''s lips trembled. This was it. The moment she had dreamed of, ached for. She had to speak. She had to take what was being offered. Her fingers curled against the stone. "I want power." The air shuddered. The torches snuffed out. A pressure¡ªheavy, suffocating¡ªslammed into her chest. She stumbled back, gasping, but the force yanked her forward again. Something unseen coiled around her, dragging her toward the altar, toward the sigils that now burned like open eyes. The ground beneath her quaked. From the darkness, the voice came again¡ªthis time lower, colder, closer. "Do you seek power, child?" Eris clenched her jaw. Fear curled in her stomach, but she refused to waver. "I do," she whispered, then louder, stronger¡ª"I do! Give it to me. I''m ready!" The altar laughed. The sound was wrong¡ªa twisted, echoing thing that crawled under her skin, slithering into the hollow spaces of her soul. The sigils flared once more, and this time, the glow didn''t stop. It spread. Up her arms. Into her chest. Beneath her skin. It burned. Eris choked on a scream as something sank into her. It wasn''t just magic. It wasn''t just power. It was something else. A weight settled into her bones, into her blood. A thread of something ancient coiled around her heart, embedding itself deep where she couldn''t reach. The altar pulsed again. And the voice, now as cold as the void, whispered its final decree: "Power demands a price. But you must first prove you are worthy." A sharp crack split the air. Eris''s body convulsed. The world around her twisted, bent, shattered. The ground beneath her feet disappeared. For one, agonizing second, she was weightless. Then she fell. Down. Down. Into the abyss. The last thing she heard was the voice''s final whisper, curling like smoke in the darkness. "The trial begins." Hollowed Awakening Darkness. Cold. The first thing Eris noticed was the biting chill. It sank into her bones, wrapping around her skin like a second layer. Her breath came in shallow, uneven gasps, misting faintly in the gloom. She lay sprawled on hard stone, her limbs stiff with numbness. A sharp, metallic scent burned the back of her throat¡ªblood. Not just hers. A dull, throbbing pain bloomed through her skull as she forced her body to move. Her fingers trembled as she pushed herself up, her vision swimming. The world around her was wrong. Jagged spires jutted from the cracked ground, their surfaces etched with eerie, glowing runes. The sky above wasn''t a sky at all¡ªjust a swirling abyss of violet mist, pulsing faintly like a dying heartbeat. The air was thick, heavy, suffocating. Something was watching. The stone beneath her was damp. She glanced down¡ª And froze. A thick, sluggish river of blood seeped through the cracks in the ground, pooling beneath her fingers. It clung to her skin, warm and sticky. The color was too dark, too fresh. Her stomach lurched. This was no ordinary place. And she wasn''t alone. A wet, scraping noise echoed behind her. Shhk. Shhk. Something was dragging itself forward. A gurgling exhale followed, raspy and strained, like a dying man''s final breath. Her pulse pounded in her ears. She didn''t dare move. But the sound came closer. Slowly, she turned. A Hollowed. Its stretched limbs bent at unnatural angles, jagged bones piercing through rotting flesh. Its head twitched violently, its mouth hanging open too wide¡ªlike a puppet with broken strings. Something writhed beneath its torn skin, pulsing as if it were alive. And behind it, more emerged. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. The Hollowed had found her. Eris''s breath caught. Run. Her muscles screamed as she pushed off the ground, slipping on the blood. The creatures lunged. She barely rolled away in time. A clawed hand slammed down where she had been, stone shattering on impact. The force sent her tumbling, her back colliding with a jagged pillar. Pain exploded through her ribs. A sharp, fractured cry tore from her lips. No time to recover. The Hollowed swarmed. Her fingers twitched. Magic surged to her call, golden sigils flaring to life in the air. Chains. Spectral chains lashed out, wrapping around the nearest creature''s limbs. It twitched¡ªbut didn''t stop. Instead, it snapped its own arm off at the joint, letting the useless limb fall. And it kept coming. Her stomach twisted. It didn''t feel pain. It only wanted to consume. A Hollowed pounced. She barely raised her arm¡ªclaws slashed through her shoulder. A sharp, burning agony. Blood sprayed. She choked on a gasp, staggering. Vision blurring. The Hollowed grinned. No. No. Eris forced her magic to flare again, reinforcing her chains. This time, the spectral bindings burned brighter, thicker. The creature jerked to a stop. It struggled. It couldn''t move. A violent shudder ran through it¡ªthen, with a sickening crack, its spine twisted the wrong way. The Hollowed collapsed, motionless. But there were still too many. She ran. Bolted through the ruins, breath ragged, her wounded shoulder throbbing with white-hot pain. The Hollowed pursued, their bodies twitching unnaturally fast. Her foot slipped on blood. She crashed down hard. A fresh wave of agony shot through her side, ribs screaming in protest. No. No. Move. A shadow loomed over her. She rolled away. Too slow. Claws ripped across her side. Eris screamed. Her vision fractured as pain thundered through her nerves. Blood poured from the fresh wounds, staining her clothes. Her magic flickered¡ªweak. The Hollowed circled her now. They were waiting. She wasn''t strong enough. Her breath came in ragged, painful gasps. She could barely lift her arm. One of the creatures crawled closer, twitching. Its mouth stretched wide, splitting at the corners. It was going to devour her. Then¡ª Something slammed into the creatures, sending two flying. A blur of violet light. Eris barely processed what happened before a voice cut through the chaos. "Not bad, but you''re bleeding all over the place." She looked up. A girl stood nearby, floating slightly above the ground, her body suspended by near-invisible threads of shimmering violet energy. Her short, uneven hair was tied messily at the nape of her neck. Dark clothing clung to her frame, splattered with blood¡ªnone of it hers. She tilted her head, smirking. "You''re new here, huh?" Eris couldn''t answer. She was too exhausted. The first Hollowed rose again, its shattered limbs snapping back into place. The girl sighed. "Persistent." She lifted her hand. For the first time, Eris felt it. A heavy, invisible force pressed against her skin¡ªlike unseen strings pulling at her limbs. Then¡ªthreads. Thin, glowing filaments shimmered into existence, twisting in the air like spider silk. They shot toward the Hollowed, wrapping around its joints, throat and spine. Threads. Her magic was threads. Eris clenched her teeth, her fingers curling instinctively. The golden chains around her own hands flickered, still faintly glowing. Aven''s magic was Neutral High. Just like mine. But it didn''t feel the same. Aven wielded her ability like it was an extension of herself¡ªsharp, precise, effortless. She didn''t hesitate. Didn''t fumble. The way she moved, the way she controlled the battlefield¡ªshe wasn''t just surviving. She was dominating. Eris had the same tier of magic, yet she had spent her whole life being dismissed, overlooked. A neutral high-ranked ability meant nothing if the wielder wasn''t strong enough to use it properly. And right now, standing there with her body trembling and blood dripping down her arm, she felt painfully aware of how weak she was. The fight between Eris and the hollowed continued.The creature froze. For a brief second, it twitched violently, fighting to break free. The girl''s fingers curled. The threads pulled. Limbs snapped. Its head twisted too far. The Hollowed collapsed. Silence. Eris shuddered. The girl exhaled, shaking her fingers slightly. A flicker of strain. Then¡ªa blur of movement. Another Hollowed rushed them. The girl flicked her wrist, but¡ªtoo slow. Eris saw it. The monster was too close. Too fast. The girl clicked her tongue, twisting her body, barely avoiding the swipe. Eris gritted her teeth. She still had magic left. Golden chains lashed out. The Hollowed stumbled. The girl''s threads shot forward. They wrapped around its throat¡ªand yanked. The Hollowed stopped moving. Silence. Eris breathed hard, trembling. The girl turned, golden eyes flickering. No smirk now. Just a quiet, assessing stare. "You gonna pass out?" Eris forced herself to her feet, legs shaking. The girl raised a brow, then huffed a short laugh. "Alright. You''ll do." She turned toward the shadows ahead. "Come on. More will show up soon. If you wanna live, follow me." Eris hesitated. She didn''t trust her. But she had no choice. Taking a shaky breath, she stepped forward. The girl glanced back, golden eyes glinting under the Hollow Realm''s sickly light. "Name''s Aven, by the way." And with that¡ªshe walked into the dark. Eris followed. Names dont matter here The path stretched endlessly before them, shrouded in a thick, unnatural mist. Twisted trees lined the cracked stone road, their gnarled roots clawing out from the earth like skeletal fingers. The air was thick, pressing against Eris''s skin like a phantom''s touch. The scent of damp decay clung to the air, mingling with the faintest trace of something metallic¡ªblood. Eris trudged forward, her injured shoulder throbbing with every step. The fabric of her torn sleeve clung to the wound, sticky with half-dried blood. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from wincing. Beside her, Aven walked with an ease that felt almost unnatural, her movements light, calculated. Her violet-threaded magic barely shimmered in the darkness, a presence more felt than seen. She wasn''t alone. A third person walked a short distance away¡ªa young man, tall, with sharp eyes that flickered warily between the shadows. Unlike the others, he didn''t tremble. He carried himself with quiet control, but his fingers twitched¡ªa subtle giveaway. He was a newbie just like her - Aven had told her but he was far more composed than her and more importantly not injured. "Did he not go through what I went through", Eris thought. Maybe she was the unlucky one or he must have come prepared unlike her. Aven was watching him, Eris realized. Gauging and calculating. The silence stretched until Aven finally spoke. "You should come up with a fake name before we get there." Eris turned slightly, her steps faltering. "Fake name?" Aven didn''t look at her, just kept walking, voice casual. "Rule number one in places like this. Never give your real name. Not to strangers, not to allies, not to anyone. You don''t know who will use it against you." Eris''s lips parted slightly, but no words came out. Aven''s golden eyes flickered toward her, sharp. "It''s your first time, huh?" She didn''t wait for an answer. "Doesn''t matter. Just don''t freeze up when someone asks. Say something natural." Eris swallowed. A fake name. She''d never needed one before. A name was more than just a word¡ªit was identity. Yet here, in this place of ghosts and death, it was a liability. The young man didn''t question it. Didn''t hesitate. Instead, he gave a slow nod. Eris''s fingers twitched. Something about that answer unsettled her. Was it because he accepted it so easily? This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Or was it because, deep down, she felt the same? The house was just ahead. Its wooden beams sagged under the weight of time, a dying structure barely holding itself together. Aaen paused before the door. Then, in a voice only Eris could hear¡ª "And one more thing." A slow exhale. "Don''t just trust anyone." Eris''s pulse quickened. She wasn''t sure if it was from the warning¡­ or the sinking feeling that it was already too late. The moment they stepped inside, the air shifted. Eris wasn''t sure how to describe it¡ªonly that it felt thicker, heavier. Like stepping into a room where something unseen was watching. The house wasn''t empty. Ten people. Huddled near the weak fire. Standing stiffly by the walls. Their eyes flickered toward them the moment they entered. Some were pale, hollow-eyed. One girl rocked back and forth in the corner. A boy pressed his forehead against the wall, muttering too low to hear. The silence was suffocating. Then¡ª "Who are you?" A man near the fire spoke first. His sharp gaze scanned them the way a predator gauged prey. Aven stepped forward, voice flat. "Names don''t matter here." The response was instant. "What the hell does that mean?!" someone snapped. "You came from outside. That means you know something!" A chair scraped violently against the floor as a woman slammed her hands on the table. "Talk." Tension thickened. Then¡ª A man lunged, fingers clawing for Aven''s sleeve. "You¡ªYou know, don''t you?!" Aven didn''t flinch. Didn''t even step back. With a smooth motion, she shook him off. "Get a grip." His fingers twitched, but he didn''t reach for her again. The young man behind Aven¡ªAsh¡ªremained still. He hadn''t reacted at all. Interesting. Then, a brittle sound broke the silence. Laughter. High-pitched, wavering. A woman near the fire giggled hysterically, nails digging into her arms. "We''re dead." Silence. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "This is a punishment. We¡ª" "Shut up!" someone barked, hands shaking. "Don''t say that!" But another voice, softer, "Maybe she''s right¡­" Pressure. Heavy. Suffocating. Then¡ª A sharp bang. A red-haired man slammed his fist against the wall. His jaw was tight, breathing ragged. "Enough!" His voice cut through the rising panic like a blade. "Standing here crying won''t change anything. We need information." The room stilled. Then¡ª A man by the fire leaned back lazily, flipping a knife between his fingers. His smirk was too calm. Too confident. "Since you all want answers so badly¡­" He let the words hang. "I''ll make it simple." Silence. Then¡ª "This isn''t the world you knew." A smirk. "You''re in a game." "A game?!" Disbelief. Confusion. Aven''s voice was flat. "A bad one." The man by the fire¡ªtoo calm, too confident¡ªshrugged. "Survival isn''t free. The first night? Fine. But starting tomorrow, the logr demands payment. Ten coins per person, per night." Silence. Then¡ª "What coins?!" "How do we get them?!" Aven''s eyes flickered. "You mostly hunt." A chill spread through the room. Someone whispered, "Hunt what?" No answer. Only silence. The red-haired guy crossed his arms. "Fine. If we''re stuck here, we need to know who''s useful." His gaze swept the room. "Names?" Silence. Aven smirked. "Didn''t I say names don''t matter?" "Yeah?" the guy shot back. "Then give me one anyway. Mine''s Orlen." Aven shrugged. "Aven "Fox," the auburn-haired guy exhaled. "Cinder," murmured the unreadable girl near the fire. One by one, they offered meaningless names. Eris hesitated. It was just a fake name. A small lie. It was fitting for this kind of place and then ¡ª "Shade." It slipped out before she could think too much. The young man beside Aven¡ªher calm companion¡ªpaused before murmuring: "Ash." No one questioned it. Just as the room settled into uneasy silence¡­ The fire flickered. A slow creak creak stretched through the wooden beams, groaning as if the house itself breathed. A shadow moved. Then ¡ª A figure emerged from the dark corner of the house. An old man. Pale as wax, eyes clouded white. His presence felt wrong, as if the air itself bent around him. The murmurs died instantly. A single breath. Cold. Heavy. Then¡ª His lips parted. " Welcome to Duskwatch Hollow."