The world shifted the moment they stepped through the door.
Logan's hand gripped Mara's tight as the darkness swallowed them whole. The air smelled different—thicker, richer. Earthy. Ancient. A pulse beneath the stone beneath their feet, like the heartbeat of the forest itself. The door closed behind them with a sound like a sigh.
They stood in a vast cavern, its size impossible to comprehend. The walls were slick with moisture, veins of glowing blue stone snaking through the rock like veins in a living body. The faint glow of the stones illuminated strange symbols carved into the walls, their shapes like those from Logan's dreams: spirals, wolves, and marks he couldn't understand. The ceiling was lost in shadow, rising far above, and the cavern stretched out endlessly in all directions.
At the far end of the cavern, a figure stood alone, bathed in the soft, flickering light of what seemed like hundreds of candles. She was pale, almost translucent in the glow, her hair flowing like silver water. Her eyes glowed faintly, silvered in the low light. Juno.
Logan's heart clenched. She was here. She was real. But there was something off about her—something distant in the way she stood, her back rigid, like a puppet waiting for its strings to be pulled.
Mara stepped forward. "Juno?" she called softly.
The girl's head turned slowly, her gaze locking onto Mara with an eerie, empty smile. "You shouldn't have come." Her voice was soft, lilting, but there was no warmth in it. No recognition.
Logan moved toward her, his steps slow and deliberate. "Juno, it's me. Logan Wren. We're here to help you."
The girl didn't react, didn't even acknowledge him. Her eyes were fixed on Mara, as though she couldn't see Logan at all.
Mara's eyes narrowed, her gaze darkening. "You're not Juno, are you?"
The smile never wavered, but it was cold now. "No. I'm something older. Something waiting."
Logan felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He reached for his knife, his fingers brushing the cool steel, but something stopped him—an oppressive weight in the air, a pressure that kept him rooted to the spot.
The figure spoke again, its voice now sharper, more insistent. "She's the key. You're the lock. You can't stop what's coming."
Logan's throat went dry. He felt a deep, gnawing ache in his chest as the words sank in. Juno had been more than just a missing girl. She was part of something bigger, something that had been unfolding for decades. Her disappearance had only been the start.
He glanced at Mara, and she met his eyes. There was fear there, but also a strange understanding. They were standing on the edge of something—something too deep to comprehend.
Suddenly, the cavern trembled. The earth beneath their feet rumbled, sending a wave of tremors through the space. The lights flickered, the candles swaying dangerously, casting long shadows that danced on the walls.
Juno's eyes narrowed, and she stepped forward. "The Hollow has already chosen. It's too late to stop it. You're part of it now. You always have been."
Logan's heart pounded in his chest, and he felt the beast inside him stir—restless, hungry. It was awake, fully awake now. He could feel it—his body craving something primal, something raw.
He clenched his fists, trying to push it down, but it was like trying to hold back a tide. The transformation—the change—it wanted out.
Mara saw the struggle in him, her eyes flashing with concern. "Logan, fight it. Don't let it take you."
But the voice inside him was growing louder. The Hollow has chosen. It is time.
His body began to shift, muscles bulging, bones cracking as the transformation took hold. He gasped in pain as his senses exploded into overdrive, his mind locked in a battle with the beast trying to break free.
He heard Mara's voice again, more urgent now. "Logan, no!"
But it was too late.
With a final, guttural roar, Logan's body snapped into the shape of the wolf. His mind retreated, locked in a cage of his own making as the animal took over.
The world became sharper—colors more vivid, sounds more intense. He could smell everything: the faint scent of blood, the coppery tang of fear, the musty stone beneath his paws. He saw Mara through a haze, her figure small and distant, but still there.
Juno's smile was gone, replaced by a look of satisfaction. She stepped back, raising her arms as though in triumph. The cavern rumbled again, and the walls seemed to pulse with energy.
The beast inside him roared again, his primal instincts demanding control. Logan—no, the wolf—lunged forward, charging toward Juno.
Mara reached out, calling to him. "Logan, don't!" But it was too late.
The wolf struck.
The cavern shook violently as they collided. Logan's claws raked across the stone, sending sparks into the air. He could feel the heat of the energy radiating from the walls, feel the pull of something ancient and powerful deep within the earth.
Juno laughed—a high, hollow sound. "It's too late. You can't stop it. None of you can."
Logan, now fully the wolf, bared his teeth, but there was still something human left inside. He could still hear Mara's voice, still feel the tether that connected them. He fought the urge to tear Juno apart. She wasn't the enemy. Not really.
But the Hollow? It was a different story.
The cavern trembled again, and a deep, guttural growl rumbled from the depths. Something huge stirred beneath the stone, something older than the world itself. The ground cracked, and from the fissures rose a monstrous figure—massive and shadowed, its form twisting and shifting like smoke.
The wolf in Logan howled, and the creature—it—howled back.
Logan's mind was slipping away. The transformation had taken hold completely now. The wolf was all that remained.
But in the depths of his mind, a faint glimmer of humanity fought to keep control.
The creature loomed above them, casting a long shadow over the cavern floor. It reached down, its claws like obsidian, grabbing hold of Juno.
"No!" Logan—no, the wolf—charged, but the creature was faster, too fast. It swiped its claws, sending Logan hurtling backward, slamming into the cavern wall.
The wolf growled, rising again, but its strength was waning.
Juno's voice echoed, distorted and hollow. "The key is mine. The lock is mine. And now… it's time."
With one final roar, the creature disappeared into the stone, dragging Juno with it. The cavern was silent.
Logan stood on shaky legs, his form flickering between the wolf and the man. The beast inside him was exhausted, the battle for control ebbing away. He could feel Mara's presence at his side, her hand steady on his shoulder.
And for the first time in a long while, Logan felt something he hadn't in years: a flicker of hope.
Maybe there was still a chance to stop this.