For two days, Elara barely left her room. The village was stirring on edge. People whispered of strange sightings near the woods: figures moving in the trees, livestock going missing, and eyes glowing red seen just beyond the fog line at night. Meanwhile, Elara poured over the brittle pages of her ancestor's diary, trying to piece together a story that had been buried for centuries.
> November 1, 1812
Thorne was not always a creature of the night. He was once a man. A brilliant scholar, charming and obsessed with life beyond death. But the deeper he searched, the darker he became. It was blood that gave him his answer.
> He let something in. It gave him power. Immortality. And a thirst he could not control. Elara turned the page. Tucked between the sheets was something strange: a thin, folded parchment a letter, sealed with black wax and marked with the same sigil etched into the dagger's hilt. She unfolded it carefully.
> To the Last of My Blood,
If you are reading this, the seal on the Hollow has broken. The vampire I betrayed Thorne is awake again. And you are in danger.
The dagger you carry is not just a weapon. It was forged with ashwood from the trees that grew above his grave, and silver pulled from the mine where his soul was bound. Only this blade can wound him.
But wounding is not enough. You must find the three marks of sealing: the lantern, the circle, and the grave. Only then can he be cast back into the dark. Forgive me for my sin. You now carry my curse.
Aric Thorn
Elara let out a shaky breath. The dagger wasn't just a relic it was a key. And there were three things she needed to stop Thorne:
1. The Lantern - It had appeared the night he awoke. Was it a warning? A link?
2. The Circle - The binding circle. Maybe one of the symbols in the journal?
3. The Grave - Thorne's original resting place. She had to find it... and return him to it.
A sudden knock at the door made her jump.
It was Mara, her best friend face pale, eyes wide. "Elara… it's your grandmother. She's gone." Elara's heart dropped. "What do you mean, gone?" "She left before sunrise. Said something about needing to stop 'an old promise.'"
Elara didn't wait. She grabbed her cloak and dagger and ran. The Hollow was calling again. And this time, it had taken someone she loved.