falling was dif

, but through a void-cold, heavy, endless. Her breath caught in her throat, though ther

n... sh

d. She stood on a surface like dark glass, but beneath it moved shadows: flickers of pe

asn't

lay behind

ollow

-

light from nowhere and everywhere. The air was cold, biting, and laced with whispers. Not

ms around herself

rther she went, the more warped the space became. A house appeared upside down in the sky. A tree b

e felt drawn

her chest, where the Lucid Key pulsed f

-

g violently. Beyond that, a mirror forest-trees made of obsidian, each reflecting d

her through the mirror. Ava

e heard

l o

rned s

that didn't part. Its face was obscured, shifting

ice came from everywhere. It wasn't male

Ava said, summoning all the courage she h

pped closer, and for a moment Ava saw its face flic

her fists. "W

ad, it reached out a hand and p

ded throug

ries that weren't hers. Dreams that had collapsed. A world before Dreamweave

eaver," the figure whispe

-

the world aro

gray. Her stuffed animals wept ink. The window showed a swirling void ins

ly," the stitched woman said. "A

eyes. "This

f the Hollow returned. "It's

ground. Cracks formed across

ces Ava recognized: Leo, Nyra, Isabella from her school, her

e

-

l wave of regret. She passed doors that led to other people's nightmares-war z

byss. At its edge was a small object: a crystal

er neck pulsed like it

epped

Hollow wrapped around her a

d hard, the wind

rming a mouth. Not one of flesh, but

," it hissed. "You ar

osed h

ords: Here, thought is

ith fear. She didn't scream o

agined

t, stubbo

ame that re

. Let it pour from her fingertips. L

Hollow s

it back, searing its edges. The tendrils r

rward and gra

nd it, the Hollow vanished-suck

fe

-

e was on the floor

re there, kneel

o said, voice tight with worr

he said, holdin

round it, the Lucid Key dimmed in her che

is a core memory... anchored in the H

e the breach bega

u went further than anyone's ev

ded, ex

that was only