Chapter 17 The Hollow Throne
Darius kept his clawed hand pressed firmly against the cold black stone of the throne, the thousands of overlapping whispers still crashing through his skull like a relentless storm.
“Commander?” Rhen called out, voice tight with concern as he climbed the steps to the dais. “You’re shaking. Whatever that thing is doing to you, let go of it.”
Vael stood at the bottom of the steps like a silent sentinel, his massive fists ready, green eyes fixed on his lord.
Darius gritted his sharpened teeth. “I… can’t. It’s showing me things. So many voices.”
The black throne amplified every ounce of necrotic power inside him. Dark energy flowed into his body in heavy waves, strengthening his Hollow Commander form. His bone plating grew denser, his claws longer and sharper. Power surged through his limbs, making him feel almost invincible.
But the memories came with it.
Hundreds of voices from long-dead rulers and warlords who had once sat upon this very throne flooded his mind. Some were commanding and ambitious. Others were broken and insane.
\[“Conquer them all,”\] a deep voice growled. \[“Build an empire on their bones. Take what they denied you.”\]
\[“No!”\] another screamed in terror. \[“Mercy! The price is too high! Don’t become us!”\]
Darius staggered, gripping the throne’s armrest with his other hand. Flashes of ancient battles, betrayals, and bloody coronations assaulted him. Kings who had ruled through fear. Warlords who had raised undead legions only to be consumed by them. Their regrets, their rage, their hunger, all of it poured into him.
“Enough!” he snarled aloud.
\[Claim this fortress as your Domain,\] the System urged, its mechanical voice cutting through the chaos. \[Establish the first seat of the Hollow Empire. Accept and unlock true necromantic dominion.\]
Rhen reached the top of the dais. “Commander, talk to us. Your aura is going wild. The mist is thicker than I’ve ever seen it.”
Darius slowly lowered himself onto the throne. The moment his back touched the cold stone, the voices roared louder.
\[“Yes! Sit! Rule!”\]
\[“Fool! Run before it devours you too!”\]
\[“Avenge us!”\]
\[“Spare the living!”\]
Pain and ecstasy tore through him at the same time. The throne amplified his connection to death itself. He could suddenly sense every corpse buried in the mountain walls around them. Every failed experiment they had destroyed earlier. Every fallen soldier from forgotten wars. They all called to him.
His body trembled as power flooded every inch of his being. The black mist pouring off him thickened into swirling clouds that filled the massive hall. Cracks of green energy ran across the stone floor.
“I see them,” Darius rasped, eyes glowing brighter. “All the kings who sat here before me. Some built empires. Others were destroyed by them. Their memories… they’re becoming mine.”
Rhen stood close, sword half-drawn. “Then get off it. We don’t need some cursed chair. We have you. We have each other.”
Vael grunted in agreement, taking one heavy step up the dais.
But Darius didn’t move. The amplification felt too good. The raw strength it offered was exactly what he needed to crush the Holy Crown. To find answers about Elyra. To build something that could never be betrayed again.
\[Domain claim available,\] the System prompted again. \[Accept and awaken the Fortress of Ash. Bind its dead to your will.\]
Darius leaned back fully against the throne. The iron chains draped across it rattled softly as if reacting to his presence. The voices inside his head reached a deafening crescendo.
\[“Conquer.”\]
\[“Destroy.”\]
\[“Remember us.”\]
\[“Forgive us.”\]
He closed his glowing sockets for a moment, breathing through the storm. The old commander inside him recoiled at the sheer weight of darkness. But the Hollow King rising within him hungered for it.
“I accept,” Darius said aloud, voice echoing through the hall. “This fortress is mine. I claim it as the first seat of my empire.”
The System responded instantly.
\[Domain established: Fortress of Ash.\]
\[Hollow Empire foundation initiated.\]
The moment the words left his mouth, the entire mountain fortress awakened.
A deep, grinding rumble shook the walls. Massive stone gates hidden deep in the mountain began to move, ancient mechanisms long dormant grinding open with the sound of thunder. Dust and small rocks rained from the ceiling.
Then the dead in the walls began to stir.
Hands pushed through cracks in the stone. Decayed faces pressed outward from the rock. Failed experiments and ancient fallen soldiers embedded in the fortress structure during its original construction started pulling themselves free. Their eyes glowed with fresh green light as they answered their new master’s call.
Rhen spun around, sword raised. “Commander! The walls! They’re coming out of the damn walls!”
Vael turned slowly, fists clenched, ready to fight whatever emerged.
Darius remained seated on the black throne, black mist swirling around him like a crown. Power unlike anything he had felt before coursed through his veins. The voices in his head quieted into a low, respectful murmur.
The fortress was no longer a ruin.
It was alive.
And it belonged to the Hollow King.