The Hollow smoothly slithered through the dreary halls as it rushed into the main lobby before bursting out into the courtyard of the station.

Savagrios struggled, clawing at its grasp as the Hollow’s crimson gaze bore into his horrified face. Without hesitation, it twisted its claw, adjusting its grip—then hurled him onto the gravel with a brutal thud.

It loomed over him, its ear blades twitching, then its neck snapped sharply to the side as it spoke: “Sir. Stranger detected on grounds. Prognosis?” Its voice was clipped, mechanical, yet eerily fluid. For a moment, it went rigid before its head jerked again. “Image sent.”

Then, without warning, it lunged, its metallic form crashing down over Savagrios. It pinned the terrified Savagrios as a strange tentacle probe emerged from the side of its jaw. In a flash it lashed at Gira, prickling his neck with a fine needle. The Hollow snapped its neck back as an annoying tune played as its eye flashed a myriad of colors.

“GIRA MOURNS. STATUS>—Highly regarded specimen.” It pulled back, releasing Savagrios, letting him pull away in a panic as he turned to face the massive machine.

“A VERBAL warning will suffice—” It stopped for a second as it leaned in. Then, its voice suddenly boomed, now layered with an official, broadcast-like authority: “

“”

Morray rushed out of the building, looking around confused by the sudden commotion.

The Hollow’s head twisted smoothly as its body followed. Its long, serpentine frame dragged behind as it slithered past Morray, completely ignoring him.

Savagrios was on his knees, one hand planted against the gravel, the other clutching his chest, fingers digging into his skin.

We remember…. A faded remembrance of a vast dark ocean flashed in his mind. We’ve felt that presence before…

Inside his mind the situation wasn’t much better. Gira, alone in the throne, was hyperventilating, confused by the residual fear of Savagrios. He couldn’t muster the words to rationalize the leaking emotion. A constricting rend across his chest ripped through his nerves as he failed to understand the feelings that Savagrios was sharing with him.

A bitter voice spoke. “This planet. It’s doomed.”

Gira spun around in a panic, the voice echoing throughout the void of his mind, but he couldn’t find the source.

“To think it would plan to birth something here.”The voice dripped with scorn, a bitter scoff laced in its tone. “How ingenious of that vile thing.”

Gira felt the numbing echo of horror. “Savagrios didn’t let me see! What happened?” he shouted as sweat dripped down his face.

“I cannot say, and even if I did, I’d rather not waste sharing it with a filthy pilferer like you.” The bitter voice spoke with a condescending tone.

Meanwhile, outside, Savagrios remained kneeling on the coarse gravel, still gripping his chest as he drew his own blood. G-Gira… his voice trembled. We have to leave this planet! WE—we—cannot stay here!

“But what choice do we have?” Another voice chimed in, steady and deliberate.

On the verge of tears, Gira turned to face the source of the voice. “S?”

S entered the void with a distant look, calmly walking over to Gira and offering him a hand. “Foreign feelings are unfortunately par for the course of misbegotten beings like him,” S said, his voice even, almost gentle. “You shouldn’t fear his unknown.”

Outside, beyond the throne, Morray offered a hand to the shaken Savagrios, who still clutched his chest.

“You saw it too, didn’t you?”

Savagrios hesitantly nodded as he took Morray’s hand.

Morray’s gaze drifted toward the station with a grimace. “Our duty was to quell the agony of the abyss…For there is no deeper horror than that sickly sweet hatred misshapen into blissful ecstasy. Yet we’ve reached an impasse…”

Within, S looked into the void, his blue gaze catching the silhouette of a bitter monster. “Vaal, leave us be. Go be miserable within the confines of your shitty memory.”

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The Hateful Entity chuckled—low, cruel. “So you recall my name?”Vaal’s voice slithered through the void, laced with amusement. “How touching~”

S’s face was laced with a pitiful look as he stared into the darkness. “How could I forget such a bitter bastard?”

Within the dark, the faded sparks of two golden glares shifted. “Then what of your own?” Vaal murmured, his voice fading as he receded into the void.

S sighed , shaking his head with a weary look. “That pissed-eyed son of a bitch…” he muttered under his breath.

Outside the mindscape, Savagrios took a deep, shaky breath. “MISTER… Morray. A-are you aware of what that thing might mean for us? We must leave this planet! That thing it’s a sign.”

Morray nodded with quiet discretion. “I know better than most that this is no simple infection.”

Savagrios frowned as he felt the dissonance in his heart and mind stab at each other. “We are so afraid.”

Within the void of his mind, S placed a firm hand on Gira’s shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

Gira swallowed hard, his skin recoiling at the touch. “I—I feel terrible,” he whispered. “What caused this? What did he see?”

S led him to one of the red sofa’s within the throne, easing him down lightly. “He—saw ripples of a ghost come to life,” he murmured. “Though he probably doesn’t fully understand the meaning of it.”

Gira stared into the darkness above. “But what was it? Why did it smell of blood?”

S looked down at his worn hands, “I’m afraid I don’t understand either…the only one of us who had dealt with the Abyss to this degree before was K, but… he’s lost himself.”

Outside, Morray put both of his hands on Savagrios's shoulders. “Have you encountered something like this before?”

Gira’s senses perked as Savagrios’s emotions resonated with his. “...We have.” Savagrios looked up, staring deep into Morray’s eyes with a fearful crimson glare.

“Was it bad enough to make a Coarseblood tear up?” Morray said softly as he looked into the teary-eyed Savagrios.

Savagrios hesitated. Then, with a quick, sharp motion, he wiped the tears from his eyes. His lips trembled, then curled into an awkward smile.

“Right! Forgive us, for we misspoke.” His voice wavered, yet there was a sharpness to it. “We cannot escape! For our duty as a Coarseblood is to consume that vile thing.” A shudder ran through his body. “It—it is a sign of the best meal possible!” His words sounded triumphant, but the horror beneath them was suffocating.

Gira within could feel Savagrios’s feelings. He felt the dread. Felt the revulsion. The undeniable terror. And so, for his sake—

Gira cried.

His body shook, his breath choked, and he wailed in sheer terror, even as his other self stood proud and courageous. For neither was alone.

Together, they endured.

By the time the rest of the squad had returned from the station, Savagrios had already come to rest aboard the glider. He had exhausted himself mentally and physically as dreamy darkness had now enshrouded the throne of his mind.

Morray leaned against the lowglider, his eyes fixed on the ghostly new station. A sigh escaped him as he shut his eyes, recalling the vile things within the dark vessel. The memory clung to him, its sickly details refusing to fade. He shuddered and reached into his pocket, fingers curling around a small vial. With a practiced flick, he popped the lid, letting a pink tablet roll onto his tongue. The lemony sweetness spread across his mouth, dissolving the image of twisted flesh, pushing it into the recesses of his mind. His tense expression softened, melting into a hazy, detached smile.

Atheiya noticed his actions. Her lips slightly parted, but she couldn’t find the words. She watched her heart aching as Morray’s somber expression faded into a blissful complacency. Her deep blue eyes dropped in a measure of solemn repression. She stepped past him without a word, boarding the lowglider and settling beside the unconscious Savagrios. But her eyes couldn’t betray her as she glanced at the distant Morray.

Mera was the last to board, rushing toward the glider with a random assortment of snacks clutched in her arms. She eagerly hurried past Morray and went to the lower deck, but her shoulders drooped as she spotted Savagrios, who had passed out.

“Ohh…” she mumbled, disappointed, as the snacks shifted in her arms.

“You must be hungry, huh?” Morray asked as he stepped aboard behind her.

“Oh! No—no, it’s just that Mr. Coarseblood seemed hungry earlier, and it seemed he didn’t fancy our field rations, so I…” Mera trailed off as she blushed. “I—I was just being silly. You can have them instead!” She nervously said, offering the snacks.

Morray shook his head. “No thanks, Mera. I’m really feeling the wind right now. Maybe I should drive us the rest of the way!”

Atheiya frowned. “Not like this, Morray,” she said, with a soft yet commanding tone. Rising from her seat, she leveled him with a steady look. “I’ll drive. You can enjoy the wind from your seat.”

Mera blinked, looking between the two, confused. “Umm…”

Morray’s expression remained the same, “Suit yourself…” he said as he lumbered over to his seat.

Atheiya stepped past him, sparing a brief glance at his hazy demeanor before climbing up to the upper deck.

Mera wobbled over to Atheiya's spot and sat next to Gira, her arms still full of snacks.

The lowglider hummed to life, its smooth motion carrying them away from the station. As they moved, the shift in inertia made Savagrios’s head tilt to the side—until it came to rest gently against Mera’s shoulder.

She froze. A deep blush crept up her face as her eyes flicked toward him.

“Uhh…” she muttered under her breath, stiff as a board. But after a long, uncertain pause, she let out a tiny sigh and surrendered to her predicament, clutching the snacks tighter in her arms as the lowglider carried them onward toward the Ordovis Coast.