The tunnel narrowed. Not in shape — in silence. Even his thoughts felt muffled here. The air hung heavier, and each breath scraped like old paper inside his throat. He didn't cough. He couldn't. Still no sound came from his mouth, though he tried, once, just to make sure. A raw croak, buried inside him, stayed sealed behind the skin.
He didn't remember a time when breathing had been easy.
Or if there had been a time at all.
His bare feet pressed forward. Cold stone. Then wet. Then soft again. Flesh-like earth that sucked at his soles without strength. The system stayed quiet — watching maybe, if it even could watch. He had no proof it was anything more than a machine. And no proof it wasn't something older than that.
Light appeared again. Not from above.
From the wall.
Tiny specks, white-blue, flickering behind bone. Actual bone. Skulls, femurs, ribs. All of them embedded in the tunnel walls, almost sculpted into them. Like the cave had eaten something. Or many things. And couldn't quite digest the remains.
The bones glowed faintly. Just enough for him to see — but not enough to give him comfort.
[ SYSTEM NOTICE: PASSIVE PATHFINDING INITIATED ]
A pulse of warmth ran through his spine. Not soothing. Not painful. Just... direct. Like being shown a line without being told why. He looked ahead. A faint shimmer — nearly invisible — traced along the floor.
He followed.
Not because he trusted it. Because there was nothing else.
His pace quickened. He didn't know how long he'd been walking, but his legs were moving easier now. His breathing steadier. Still no voice. Still no name. But he could feel his body beginning to remember how to move. Like the instincts were still buried inside, waiting for the mind to catch up.
A sound.
He froze.
Not from him. Not system. Not cave.
A real sound.
Clink.
Then again.
Clink. Clink.
Metal? No — stone against stone. Rhythmic. Distant. He crouched, breath slowing. His fingers touched the floor. The glowing shimmer bent to the left now — into a crevice barely wide enough to squeeze through.
He hesitated.
[ SYSTEM RECOMMENDATION: PATH CONTINUATION ]
It wasn't a command. But it didn't need to be. His body shifted without argument. He moved sideways, pressing between narrow walls, shoulders scraping against the stone.
The clinking grew louder.
And then —
A light. Not bone-light. Real. Firelight.
He crouched behind a protruding slab of rock, peering around it slowly.
A man.
Old. Or maybe just worn. Balding, lean, with scars along his arms. He sat on a flat stone in a circle of old bones, chipping something with a sharp tool. A skeleton of what looked like a lizard rested at his feet — partially carved.
The man muttered.
Words. Real words. But slurred. Like he hadn't spoken to anyone in years. Maybe he hadn't.
The MC didn't step forward.
He stayed hidden.
The man turned suddenly. As if feeling the gaze.
"...you in there?" the man rasped, voice dry and cracked. "I can smell you."
The MC flinched.
"Don't be afraid. If you were sent by the Hollow... you'd already be screaming."
He didn't move.
The man sighed, stood, bones cracking as he rose.
"Fine. Don't come out. Just listen then." He pointed the sharp tool toward the wall. "You came from there, didn't you? Deeper in. Damn thing lets people crawl in once in a while. Few crawl back."
A pause.
"You got a name?"
Nothing.
The man clicked his tongue. "Right. One of those."
He stepped closer. Not aggressive. Just... curious.
"I was nameless too. Once." He tapped his chest. "Now I'm Koji."
Koji.
The word meant nothing.
But the way he said it — like it used to mean something — stirred something cold in the MC's gut. A flutter. A memory trying to rise.
He gripped the stone tighter.
Koji lowered his tool. "You got a system, don't you?"
The MC didn't answer. Just blinked.
Koji chuckled. "Thought so. Can always tell. You're cleaner. Less... broken."
He walked back to his stone seat, groaning as he settled again.
"This place doesn't make sense to people like you. That's good. Means your head's still mostly together."
The MC stepped out.
Slowly.
Koji raised an eyebrow. Smiled. Just a little.
"Brave. Or stupid. Don't matter which. Either one'll keep you alive longer than most."
The MC pointed to himself. Then raised both hands, palms up. Empty.
Koji watched. Then nodded. "Yeah. You're fresh. Hollow damn near grabbed you, didn't it?"
A flicker of light passed over the MC's eyes.
Koji saw.
"Mm. You don't remember. You will. If you live long enough." He motioned around. "This is the Edge. Edge of Hollow. One more mile that way, and your soul melts out your mouth."
The MC looked back the way he'd come.
That close.
That near.
He'd been standing inches from death.
And the system had said nothing.
He clenched his jaw. Or would have, if he'd remembered how to do that. His teeth just pressed together, tight.
Koji studied him. "I can give you a name. If you want."
The MC paused.
Then shook his head.
Koji's smile widened. "Good. Names are earned here. Not given."
He rose again, this time holding out something — a shard of black stone. Dull, but heavy.
"Keep this. You'll need it before night."
The MC reached, took it.
The moment his fingers closed around it —
[ PASSIVE ITEM RECEIVED: BLACKSTONE EDGE ]
[ DURABILITY: LOW ]
[ FUNCTION: DEFENSE / TOOL ]
[ SYSTEM NOTE: FIRST INTERACTION — HUMAN ]
He stared.
Then looked up.
Koji was already walking away.
"Follow if you want. Or don't. But if you stay here, the Hollow will find you again. And this time, I won't hear the screaming."
The MC hesitated.
Then followed.
The tunnel twisted again. Wider. Bone lanterns lit the walls. And in the distance — very faint — a shape appeared.
A village.
Carved into stone.
Lit by fire and ghostlight.
And filled with people who hadn't seen the sun in generations.
The system pulsed.
[ NEW OBJECTIVE: ENTER THE VILLAGE ]
[ WARNING: NO COMBAT INITIATED ]
[ OBSERVE — UNDERSTAND — SURVIVE ]
He stepped forward.
Still voiceless. Still nameless.
But now... not alone.