Hollowfied

Four years later.

It's the birthday of the three born that day, Cassius, Liora, and Avaia, all turning five. Their newborn younger brother, Lucius, is still the baby of the family. Cedric, the eldest, turns seven this winter, a shame, because the best season is right now. Summer. However, unlike the rest, Cedric is tall for his age, and so are his sisters.

Normally, it's the boys who are the tallest, and here we are, Liora and Avaia being the tallest among those three.

***

Cedric dashed past the knights in his white buttoned-down shirt with black pants, a blur in the courtyard. Cassius followed behind in his similar attire, nearly spinning a guard off his feet with the sudden momentum.

"I'm gonna catch you!" Cassius yelled, breath hitching in his throat, curls clinging to his forehead, sweat pouring down his face.

Cedric didn't even look back. "Oh yeah?" he called, speeding up effortlessly, barely winded.

"Yeah!" Cassius barked then immediately coughed, staggering. "After... I catch my breath..." he muttered, dehydrated and pushing past his limit.

But time didn't wait. Liora and Avaia were catching up fast in the same attire as their brothers just for women that is, both grinning, both just as quick. Cedric had the endurance of someone older. For little ones, they were shockingly fast.

One of the knights stepped in, steadying Cassius with a hand and lifting him up. "It's okay, little lord," the man said gently.

Cassius panted hard, hands on his knees, trying to stand straighter. "How... how are they so fast?"

The knight hesitated. His expression turned uneasy. He looked to the ground, then back at the boy.

"Well... they've awakened their resonance," he said slowly. "They've started gathering fragments... y-your grace..."

Cassius froze. The sweat on his skin went cold. His breath evened, not from recovery, but from realization.

A resonance... he thought. Why did I have to be different?

The knight, seeing the look on his face, tried to patch it up. "B-but! Hollows can still gain resonances. It just takes longer, that's all."

Cassius's face lit up like sunlight through glass. He perked up. "Really?!"

The knight hesitated, eyes flicking with guilt. "U-uhm... yes, my lor—"

"How will I know?!" Cassius interrupted, suddenly serious.

That stopped the knight in his tracks. For a second, even the birds felt quiet. How would Cassius know?

Resonances didn't spark to life like fairy tale magic. They didn't whisper or glow. They simply were. A natural extension of you, like breath. Like instinct.

For commoners, the resonance attunement ceremony usually came between the ages of eight and twelve. For nobles, earlier, often between three and seven.

But for Cassius… none of that mattered.

He didn't have one.

Cassius smiled, a little. The knight tousled his hair, curls bouncing back stubbornly.

"You know, I never noticed how curly your hair is compared to your siblings," the knight added, stroking his chin in an exaggerated way, clearly trying to amuse the boy.

Cassius pulled a strand down, watching it spring back. "You really think so? I've never thought about it either. I know my sisters look just like Mother... except Avaia. Her hair's kinda curly." He paused, thinking aloud. "Lucius has curls, kinda like mine. But not really. Not like mine..."

His voice trailed off, and his face fell again. The knight could already guess where Cassius's thoughts were going, and before the silence grew too heavy, he cut in.

"Well," he said quickly, "you all got a mix of your parents' eyes. Except for Cedric. Black hair, red eyes. He's the odd one out."

Cassius thought for a moment, then tugged the knight down by his collar, stronger than expected for such a small boy. Whispering, he said, "Personally... I think Cedric's eyes are getting darker."

The knight blinked, not sure what to make of that. But then, how would he know? He didn't live with them.

Before either of them could speak again, a gust of wind rushed past. It was Cedric, Liora, and Avaia, darting by in a blur, leaves spinning in their wake. They were getting faster.

The knight tried to recover the conversation. "Don't feel down, little lord... they've all been training with your par—" He reached to pat Cassius's back—

But his hand hit nothing.

Cassius had already rounded the corner.

The knight let out a long breath. From the manor gates, another guard laughed. "Let 'em be kids. It's their birthday, after all."

The knight squinted up at the sun, nodding slowly. "Yeah."

Cassius shot around the next corner, lungs burning, vision swimming. He didn't care. He couldn't see his siblings anymore, but that didn't matter. He had to catch them. He would.

And he nearly did.

At the manor entrance, he caught up. Blew past Liora and Avaia. Even grazed Cedric's shirt.

And then.

The Hollow inside him flared.

Cassius screamed, dropping like a stone. The sound ripped through the yard, stopping everyone cold.

The front doors creaked open just in time for Dorian and Selene to see their son hit the ground.

They rushed down the stairs and panicked immediately. Knights followed close behind, but Dorian got to him first, dropping to his knees. He reached out, trying to sense the cause, though he already had a sinking feeling.

He used his light resonance. His hands glowed, a soft heat pulsing out to counter the pain.

And it worked.

Cassius went still. But unconscious.

Selene knelt beside him, helpless. Her resonance offered no healing, no remedy.

Dorian checked for a pulse. "CASSIUS! CASSIUS, ANSWER ME. COME TO THE LIGHT—"

A flicker. A heartbeat.

He exhaled sharply, falling back onto his heels. Cassius wasn't dead.

Not yet.

Selene cradled him. The other children stood frozen. Silent. Eyes wide.

Dorian panted, chest heaving, then spoke through grit teeth: "Do any of you..."

He breathed in deep, trying to stay calm.

"Do any of you know what caused this?"

They looked at each other, unsure. Murmurs of uhm passed around.

Cedric stepped forward. "He hasn't... drunk anything. All day."

Dorian's voice snapped. "WHAT?!"

Cedric winced. Eyes shut. "A-and we were running. Really fast. Cassius couldn't keep up. So he stayed back with one of the knights. But when we came around again... I guess he got motivated and chased us. Even though he was already exhausted..."

Dorian narrowed his eyes. He could tell Cedric wasn't finished.

Cedric saw it too. He took a breath. "But... he caught up to us. All of us. In thirteen seconds."

Liora added, voice shaking, "He even grazed Cedric…"

Dorian looked down at his son. "How's that... possible?"

His fingers stayed on Cassius's wrist. Just in case.

Cedric shrugged weakly. "We weren't holding back."

Dorian said nothing. His thoughts were racing, but no answer came.

Selene stood and carried Cassius inside. Dorian watched, then gave a tired nod. "Go with your mother. Watch your brother."

The children obeyed, doors closing behind them.

As soon as they did, Dorian collapsed onto the stone steps.

He thought back to the past two years. What they'd learned.

Hollows were heightened physicality, more aware, more reactive. Their senses are sharper than even some fragment-resonant nobles.

But the price?

They needed more. Twice as much water. Twice as much rest. At least two gallons a day.

Cassius hadn't had even a cup.