The Invisible String Theory

Chapter 1 -The Weight of the Relic

"We don't have much time," my father said, his voice tight, barely above a whisper. He had been the calm one, the strong one, for as long as I could remember. But now, even he seemed small against the weight of what was coming.

I stood beside him, my heart pounding in my chest. "What can we do? What can we do to stop it?"

For the first time, he didn't give me a direct answer. Instead, he looked at me, his eyes shadowed with a kind of sorrow I had never seen before.

"It's not about stopping it, Miravyn. We can't destroy the Sovereign. It is... too powerful, too empty. We can only contain it." His voice faltered slightly, but he pressed on. "And to do that, we need all of us. Every last bit of energy, every ability we have."
I didn't understand. I was just a child—how could I understand something as big as the end of everything we knew?

"All of us?" I repeated, confusion clouding my thoughts. "You mean, we all just... fight it?"
Dad shook his head slowly.

"No, Miravyn. Not fight it. Bind it. We must pull all of our strength together and create something stronger than anything we've ever known—a binding that will hold the Hollow indefinitely, where it can do no more harm."

His hands clenched around at his chest, his knuckles white. "But in doing that... we will all lose something."
I stared up at him, waiting for him to continue, but he didn't. Instead, he turned to look at the council—our people, gathered around the central stone circle. I had always thought that our powers were limitless, that they were something permanent. But then, I was beginning to understand that everything has a cost.
Dad called them together—elders, scholars, healers, warriors, and families—all who could channel the Heartstream. As they stood in the circle, there was no ceremony, no grand speech. Just the shared, unspoken understanding that the choice before them was not a choice at all.

"The Hollow Sovereign is already inside us," Dad said, his voice heavy with the weight of his words. "It is in our hearts, in the very air we breathe. It feeds on the bonds between us, the unity we've worked so hard to build. The only way to stop it is to use every last bit of our abilities, our energy, to bind it, to seal it away where it cannot wreak havoc."

The circle of elders nodded gravely, their faces etched with the same lines of weariness and resignation that I saw in my father. "The cost of such a binding will be great," one of the elder mages spoke, her voice tremulous. "We will have to give everything we are. Not just our powers, but our very life force. It is the only way to create a seal strong enough to contain it."
Dad nodded. "We must give everything to this relic. Every bit of our strength, every drop of our essence. Only then can we hope to hold it, to keep it from consuming everything."

I looked around at the faces of the people gathered. They were strong, all of them, in different ways—some had the power to heal, others could see through the veils between worlds, others could manipulate the very earth beneath their feet. Every single one of them had something unique to offer.

And yet, none of it was enough to stop the Hollow alone. "We're all going to give up everything, aren't we?" I whispered, the realization sinking in.
Dad met my gaze, his eyes soft but filled with a kind of sadness that pierced me to my core.

"Yes, Miravyn. Every one of us. To bind it, we must each give everything we have. Our abilities. Our energy. It will drain us completely. And when it's over..." His voice faltered. "We will be left with nothing."

I could feel my breath catch in my chest. "But what about you? What about me?" I asked, my voice shaking. "You're not... you're not going to—"

He reached out to steady me, his hand gentle on my shoulder. "Yes. I will give everything too. We all will. To protect you, to protect our people." His gaze softened, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I promised you I would protect you. And I will."

But even as he said it, I could see the truth in his eyes. He was preparing to lose everything. We all were. Dad stood beside me, his hand on my arm as we channeled everything we had into the Relic. The power surged through me, bright and painful, as though it was pulling my very soul into the binding.

It was like a beautiful tragedy, everyone's aura was different in shape and color. I could see the others around me, their faces pale, their bodies trembling as they poured their life force into the Relic. Some were already beginning to fade, their energy too great a sacrifice. The air was thick with the sound of strained breaths, the groans of the earth beneath us as if it too was suffering.

And then the Hollow Sovereign came. It was not a creature I could see—not in the way you might see a person or an animal—but I felt it. I felt its presence, the cold emptiness that stretched across the world, pulling at the bonds that connected us. It was hungry, insatiable. But we held it back.

Just barely.

Dad's grip tightened on my arm, and I felt the last of his energy flowing into the Relic. His body began to shimmer, to fade, as he gave his final breath into the binding.

"Promise me, Miravyn. Promise me you will protect it."

The words barely reached me through the haze of energy and exhaustion, but I heard them—felt them—as if they were burned into my soul.

But then, in a sudden, jarring motion, he pulled away from me. His hand slipped from my shoulder, and I stumbled backward, the energy crackling between us.
"You have to stay! You have to keep your power." His voice was urgent, forceful, and it cut through the haze of the binding like a knife.

I reached for him, but he held me back, his eyes wild with intensity.

"Do you understand? You must stay. You must hold the seal. Do not—"

I shook my head, tears welling in my eyes. "But Dad, I don't want to be alone! Please—"

He looked at me with such sorrow, such love, that it made my heart ache.

"You are never alone, my love. You are the heart of our people now. You must keep your strength. Keep your power. Our world depends on you."

The last of his energy flowed into the Relic. His form shimmered and then faded entirely, leaving nothing but the thrum of the binding energy in the air.
I stood there, alone. The Relic was finished. The Hollow Sovereign was sealed away. But Dad was gone, and the weight of his final words pressed down on me, heavier than anything I had ever known.

"I will protect it." I whispered, my voice trembling.

But I was the only one left to do so.