Phantom Saga-Chapter 8: Lune

The phantom hand was sentient, of that Hill was sure. It seemed to be able to understand him and respond in its own way, though it didn't speak. That was fine with Hill; he didn't mind having a silent companion in the soulscape.

But now, he felt an intense yearning deep within him.

It must be bestowed a name, he thought to himself.

A name, a symbol of his bond with his newfound companion, and a way for them to communicate more deeply.

He closed his eyes and let the thoughts flow. Names like John and Maria came to his mind. But that didn't feel right. Those names were ordinary, and his companion was anything but ordinary.

He needed an ethereal and mysterious name as the hand itself.

"Let's see..." he mumbled, thinking aloud. "How about... Es..theria?"

The name didn't sit well with the phantom hand, as it suddenly clenched into a fist.

"Or maybe... Ghosty...?"

The hand unclenched and remained still, looking awfully droopy.

"Hmm... That's not it either. I need something more... unique," he continued, pacing back and forth in the darkness of the soulscape. The names he had come up with so far felt too ordinary, too uninspiring. He needed something to capture his companion's essence and speak to its true nature.

"How about... Wispy?"

The hand didn't move.

Hill shook his head, "No, that doesn't feel right either."

He continued to rack his brain, trying to find the perfect name. But nothing seemed to stick.

"I don't know..." he sighed in defeat. "I'm not good at this kind of stuff. Can you help me out?"

As if in response, the hand extended a single finger and slowly moved toward Hill's chest. He suddenly felt an intense pressure build within his head, both physical and mental, as the hand began to solidify before him. He gritted his teeth briefly as the hand became a floating appendage, fully fleshed out within his reality.

Interesting, so it can transform on its own... It's a shame that I still suffer the blowback though...

It began to slowly trace letters on his chest with its ghostly finger. Hill's breath quickened as he watched the finger move.

"L... U... N..." He read the letters aloud. "E..."

"Lune?" he said aloud.

The hand stopped tracing and threw a thumbs-up sign in the air. Hill's face split into a wide grin.

"You're Lune, huh? Well, that's a wonderful name for you. Lune." He said. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Hill."

The hand, now named Lune, threw another thumbs-up sign before it floated to his side and waited patiently.

Hill felt a strange sense of excitement and relief. He had always been a loner, and the thought of having a companion, even if it was ghostly, made him feel less alone in the world. Plus, he was no longer lonely in the literal sense, which was a bonus.

Now, let's focus on the predicament at hand, he thought as he opened his eyes.

The phenomena of more runes smashing together in the distance distracted him from doing so. He stared at them as they crashed together, and confusion rose in his heart.

There's more?

He jogged over to where they were clashing, his footsteps echoing through the soulscape. The runes finally stopped crashing against each other and revealed a new message to him:

[Curse Manifesting...]

A sudden wave of anxiety washed over Hill. The word curse was definitely bad. It was a word that had connotations of evil and malevolence. He didn't want anything to do with it.

"Oh no," he muttered. "What is this?"

As he watched, a black, tar-like substance began to seep from the ground beneath him. It was like a dark fog, spreading slowly and silently. The substance seemed alive, moving and shifting with a malevolent energy.

Out of the spreading fog, several pillars of darkness suddenly burst from the ground and rose into the air, towering around him. He counted them, ten in total. They were ominous and foreboding, twisting and pulsing uncomfortably.

He could hear faint whispers emanating from the pillars, incoherent and disturbing. He couldn't understand what they were saying, but their tone was chilling and threatening.

Finally, a series of runic markings began to clash together in the center of the pillars.

After a few seconds of clashing, they revealed another message:

[Curse Granted: The Deathly Hollows]

[Description: The Deathly Hollows are ten entities of mystery that reside within the soul's dark corners, yearning to taste reality. As such, they will haunt their master to achieve this goal. When consciousness fades, a hollow will arise, defending the host from all harm.]

Hill was left staring at the message in complete and utter confusion. He had no idea what any of it meant, and the more he tried to wrap his head around it, the more lost he became.

"You're telling me I have ten hollows hidden inside my soul... that will haunt me until they become reality? What did I do to deserve that?" His voice began to rise, the frustration evident in his tone.

The runes didn't answer, remaining still in the air before him as if they were mocking him. Hill sighed, shaking his head.

"Great, more questions without answers," he muttered to himself. "Well, I guess I'll just have to wait and see what these hollows do when I sleep."

He looked at the pillars of darkness, their sinister whispers echoing in his ears. He shuddered, feeling the weight of the Curse on him. It was a burden he never wanted, but now he had no choice. He had to learn to live with it, to understand its power and potential, and to use it wisely.

He didn't know how long he had been standing there, staring at the pillars, when he heard a loud sound in the distance, a deep, rumbling noise that shook the ground beneath his feet. He gasped as he opened his eyes, exiting the soulscape.

A magma burst exploded from the lake around fifty yards away, rising high into the air before falling back down, crashing into the molten surface with a thunderous roar. The heat from the burst was immense, and he could feel the steam beginning to burn his skin. He needed to move and get away from the danger.

He turned around and began to shift away from the now sizzling edge of the island, but he stopped when he saw what was behind him.

On another island, he saw a figure. Through the haze, he could see that it was shaped like a human being. It was standing there, looking around as if it was confused. Hill's heart leaped in his chest.