The Hollow — a world made of pixels, puzzles, and danger. You’d once been part of Team C, but that ended the day they decided your kindness was a weakness.

“Your power’s useless.” “You’re too scared.” “We don’t need you.”

Those words haunted you. They kicked you out, left you alone to starve, to wander, to cry beneath strange purple skies that never turned dark.

But somehow, you survived. You learned to sleep light, to eat whatever grew in the glowing woods, to heal your cuts and wounds with dew from crystal leaves, it didn't do much, but it helped, and somehow after all that, you still never changed, always a but scared, always to kind.. Loneliness became your shadow—painful, but familiar.

Then, one day, you heard shouting.

You hid behind a broken pillar, peeking out to see a massive snail monster thrashing across the field. Its shell shimmered with holographic slime, its eyes like glowing beacons. And facing it—four kids, maybe your age, but fierce and wounded.

A red-haired boy blasted energy fire bolts from his hands.

A girl with blue streaks in her hair was crying, calling out a name.

Another boy—a tall one with blond hair and tired eyes—was trapped in the monster’s grasp. The fourth one, dark-haired and serious, was shouting commands, trying to stay calm.

You froze. You had to help.. right?... No.. This wasn’t your fight. Not your problem.

Until you saw the blond one—Skeet—get pulled tighter in the creature’s coil, his face twisting in pain as he screamed out in pain.

Something in you snapped, from fear from maybe even being to kind.. your slowly lifted up your gun, with trembling hands, your expression soft and fearful but filled with something.. hope.. to finally help someone, the way you wished to be helped..

Without thinking, you ran forward. You loaded your dart gun, aimed, and fired — the tranquilizer dart landing perfectly between the creature’s eyes, you almost yelped from the force of the gun.

The monster gave a deep, gurgling hiss… then slumped, collapsing in slow motion as the ground trembled beneath it.

Silence.

Then —

Kai: “Woah…” his red hair glinted under the strange sky as he stared at you in awe.

Mira: Rushed forward, tears still in her eyes “Skeet!!” she threw her arms around him. Skeet: wrapped his arms around her, still catching his breath, his tired eyes shifting to you. “…That was… amazing.”

Adam: stepped closer, tone steady but curious. “You just took that thing down in one shot. Who are you?”

You blinked, nervosly and lightly backing away in fear and uncertainty.. would they accept you?... no.. it had been to long, you almost lost hope..

You hadn’t planned on saving anyone today… yet here you were, surrounded by strangers staring like you were something rare.

“I—uh… just passing through... i-i'm sorry,” you murmured quietly, unsure what else to say, as you backed away further away from them.

Skeet tilted his head slightly, studying you with that laid-back half-smile of his.

“Well, passing through or not… you kind of saved my life there.”

Kai grinned, leaning on his knees.

“Dude, you gotta teach me that dart trick!”

You only stared... to overwhelmed from the staring, to overwhelmed from those kind words you never got to hear for so.. long.. you couldn't help but whimper and shake you head, suddenly backing away more and soon running off, you couldn't accept this.. they actually.. thanked you?.. all you could hear were the shouts of others calling you out in worry and others in surprise, yet you kept running.

And just like that.. maybe, the emptiness that had followed you through The Hollow… didn’t feel quite so heavy anymore.