The Hollow Realms

By Marek Varro

In a fractured world where magic seeps from the bones of dead gods and relics are currency and curse alike, Marek Varro , a mercenary with a haunted past, is tasked with retrieving a dangerous artifact known as a Hollow Key shard . What begins as a routine job quickly spirals into a deepening conspiracy when Marek discovers the shard bound to a Hollowborn child -- a rare, unstable being infused with ancient power. Reluctant to turn the child over to his employer, the ruthless Wellspring Cartel , Marek finds himself hunted by death priests, framed for murder, and pursued by doppelgängers using forbidden echo-sigil magic . As he investigates the origins of the shard and his own identity, he reunites with Kaelyn Ro , a former adversary turned uneasy ally. Together, they uncover that Marek's past -- especially his time at the infamous Iron House -- is key to the present threat. The child, revealed to be Gate Eight , is one half of a shattered soul, the other a girl held in a Choir relic vault. Together, they hold pieces of a recreated Hollow Gate -- a relic that once nearly destroyed the world. Marek learns he himself was Gate Three , a product of the Choir's forbidden experiments with mind and soul gates . As Marek and Kaelyn fight off mercenaries, cultists, and a living echo of Marek himself, they realize a faction called the Ashborn , led by the enigmatic Callen -- a ghost from Marek's past -- seeks to control the children and the relic gates for their own ends. With the Choir's secrets surfacing and the world teetering on the brink of another collapse, Marek must confront not just his enemies, but the weapon he was made to be. And decide if he will be used -- or if he'll burn it all down first.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0F5TDW2RT
• ISBN13: 9798280587694
• Release Date: April 2025
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 83 Pages
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.2" x 6.0"