Kael stood at the edge of a low-tier ruin, arms folded, expression locked in that special blend of suspicion and resignation that only parenthood could produce.
"This is a trap," he muttered.
Behind him, Senna bounced in place, wearing a hooded cloak two sizes too big, her hands hidden except for the faint chalk dust still smeared across her knuckles.
"It's not a trap," she said brightly. "It's a festival gate!"
"There is no such thing as a 'festival gate.' That's not even in the logs."
Aria stepped up beside them, chewing a piece of gum like it owed her money. "Technically, it's a legacy event. From the old system structure before Dominion patched seasonal content. They forgot to delete this one."
Kael turned to her. "And that's a good thing?"
"Depends on how you feel about glitchy monsters in paper masks and loot that drops in the shape of chocolate eyeballs."
"...I feel bad about that. I feel deeply bad about that."
Senna grinned and stepped into the anomaly's soft glow before he could stop her. The entrance shimmered — not dangerous, just oddly festive. Faint purples and oranges pulsed like someone had hacked the color scheme of a horror movie and turned it into a screensaver.
A sign floated above the gate, hanging in midair, flickering slightly:
🕸️ HOLLOWING NIGHT EVENT GATEDifficulty: ??Rewards: Cursed Candy (x31), Soul Lanterns (Decor), Forgotten Costume Lootbox (Ultra-Rare)Advisory: DO NOT LOOK BACKWARD.
Kael squinted at that last line.
"I hate everything about this."
"Come on, Patchdad," Aria said, patting his shoulder. "It's one night. One weird, forgotten thread. Let her be a kid."
He sighed.
And stepped through.
They landed in a twisted version of a village square — architecture from at least three different zones mashed together like it had been copy-pasted by a drunk archivist. Houses leaned at odd angles. Lampposts flickered in neon and gaslight simultaneously. Bats — or at least bat-shaped data constructs — looped lazily through the air.
Senna ran ahead to a stand labeled "Glyph-or-Treat!" where a masked NPC held out a basket of glowing candies shaped like eyeballs, tiny grimoires, and miniature Reapers holding balloons.
Kael eyed the candy suspiciously.
Aria took two.
Another figure shimmered into existence nearby, flailing slightly as he landed with a grunt.
Rex.
"What the hell is this? Where am I? Why is everything orange?" he asked.
Kael closed his eyes. "Why is he here?"
Aria shrugged. "He followed me. I didn't invite him. He thought it was a training raid."
Senna skipped over, holding up two handfuls of "cursed" candy. "Rex! Try one! They scream!"
"They what now?"
She popped one in her mouth. It shrieked, cartoonishly, and then turned into mist. She clapped, delighted.
Rex turned to Kael, horrified. "Your daughter is terrifying."
"I'm aware."
As they ventured deeper, the illusion deepened. Fake Reapers popped out from behind hay bales, clearly animatronics — and one very confused real Reaper stood awkwardly among them, not attacking, just... watching.
Kael locked eyes with it.
It slowly raised a tiny party hat onto its head.
Kael blinked. "Okay. That's new."
Senna waved at it. "Hi Mister No-Eyes!"
It bowed slightly. Aria choked on her candy.
They passed through a hedge maze filled with "ghosts" coded from broken threadlines — lost moments of rollback glitch that shimmered and vanished when touched. One whispered a line Kael recognized from an older timeline — a version of Liora saying goodbye.
He paused for just a second too long.
"You okay?" Aria asked, tone softening.
"Yeah. Just ghosts." His voice was steady. "They're not real."
Further in, they found a "boss" room.
The so-called final enemy was an enormous stitched-together Reaper wearing a jack-o'-lantern for a head and holding a comically oversized lollipop.
Its name tag read:👻 Hollow-Keeper Gl1tch.exe (Loves Hugs)
Kael stared.
It roared a sound that was somewhere between a modem screech and a child yelling "BOO!"
Senna ran toward it.
Kael's heart nearly imploded.
"Senna—!"
But the Hollow-Keeper dropped its weapon, opened its arms, and gently hugged her.
She laughed. It laughed. A sound like thirty glitched-up sound effects mashed together.
"Best boss ever!" she said.
It handed her a glowing glyph scroll with the words "Happy Hollowing" etched into the seal. Then, like it had fulfilled some ancient ritual, it sat down… and slowly shut off.
Kael stood frozen for a long moment.
Rex nudged him. "So… can we go now? Or do we get a 'Participation in Nightmare' trophy too?"
Aria gave him a deadpan look. "This was the trophy."
Rex made a face. "This system's broken."
"No argument here," Kael muttered.
On the way out, they passed a mirror.
Kael's reflection didn't match him.
It was an older version — face worn, armor cracked, glyphs crawling up his throat.
But the reflection smiled. Not haunted. Not angry. Just… tired.
Kael stepped past it without a word.
Senna looked back at the mirror — and her reflection winked.
That night, after Senna fell asleep curled up on the couch with her new plush Reaper ("Mr. Boo"), Kael stood at the window, arms crossed.
Aria joined him with two cups of synthbrew. "She had fun."
"Yeah. Weirdly."
"You okay?"
He took a sip. "I think I just fought a candy boss who handed me an emotional support scroll."
"You deserved it."
Kael chuckled softly. "...That's the scariest thing that's happened all night."