Read the future — frightening, empty (4)
I believe the answer is:
scry
'read the future' is the definition.
'frightening empty' is the wordplay.
'frightening' becomes 'scary' (I've seen this before).
'empty' suggests removing the centre.
'scary' with its centre removed is 'SCRY'.
(Other definitions for scry that I've seen before include "Peer into future" , "Practise crystal-gazing" , "Use a crystal ball" , "divine" , "Look into the future" .)