The journey ahead became even more daunting after that night, and Sarina couldn’t shake the haunting presence of Azrathis. The demon queen’s voice echoed in her thoughts more frequently, like a shadow lingering just out of sight. Every time Sarina closed her eyes, she saw her—those piercing, dark eyes that promised endless power and destruction. And though Sarina fought to resist, the pull of Azrathis’s power grew stronger, harder to ignore.

Lira noticed the change, too. She didn’t say much, but her worried glances had become more frequent, and the silence between them felt heavy with unspoken fears. They were both walking on a razor’s edge, unsure of what lay ahead, but one thing was certain: they couldn’t keep moving without a plan.

The barren landscape they had been traveling through seemed endless. The strange veins of dark energy pulsed beneath the ground, growing more intense with each mile they covered. Occasionally, they would hear distant rumblings, as though something deep within the earth was stirring, waking. Sarina couldn’t tell if it was the land itself or her mind playing tricks on her, but it added to the overwhelming sense of unease that had settled in her chest.

The wind howled as they pressed forward, biting at their skin and carrying strange, incomprehensible whispers. Sarina had tried to ignore them at first, but now, as they walked, the whispers seemed to grow louder, more coherent.

“You hear that?” Lira asked, her voice barely audible over the wind. She had stopped walking, turning to glance over her shoulder as if expecting to see something looming behind them.

Sarina nodded. “I’ve been hearing it for a while now.”

“What do you think it is?”

Sarina frowned, her brow furrowing. “I don’t know. But it’s getting stronger the closer we get to Azrathis’s stronghold. I think... I think it might be connected to her.”

Lira looked uneasy, but she didn’t press the issue. Instead, she adjusted the strap of her sword across her back and continued walking. “We should pick up the pace. I don’t like being out in the open like this.”

Sarina couldn’t agree more. The desolate plain felt too exposed, too vulnerable. But there was nowhere else to go. The path ahead stretched out in front of them, a seemingly endless expanse of jagged rocks and pulsating energy veins. The stronghold of Azrathis was still far beyond the horizon, but Sarina could feel its pull—like a dark beacon calling her closer.

They walked for hours, the sun never moving from its place in the sky. Time felt distorted here, as though they were trapped in a place where the natural laws of the world no longer applied. Sarina’s muscles ached, but she forced herself to keep going, knowing that every step brought them closer to the inevitable confrontation.

It wasn’t until they reached the edge of a massive chasm that they finally stopped. The ground abruptly dropped away, revealing a deep, yawning abyss below. The veins of dark energy ran down into the chasm, disappearing into its depths, and from within, Sarina could hear the faint hum of power—Azrathis’s power.

Lira peered over the edge, her eyes narrowing. “This doesn’t look promising.”

Sarina stepped forward, staring down into the darkness. The chasm seemed to stretch endlessly, its depths obscured by shadows. But something about it felt familiar. The whispers in the wind grew louder here, almost as if the chasm itself was speaking to her.

“We have to go down there,” Sarina said quietly.

Lira stared at her in disbelief. “Down there? Into that? Are you insane?”

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“I don’t like it any more than you do, but this is the only way. I can feel it. Azrathis is down there, or at least something connected to her. We need to find out what it is.”

Lira opened her mouth to protest but then closed it again, her expression grim. She knew Sarina was right. This was the path they had chosen, and there was no turning back now.

They spent the next hour carefully descending into the chasm, using the jagged rocks as handholds and footholds. The deeper they went, the colder the air became, and the whispers grew more distinct. Sarina could almost make out words now—fragments of phrases, distorted and twisted, as if spoken by a thousand voices at once.

By the time they reached the bottom, the darkness was so thick that they could barely see a few feet in front of them. The veins of dark energy pulsed beneath their feet, casting an eerie, flickering light that illuminated the jagged rocks and strange formations around them.

“This place...” Lira muttered, her voice low and uneasy. “It feels wrong.”

Sarina didn’t respond. She was too focused on the pull of Azrathis’s power, which was stronger here than ever before. It was as if the demon queen’s presence was woven into the very fabric of this place, saturating the air with malevolent energy.

They moved cautiously through the chasm, their footsteps echoing in the silence. The whispers seemed to follow them, growing louder with each step. And then, without warning, the ground beneath them trembled.

Sarina froze, her heart racing. “Did you feel that?”

Lira nodded, her hand instinctively going to the hilt of her sword. “What was that?”

Before Sarina could answer, the ground shook again—this time more violently. The rocks around them began to crumble, and a low, rumbling sound filled the air, like the growl of some ancient beast awakening from a long slumber.

“Run!” Sarina shouted, grabbing Lira’s arm and pulling her forward just as the ground behind them split open.

They sprinted through the chasm, the rumbling growing louder, the ground shaking beneath their feet. Sarina’s heart pounded in her chest as she pushed herself to move faster, her legs burning with effort. The whispers in the air had turned into a deafening roar, as if the chasm itself was alive and angry.

Ahead of them, the path narrowed, forcing them to squeeze through a tight gap between two massive rock formations. Just as they made it through, the ground behind them gave way entirely, collapsing into a swirling pit of darkness.

They stumbled to a stop, panting for breath, their backs pressed against the rock walls. The collapse had cut off any chance of retreat. There was only one way left to go—forward, deeper into the heart of the chasm.

Lira looked at Sarina, her eyes wide with fear and exhaustion. “We can’t keep doing this, Sarina. We’re barely holding on, and Azrathis is only getting stronger. How are we supposed to defeat her?”

Sarina didn’t have an answer. The truth was, she didn’t know how they were going to win this fight. But she knew they couldn’t stop now. They were too far in.

“We’ll find a way,” Sarina said, though the words felt hollow. “We have to.”

They continued forward, their footsteps echoing in the silence. The chasm seemed to stretch on forever, and the oppressive weight of Azrathis’s presence pressed down on them like a physical force. Sarina could feel the darkness seeping into her thoughts, trying to take hold.

And then, at the far end of the chasm, they saw it—a massive, ancient door, carved from black stone and covered in intricate, glowing symbols. The dark energy veins converged here, pulsing and throbbing like a heartbeat. The whispers in the air grew louder, more frantic, as if urging them to turn back.

“This is it,” Sarina said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lira stared at the door, her face pale. “What’s behind that door?”

Sarina didn’t know for sure, but she could feel it—Azrathis’s power, stronger than ever before. Whatever was behind that door, it was tied to the demon queen, and it was the key to everything.

“We’re about to find out,” Sarina said, stepping forward.

The door loomed before them, ancient and foreboding. As Sarina raised her hand to touch the stone, the symbols began to glow brighter, pulsing in time with the dark energy veins beneath their feet. The whispers in the air reached a fever pitch, swirling around them like a storm.

And then, with a deafening crack, the door began to open.

Sarina and Lira stood frozen as the door slowly creaked open, revealing a vast, dark chamber beyond. The air inside was thick with the stench of decay and power, and at the far end of the chamber, bathed in shadow, stood a figure.

Azrathis.

The demon queen’s eyes gleamed in the darkness, her lips curling into a cruel smile.

“Welcome, my dear,” she purred. “I’ve been expecting you.”

The door slammed shut behind them.

There was no turning back now.