I stood there, waiting for the rumbling echo to subside, my gaze filled with concern as I surveyed the almost complete darkness that enveloped me. Only the faint infrared offered subtle hints of my surroundings.

I was aware that Flo possessed the ability to perceive a broader spectrum, from infrared to ultraviolet, but experiencing it myself was an entirely different matter; therefore, I spent the next couple of minutes just looking around. It also helped me better understand what I've seen before; for example, Clara's pajamas weren't as transparent as I'd initially thought; it was my infrared vision that revealed her skin, the same way as I had better discerned the humans in the town during my flight.

Well, I suppose I'll get used to it.

Still, I feared that my current visual information was insufficient, so I conjured a couple of additional sources of light. These were modest fire magic spells that I haphazardly placed on the cavern walls, ensuring a gentle illumination that would subsist for some time.

With newfound visibility, I cast my eyes around. The cavern appeared to be identical to my previous visits, albeit now dustier due to my abrupt arrival.

There were no immediate signs of the world decaying, which was reassuring.

I had fully transformed into my horned form and extended my domain in all directions to the best of my ability. This domain was an inheritance from Flo, though hers had been confined to a small radius around her. In contrast, mine extended much farther.

Due to the fact that she had rarely utilized it, fearing that an active domain might reveal her presence, I possessed only limited knowledge of its use. Even so, I could perceive several interconnected passages within the cavern network.

At first glance, I didn't spot any signs of living beings, except for the usual cavern dwellers like bats and centipedes.

The protective spell that had sealed the entryway to this part of the cavern still held, but it seemed noticeably weaker.

It could be that the crystals maintaining it might not have been recharged for quite some time, or I was simply that more powerful a caster. I felt confident that I could break it.

I attempted to use my magic to summon the ring to me, but it resisted. It was blocked somehow. Was it the work of a powerful caster? I couldn't help but wonder who could resist my newly gained magical prowess.

Determined, I poured more power into the spell, and the entire cavern began to tremble as during an earthquake. It was at this moment that I finally connected what I was experiencing with what my enhanced vision had revealed earlier. This area seemed to be rich in magicore, which made it difficult, if not impossible, to retrieve the ring using magic alone. The mineral deposits emitted a faint warmth, and I could discern veins of it spread throughout. No wonder the spell hadn't worked as expected!

I remembered that White Flower had tried the spell also from outside the cavern. Does this mean that it was still here inside somewhere?

To investigate, I quickly repeated the spell from various locations, and the results were disheartening. The ring was still here, buried deeper within the mountain, perhaps some four or five hundred meters away.

Now, I noticed some goblins meandering through one section of the cavern, thanks to my domain. I let out an irritated grunt. They weren't a real threat, but they could be bothersome while I worked.

It seemed like it might take weeks, if not longer, to dig that far. So, the question was: dig or melt? Probably the same speed... If I went with melting, I'd have to employ some stone-melting spells, but I needed to figure out how and where to channel all that resulting magma. Digging, on the other hand, was going to be exhausting. I'm no mole, after all.

I couldn't help but wonder why the ring might be in a different location. Could it be that the orcs had moved them deeper? But how? Did the orcs find the ring and use it? If so, they wouldn't have left it here! No, they might have employed some other technique.

I decided to try another one of Flo's spells. She could glimpse into the recent past, typically no more than twenty-four hours, but I hoped that with my increased casting power, I could extend that timeframe. Unfortunately, my efforts were in vain. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't even see back to when Flo had been here.

Damn, what a time-waster! That spell is painfully slow; I've burned nearly an hour on just one attempt.

Considering Sid's telepathic abilities, I gave it a shot, even though Flo had tried before with no response. Once again, silence. The abundant magicore around here was likely the culprit.

Now, I had two options: painstakingly dig toward the ring's supposed location or take the brute-force approach. With my newfound power, the latter was a viable choice. But first, I needed to pinpoint their location. Perhaps I could find a path with less magicore interference or a shorter route that required less digging. To achieve this, I decided to explore as far as my domain allowed despite the constant interference from the magicore.

I began to navigate the caverns, striving to get as close as possible to the ring. At times, I had to widen the narrow passages with my claws to squeeze through. Eventually, I discovered a spot that brought me within about two hundred meters or more of the ring, still outside the boundaries of my domain.

Curses, this revelation didn't change much compared to what I'd seen before – maybe shaved off a week at best. The real challenge was figuring out how to cast my spell to minimize the impact of the magicore.

If I could only cast it through some warped space dimensions to target only the ring and avoid the magicore!?

Hey, what if I attempted to cast it from another realm? Would that enable me to target only the ring while bypassing the magicore-laden area? It was worth a shot!

As the lightfire spell had run its cooldown, I summoned the one leading to my room. It came with a resounding boom and a blinding flash, causing a chaotic upheaval around me.

I gazed around in dismay. Damn it, I'd probably wrecked my computer again! My poor zombie PC lay pathetically in a corner near the shattered display. Clothes were strewn all over the place, and my wardrobe mirror was shattered. Note to self: never place a lightfire in the room again.

I scoffed at the mess but decided to clean it up later. After opening the window, I cast a camouflage spell on myself and leaped into the air. It was as if I had jumped out of this dimension.

With my wings flapping as fast as they could, I sped away from the town in search of an uninhabited area to test my retrieval spell. Brute-forcing it could lead to some unpleasant consequences, and I didn't want to needlessly flatten any neighborhoods. I'm not that kind of girl.

I could maintain a speed of a couple of hundred kilometers per hour, somewhat akin to a helicopter, but it still felt painfully slow. Below me, I repeatedly passed houses, growing fewer as I ventured on, until after about half an hour, I found myself above a lush green forest.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

This seemed like an ideal spot. I landed in a serene glade and assessed my surroundings with a quick domain scan. No signs of human presence, just a few deer milling about, perhaps a fox, but definitely no humans.

"Sorry, nature," I muttered to myself, "but this is where I'll give the spell a shot. Hopefully, nothing goes terribly wrong."

I initiated the retrieval spell, immediately feeling the resistance. Instead of letting it fail, I stubbornly poured more and more power into it. The tension in the air grew palpable, but the resistance continued to intensify.

"Well, I had a feeling about this," I grumbled. It meant the spell was still interacting with some lingering magicore around the ring.

With a deep breath, I mustered everything I had and channeled it into the spell. The air began to vibrate under the tremendous pressure. It felt like peering into an overheated oven. The nearby wildlife, sensing something amiss, scattered in all directions.

The atmosphere grew darker around me as if reality itself were about to rupture. Then, with a colossal boom, an enormous chunk of stone crashed down on top of me, sending me sprawling onto my back. The shock nearly knocked me out.

Summoning all my strength, I managed to shove the several-hundred-kilogram piece of scorching stone to the side. Shaky and disoriented, I struggled to my feet and surveyed the aftermath.

An area spanning about a hundred meters around me lay flattened, trees reduced to shattered remnants, branches strewn in all directions, all pointing to the epicenter of the destruction.

Nearby, a scorched chunk of stone bore a deep fissure, and through it, I caught a glimmer. That had to be the ring!

I reached for the stone but yanked my hand back immediately. It was searing hot, nearly molten. Frustration bubbling up, I delivered a powerful punch to the stone, causing it to split along the fissure and freeing the ring.

With the ring safely in my possession, I took to the skies and flew away from the chaotic scene.

My wings had taken a beating in the explosion, and my skin bore singe marks, but thanks to mana, I could still fly, albeit a bit slower than before. After a while, I touched down in a smaller glade and inspected the ring. It appeared to be unscathed.

Turning my attention to myself, I used my magic to transform into Cala's likeness, albeit a scorched and nearly naked version, with only shreds of the training pants I had been wearing now covering me. Oddly, the damage to my skin persisted even in this altered form.

Healing myself was out of the question; my magic had grown too dark for such spells. It probably wouldn't generate living tissue, and the consequences could be dire. Nevertheless, I could feel my natural regeneration working overtime.

Should I wait, procure some proper clothing, and then unlock the ring? But in the end, curiosity won out, and I pressed the ring's crystal, activating the spell to open its portal.

To my relief, it worked. I scrutinized the shimmering surface for a few seconds.

"Hello, is anyone in there?" I inquired.

A blur emerged from the ring, but within my domain, I could clearly see the Lynx leaping out and taking up a position about ten meters away, hidden behind some bushes. A broad smile crossed my face. Alice followed, stepping out, and I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

I gazed at her, taking in her flawless features—her flowing red hair framing her shoulders, hazel eyes locked onto mine, bow in her grasp. "You're alive! You're okay! What about Sid, Spartacius, and Tina?"

"Hello? Who are you?" Alice replied, and I could sense her probing my magical strengths, her eyes narrowing, and her grip on her bow tightening.

"I'm Cala, can't you see?" I responded.

She arched an eyebrow.

I sighed.

“Well, if you want, I can tell you what happened to me. Lynx, come here too, don't hide there in the bushes!"

They were acting, moving, and talking exactly as I remembered them. What does this mean? NPCs from the game become suddenly living beings in the real world?

I sat myself in the grass. Alice approached me and sat herself to look at me, and the Lynx came and sat near her.

I smiled, looking at them.

"Just tell me before, are Sid, Tina, and Spartacius OK?"

Alice hesitated first, then she answered.

"Sid and Tina are OK. We don't know about Spartacius. We had sent him to look for you."

I took a deep breath.

"Good. I'll check for Spartacius later, now let me explain!"

I shared my story with them and patiently waited for them to reciprocate, but to my surprise, the Lynx made an unexpected request.

"Please, Cala, can you give us some time to process all of this? Is it okay if we explore a bit? Maybe we can talk more tomorrow?" he asked.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, wrestling with what to do next. Eventually, I nodded.

"Alright, but please be aware that this realm is different from the one you lived in before. It's not Prom'Ethea; it's Ter'Ra. The people here have no magic—well, not the kind you're used to. They rely on something they call technology. There are highly dangerous weapons and surveillance everywhere. So, don't draw any unnecessary attention to yourselves."

I gestured toward a direction.

"Over there, there had been a big explosion. That was the result of the spell I used to retrieve the ring; it backfired because of the cursed magicore. Look at me; this is what happened. I'd advise against going in that direction, as there will likely be a lot of activity. Be extremely cautious. I don't want you ending up captured and put on display in some kind of private zoo. It might be best to head further away. Would you like me to transport you to a safer location?"

"No, no!" They both protested simultaneously.

It seemed they weren't eager to return inside the ring, but they also didn't seem too keen on engaging in further conversation with me. Did they not trust me?

"Alright," I conceded with a nod. "Then it's settled. I'll search for you tomorrow afternoon. Alice, please keep the ring with you; I'll be able to locate you through it."

I couldn't help but feel a mixture of disappointment and frustration. This wasn't how I had envisioned our reunion. With a heavy heart, I took to the sky and left them behind, unsure if I was making the right decision.

####

Once the monstrous entity had vanished, Alice arched an eyebrow and turned to the Lynx, her curiosity piqued.

"Why does my magic whisper the word 'dragon lord' to me? What should we make of this?"

The Lynx furrowed his brow in thought and corrected her,

"Not 'dragon lord,' but 'demon lord.'" - he chuckled - "A scorched demon lord, no less. I'm baffled by how that could have happened."

Alice swiveled her gaze toward the direction in which 'Cala' had seemingly dissolved into thin air. In that fleeting moment, she thought she'd glimpsed her true form—a winged, horned being of some kind.

"She's immensely powerful," the Lynx remarked. "Even with Sid, we'd stand no chance against her. The question is, what does she want from us?"

"You don't believe her story?" Alice inquired, shaking her head and emitting a deep sigh.

"After the battle with those wretched wolshi creatures, I established a soul link with Cala to bolster her spirit," he explained. "But that link is severed now. Cala is gone, and I can't sense White Flower either. There was always a connection between us, but it's as though she's vanished completely. Do you understand what I'm getting at?"

Alice turned to him, surprised.

"I had no idea you dabbled in soul magic."

The Lynx shook his head once more.

"I'm not really well-versed in it. I stumbled upon a few spells once; it's a long story. Regardless, let's move away from here. It's time to put some distance between us and... whatever that was."