A voice slithers into my mind like fingers curling into my skull.

"Red..." It's a low growl, haunting and endless, reverberating through the darkness. "I've been watching you, child..." Her tone gnaws at my soul, each word digging deeper, leaving raw, open wounds in its wake.

"I know your deepest fears," she continues, her voice a cruel whisper that echoes and wraps around me. "I know how you cling to her... afraid she'll slip away." Suddenly, I see her, Alyse, sitting bound to a wooden chair, an inferno roaring behind her, flames licking hungrily at the edges. She's motionless, helpless, and my heart clenches as I watch the fire creeping closer.

"Join me," the voice promises, honeyed poison in every word, "and I swear she will remain... untouched." A figure materializes from the shadows, cloaked in black with purple accents trailing the edges, as though darkness itself had shaped her. She laughs, a sound sharp and manic, and steps closer to Alyse, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Red, don't listen to her!" Alyse's voice rings out, desperate, her eyes wild with terror. "You can save me, you don't need her! He's got me here, in a cage, and he's going to hand me over to her. You can't let him, Red. Please! Save me!" Her cries tear into me, each word searing as the figure behind her pulls her back, dragging her into the flames.

"Alyse, no!" I scream, my heart shattering as she's swallowed by fire, her face contorted in terror. Tears burn my cheeks as I reach out, powerless to help her.

"Join me, Red..." the voice calls again, the words wrapping around me, tightening, binding.

"I'll kill you!" I roar, the fury rising in me, breaking through the fear as I bolt awake, gasping.

Domnik jerks upright from where he's been sleeping nearby, his eyes wide with alarm. "You'll kill me?" he asks, concern laced in his voice. "Are you okay?"

The room swims back into focus, the cold marble beneath my feet, the bustling noises of the palace at daybreak.

"Yeah," I murmur, wiping the sweat from my face. "Just... a nightmare."

"Another one?" Domnik asks, rubbing a hand over his face. "With Alyse?"

"Yeah," I say, nodding slowly, my voice still shaking. "But this time there was... someone else there. A woman, dressed in black."

Domnik's face hardens, a flicker of anger igniting in his eyes. "My mother," he mutters, practically spitting the words. "She would be. Feeding off your fear, twisting it, making it hurt more." He stands, his jaw tight, resolve burning in his gaze. "But today's the day, Red. She's not haunting you, not hurting you, anymore. You'll save Alyse, and that vermin will be gone from your dreams."

I nod, the nightmare still vivid. My fists clench involuntarily as I try to shake off the lingering dread, the image of Alyse burning, her desperate cries ringing in my ears.

Domnik's expression shifts to a bitter understanding. "She loves this, you know. All of it. She wants to get in your head, wear you down. It's just... what she does," he says, voice low, almost apologetic. "My mother feeds off fear like a vulture on carrion. Especially when it's tied to something... someone you care about."

I swallow hard, unable to shake the image of that shadowy figure, the way she taunted me, promising Alyse's safety like a twisted, impossible bargain. "It was more than just fear," I manage. "It was like she was reaching inside, tearing at every weakness, every doubt. It felt like she knew exactly how to break me."

Domnik nods, anger flaring in his eyes. "That's how she works."

"Domnik..." I say, the name slipping out before I know what I'm trying to say.

He sees the hesitation in my face, and his expression hardens. "No, don't let her take over Red, find your strength. I know you can do this, you're going to kill that bastard Udis. For Alyse, for us."

I exhale, nodding slowly. "Then I'll end this. No more waiting, no more cold feet." I glance back at my bed, the tangled sheets still warm, the faint echoes of my nightmare lingering.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

The door bursts open. "Rise and shine Red, you've got a Daem to kill." Brenelor stands in the doorway, completely oblivious to the conversation we've just had. She's too perky, well for her anyway.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Udis isn't going to off himself. Or maybe he is? He is missing a few screws." She says in monotone.

I nod. "I'm ready. Let's get this over with."

"Ah ha, that's the spirit." She turns and walks out into the hall. "Follow me, young celestial."

Domnik follows me out of the room, and we step into the hall. The walk feels heavy, each step pulling us closer to what feels like the end of a quiet moment before a storm. Brenelor leads us out of the guest wing, through the gardens, where the soft brush of greenery seems to calm my thoughts, steadying my nerves with each step.

We enter the main palace, and Brenelor guides us to a winding spiral staircase that coils upward, leading to the roof. As we climb, I can feel the weight of everything pressing against me—like shadows trying to creep in, memories and worries clawing at the edges of my mind—but I force them down. I can't let them shake me now. I need to stay composed.

At the top, Brenelor opens a hatch and steps out onto the roof. I climb through, blinking as my eyes adjust. We're standing on the flat, circular top of the palace's tallest spire, exposed to the sky. There's no railing—just an open drop, a sheer fall from the edges where at least twenty mages stand in a silent, waiting circle.

At the center of the platform, a pedestal rises, a small metal frame set into its top like it was meant to cradle something precious.

Brenelor turns to me, her gaze intense. "Are you ready?"

I nod, forcing confidence into my voice even as my heart pounds. "I am."

With a swift motion, she pulls the gemstone from around her neck and places it on the pedestal, then steps back, eyes sharp with focus. "Mages, on my signal."

The mages are still, their hands hovering, eyes locked on the gemstone. I feel Domnik's hand on my shoulder, a steadying presence. "You've got this," he murmurs, his voice solid and grounding.

I nod back. "I know."

Brenelor raises her hands, and lightning surges from the gemstone, sparking like live fire at her fingertips. She grits her teeth as the energy intensifies, flaring brighter and stronger. The mages lift their hands, their voices rising in an incantation that seems to pull the very air into its rhythm. The gemstone lifts, floating above the pedestal, as a swirling vortex forms around it, lightning and smoke twisting together.

The vortex grows, expanding with a roar of wind, forming into the edges of a portal, its mouth yawning open, vast and turbulent.

"Red, go—now!" Brenelor shouts over the roar.

I pull the Darkblade's strap tighter across my chest, making sure it's secure. The winds buffet me, tugging at my clothes, but I force myself to step closer to the portal, feeling its pull. Taking a deep breath, I steel myself, and step through the edge, into the storm.

The wind howls around me, clawing at my skin, and I feel the vibration deep in my bones. My heart pounds out of rhythm, my entire body suspended, caught in the relentless pull of the storm, tumbling deeper and deeper into its endless dark.

Before I can even scream, I hit solid ground, except there's nothing visible beneath me. It's a vast, inky blackness, stretching endlessly in every direction, yet I'm standing as if on solid earth. The air here is thick with an odd, enticing aroma. It's sweet, dark, almost like lavender, but twisted, with a bitter, burning edge that pulls me in deeper.

I move forward, drawn by that scent, until a door appears in front of me, tall and ancient. On its surface, a single word is carved: Malice.

I step back, startled, and turn around to find myself encircled by a ring of doors. Each one different—crafted from varied materials, each etched with its own unique word, a strange assortment of names. I approach another door and read, "Shores of Malice," engraved in dark, jagged script.

I keep moving, glancing from one door to the next. "Shores of Sorrow," reads another. "Zenot... Naurus... Aemeri..." I murmur. The names are places, scattered points across realms.

Each door, a portal to somewhere else in the universe, and a strange curiosity stirs within me. I reach out to the door labeled Aemeri, resting my hand on its cold, metallic handle. For a moment, I hesitate, feeling the weight of the choice, but then I pull it open.

As soon as I step forward, the door slams shut behind me, sealing me in. The ground shifts, giving way, and I fall again, the blackness spinning around me. Color begins to swirl, fragments of light and shadows twisting together. Beneath me, a new realm forms, coming into view as I plummet toward it, spiraling down, lost in the kaleidoscope of Aemeri.

My boots hit the ground, and I stay rooted, my gaze locked on the ominous castle in the distance, towering over the landscape like a curse.

"The Kingdom of Aemeri," I murmur, almost in disbelief. I'm here. The birthplace of the gods, where Chronos Magus himself fell.

But it's nothing like I'd imagined. A sky twisted with storm clouds churns endlessly above, casting an unnatural darkness over the land. Before me, an eerie graveyard of bones stretches across the path leading to the castle gates, white remnants tangled in overgrown, rotting vines. This place is far from the paradise of legend; it's sickened, twisted. A corruption is rooted here, like the taint of madness itself—a mark of Udis, no doubt.

I push forward, reaching the golden gates tarnished by rust and decay. They creak and groan, resisting as I press them open and step through. I cross the grounds, climbing the wide stone staircase leading up to the doors of the castle. Massive, double doors loom at the end of the hall, and I place my hand on the cold metal handle, pushing them open slowly.