Eos quickly stepped out of the golden, door-like wall of light glimmering between ivory coloured pillars as she scanned the dark, frozen landscape before her. The moment her body was through, the wall of light vanished, leaving behind the ivory frame standing alone in what appeared to be a field of snow.

After taking in her surroundings, Eos' head rose upwards as she stared into the stary sky above. Enormous chunks, big enough to be significant chunks of planets, of rock-like debris floated lazily past.

"Godsfall... What a waste." After muttering under her breath and shivering slightly, Eos' skin and white robes started to glow in a faint yellow hue as she stepped forward. However, even though it looked like she had only taken a small step, her figure seemed to flicker and appear dozens of meters further ahead.

It wasn't long before Eos had traversed most of the frozen world, rapidly ascending a barren mountain that had a flat top as if it had been cut horizontally. The flat area at the top was around a mile in circumference and void of the snow that seemed to cover the entire planet.

After reaching the summit, she quickly headed to the centre and stopped before an arena-sized runic formation carved into the grey stone. The golden lines faintly glowed, giving extra light to the world that seemed to be bathed in perpetual starlight.

Slowly walking around its edges, Eos carefully analysed the lines. She only stopped, revealing a deep frown, when she came across an area where the lines were black and charred. However, just as she was about to bend down and touch them, she stiffened as a small dagger appeared in her left hand. After a few moments, she sighed and the dagger vanished before she straightened up and turned to her left.

Before her, highlighted against the backdrop of space, was a series of spiderweb-like cracks floating mid-air.

"You're late." The feminine, if slightly reptilian voice sounded like it came from every direction at once. However, instead of seeming spooked, Eos slowly turned around and glared at the figure shrouded in what appeared to be flaming shadows.

"Sillithias." Eos took a deep breath, slightly clenching her left hand as the air started shimmering around it. "Where is John? What happened to Nyx?"

Sillithias' shrouded silhouette, standing in the direction that Eos had come as if to block her escape, snarled as her glowing blue eyes became narrow slits. At the same time, the outline of what appeared to be her clawed hands curled menacingly. "Good question~. Where is my mother, Eos~?"

The world that would have been pitch black if it wasn't for the starlight from above seemed to unnaturally dim as the glow in Sillithias' eyes intensified.

"Enough." Eos voice held no traces of fear as the glow around her body intensified and the air seemed to crackle with energy. "I do not know. She's meant to be here. With my great-grandson, her descendant."

"Then. Where. Is. She?" Sillithias started to walk forward. With every step she took, the silhouette of her body began to elongate and twist into a horrifying visage.

"Do not push me, Void Lord." After taking a step forward, blinding light exploded from Eos' body and illuminated the mountain top. "I may have prepared this world for Nyx to regain her strength, but I am not powerless here. Also, this is not the Voidlands. You best remember that."

Sillithias' figure slowed to a stop as a hissing noise gradually became more audible. After a few moments, what looked like white smoke slowly rose from the shadow-like flames covering her body.

After staring at each other for what seemed an age, the glow from Eos dimmed as the surrounding world, and Sillithias' eyes seemed to return to their original brightness.

"If I find you have betrayed her. Betrayed me..." As Sillithias projected her thoughts, she released a low growl that Eos could feel vibrating deep in her chest.

"I won't. Unlike what the other's think, I'm not that stupid." Eos folded her arms. "The only one who will benefit if we fight is Lucifer. And I know we both don't want that."

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Sillthias' eyes narrowed before a grin of white teeth. "Good. Now, what happened? I thought you said your plan was perfect?"

"The formation was destroyed from the inside while bringing them here. I'm guessing Nyx wasn't in the mood to listen." Eos sighed as she pointed to the formation beside her, wondering potential event she missed this time.

"If nothing else went wrong, then John and Nyx should have been transported to the nearest hospitable planet that held intelligent life."

"You know this yet asked me where they are?" Sillthias took another step forward, her tail swishing behind her. "Are you playing games with me?"

"Please. I trust you even less than Lucifer. I'm almost inclined to believe that this is just an elaborate ruse. Something you Void Lords cooked up so you could claim the middle realm for yourselves without causing a full-blown war with the Eight."

Sillithias chuckled, the shadows covering her body retracting until her original form was revealed. "Do not change the subject, Eos. Where is my mother?"

"Change the subject? Like you just did?" Eos revealed a frown for a few moments before shaking her head. "How would I know? I programmed thousands of courses, all constantly interchanging within the foundations of the formation. Not even I know which route it took across the five realms and multiple dimensions."

Seeing Sillithias staring at her, Eos smiled wryly. "What you don't know, can't be used against you, especially with Lucifer. He's always watching, waiting, plotting. If I knew the exact route and he found out while Nyx was still inside his territory, then where would we be?"

"Are you sure he didn't?" Sillithias tilted her head as she intently watched Eos' expression, making her feel slightly anxious.

"No. I'm sure of it. He loves, fears and covets your... mother. He always has. If he knew Nyx was free and missing, the entire heavenly court would have been mobilised already."

"I'm starting to regret not seeking him out. At least I would know where Mother is."

Eos chuckled spitefully. "Actually, I'm surprised you didn't try and approach him first."

"Who said I didn't?"

Eos' body froze for a moment, only relaxing after hearing Sillithias' hiss like laughter. After a brief awkward silence, she sighed. "Don't you have that empathy thing. Can't you tell where Nyx is?"

Sillithias blinked a couple of times, the silence of the dead world becoming almost deafening. "Mother is alive, and she calls to the abyss, but something stops her from connecting with us. A barrier."

As her sentence came to an end, Sillithias' eyes were once again narrow slits as she glared at Eos with hatred.

Seeing this, Eos shook her head before sighing. Her golden hair seemed to shimmer against the darkness of the world behind her. "I used some seals and formations to bind Nyx long enough to listen and strong sufficient so John wouldn't be in any mortal danger. I planned to remove them when we met here, as a sign of goodwill.

Sillithias' growl echoed across the mountain top once again. "And you say you aren't stupid. How are they removed?"

"Either I do it, or they run out of energy. Depending on how much Nyx struggles against them, fifty, maybe sixty years if she doesn't get help?"

"WHAT?" Sillithias' enraged projected roar caused the mountain to quake.

Eos flinched, moving back slightly as the glow from her body increased. "Calm down. That amount of time is nothing to immortals like us. And with how many dimensions and planets there are, she will be safe. I made sure to leave enough that she wouldn't be in danger. Even if she was, I added some conditions that would temporarily lift the seals."

"Conditions?"

"Yes. Like if she feels her life is in genuine danger, or she is trying to save another life without intending to cause harm to anyone else. The restrictions will also protect her against energy-based attacks above the level she is restricted to. I did so in case there were any issues in the Voidlands and John and Nyx had to work together. As I said, she's safe."

"Safe! You call that safe?" Sillithias mentally spat the words as if they were poison before marching towards Eos. Yet, just as Eos thought they were going to fight, Sillithias turned slightly and walked past towards the black cracks.

"Where are you going?" Eos frowned as she cautiously surveyed her surroundings.

Sillithias replied with a chilling hiss before her body seemed to warp and distort as it was sucked into the black cracks. The second her figure had vanished, the cracks slowly faded into nothingness.

Eos stood there for a few moments, using her senses to ensure that the Void Lord was gone, before turning around and moving in the direction of the ivory frame she had appeared. When she was a couple of miles from the mountain, she pressed a small golden crystal on her wrist. "Nathen... "

Eos's flickering steps paused as she frowned. "Secretly take my great, great-granddaughter to one of the safe worlds then report her as kidnapped to all my followers. Describe her vaguely and raise her age to around twenty. Emphasise the blue eyes and black hair. I want her found."

Without waiting for a response, Eos let got of the crystal and carried on walking. "I can only hope John was able to make Nyx read the letter, or she listened long enough to realise we aren't enemies. If not, he's probably dead, and I've pissed her off once again."

As she continued towards the teleportation gate, Eos wracked her mind. She thought of countless possibilities on why her plan had failed, each more complex and convoluted than the last.