The halls of the demon realm pulsed like a living wound.
Crimson fog drifted through the Queen's Chamber, the scent of burnt roses and sulfur hung heavy in the air. Shadows knelt before her throne, trembling in silence. Her eyes, black as eclipse stars, watched theaftermath of the exploded demon.
"Dead." She whispered. Her voice wasn't loud... It didn't have to be. " All of them"
Her claws traced the armrest of her throne, molten lines following her touch. " It seems the rumors were true after all.." she leaned back, the faint smile returning to her lips, slow and venomous. " The void breathes again."
A trembling demon dared to speak. " Y-your her, perhaps it is a false.."
His skull hit the floor before he finished, her invisible grip twisting it of like a stem from a fruit.
"False?" She murmured, her tone sweet as poison. " He lives.... My emperor lives."
Her laughter filled the chamber- soft, sensual, insane. " That crimson harlot still clings to him, doesn't she? Nyra .. the crimson King. Always loyal, always in my way. I hate she's alone with my love in the void."
She raised a finger, and the ground cracked. From the molten fissure, a towering shadow emerged... Nearly twice her height, with 4 great horns arched backwards like obsidian blades. His skin shimmered with molten cracks, his eyes pure white flame. He bowed deeply.
" Bram," she said, voice laced with satisfaction. " My dreadhorn."
" My Queen." His voice was thunder wrapped in obedience.
" The emperor stirs within the void, and a king guards him. I want them both broken. Kill her." Her lips curved like the edge of a blade. " And bring him to me alive. I want to see my love again.... and remind him why he fell, you gave my blessings "
Bram's horns ignited crimson as the Queen's blessing carved demonic sigils across his chest. He grinned- a twisted smile full of delight and doom.
"As you command," he rumbled.
And with that, he vanished into the veil between realms- toward the crimson horizon.
....
The void realm shivered long before he arrived.
The once-still air now pulsed with tension, as if the void itself held its breath. Floating islands groaned in protest, cracks spreading like veins across their surfaces. The crimson moon flickered faintly - almost as though it sensed danger.
Nyra immediately sensing the danger, flew all the way to the Line, the boundary of the void. It a huge space that is filled with huge mountains that stretch endlesly. Nyra stood on top one, her long red hair flowing like liquid flame. Her eyes-- glass red, sharp and knowing turned to the distant ripples where she felt it coming.
" Another one..." She whispered. " Persistent little pest."
The first tear in the sky opened - a spiral of smoke and molten ash. Bram stepped through, his massive frame dimming the light around him.
" Ah," he exhaled, his voice echoing like a choir of beast. " So the stories are true. The void still exists, it reeks"
Nyra's expression stayed calm, even playful.
" Careful, you might choke on that scent before you finish your sentence." She said softly. " And what do you mean it reeks, doesn't hell smell worse"
" Hell?, that's a myth" Bram said
" I see your queen didn't tell you where your ancestors ended up when they went against the emperor, she's lucky she was spared"
Bran laughed-- a sound that made the ground tremble. " Enough lies, where is your emperor, blood witch?"
Her smile widened. " Busy. You won't be disturbing him."
And with that, blood rose.
She flicked her wrist, and crimson spears materializes mid-air, spinning violently before launching towards him. Bran swatted one aside, but three others struck his chest, exploding into sigils that burned. He stumbled back slightly, more surprised than hurt.
" Impressive," he admitted, his horns gleaming brighter. " But you're not what you used to be."
Flames ignited beneath his feet as he charged. Nyra met him head-on - her blood twisted into tendrils that lashed at his throat, her blade manifesting from her palm like a shard of scarlet glass. Each strike painted the battlefield in light and shadow.
The void roared. Shattered stones and blood mist filled the air.
Nyra ducked under a fire whip that slit an entire mountain in half. She dashed forward, carving a crimson arc across his chest. Bram retaliated, his claws grazing her shoulder - she winced but didn't falter.
" You bleed easily," he sneered.
" You talk too much," she countered, slamming her palm to the ground. Blood sigils ignited, forming a circular rune that detonated beneath him, engulfing the demon in a storm of bloodlight.
But as the smoke cleared, he laughed - louder, crueler. The Queen's Blessing pulsed, the sigils on his body glowing brighter, his power surging until the void itself recoiled.
" Behold," he thundered. " Her Grace love!"
He strike her hard- once, twice, thrice. Each hit cracked the ground beneath them. Nyra's blood splattered across the stones, staining the ground.
Her legs shook, her breath sharp. Still, she smiled- faint, defiant.
Bram grabbed her by the neck and lifted her, eyes burning. " When I'm done with you," he growled, " I'll kill the busy Emperor myself"
Her pupils narrowed. For a heartbeat, he thought he had died already. Her blood began to glow a different color - gold threaded through crimson. Her expression - rage, pure and unfiltered.
" What makes you think you'd meet..." She spoke in a low voice, her voice trembling with something ancient, ".... Let alone kill him"
She raised her hand, and the gooden- red energy burst forth, spiralling into a torrent that ripped the horizone along with the demons still stretched out frozen arms. Her eyes widened as the blast struck him square in the chest, sending him flying a good distant.
The blast left Nyra trembling - the power had cost her dearly. Her vision blurred, but she forced herself upright.
" Dream..." She murmured, and vanished into mist.
...
Far across the Line, one the floating Isle. Dream stood over the remains of the beast. His breathing was steady, his eyes calm.
[ Level up]
[ Current level: 22]
The system chummed, voice gentle and metallic.
He looked up at the crimson mood, it's glow softer than before. " Almost there," he murmured. " Just a little more."
But then the ground shook.
[ Warning]
The system flared.
[ Spatial distortion detected]