The vision through Leo's unconscious mind shifted, pulling him deeper into the memories of Selene. Unlike the Umbra Expanse, where Leo's territory sat, Selene's territory was located in the Elemental Underground—a subterranean region where every territory was carved into massive caverns, each defined by a different elemental force.
Selene Marronate's domain was carved into the Shadow Elemental Caves, a labyrinth of obsidian spires where the darkness possessed a physical weight.
Selene was gifted with a talent that defied classification: [Lost Soul (S)]. Unlike the recruitment scrolls used by other lords, her talent reached into the Abyss—a plane existing within the void, separate from all known universes. The cost was high: she needed a vessel of deep sentimental value, a physical sacrifice of herself, and a permanent link to her own life force.
In the Home Palace of the Marronate, an octogram circle pulsed with a faint, violet light. At its center sat a simple purple cat toy. Savanna watched with a sneer. ''Mother, this is absurd. How can a child's toy act as a vessel for a soul from the Abyss? We should be using a relic of power.''
Marella shook her head softly. ''A soul does not seek power in a vessel, Savanna; it seeks a tether. This toy represents Selene's only connection to this world. It is the most sincere bait we have.''
''And the Ancestor's Magic Thread I used to stitch it will ensure the vessel does not shatter under the pressure,'' Marella added. Savanna fell silent, her jealousy flickering at the thought of a legendary treasure being wasted on a toy.
Selene stood ready. With a terrifying lack of hesitation, she reached up and gouged her own eyes from her head, placing the blood-slicked orbs into the ritual's sacrifice pits. She did not scream. She did not even gasp. Two crimson trails traced paths down her stoic face.
Savanna shuddered. She realized then that Selene was not just gloomy; she was empty. Since childhood, Selene had been an anomaly—a girl who felt no pain, no joy, and no fear. Her indifference was a shield that turned every bully's insult into ash.
As Selene whispered the incantation, the violet flames of the circle turned a bottomless black. ''I call upon thee. Take my blessing. Bond with me.''
The world went silent. Then, a tectonic pressure slammed into the palace, a weight so heavy that the very air seemed to liquefy. In the deepest reaches of the Realm, ancient entities stirred, sensing the breach. Marella threw a protective barrier around Savanna as the space above the toy cat tore open.
A ray of Abyssal light bridged the gap between the void and the vessel. The toy cat twitched, its fabric stretching and knitting as it absorbed the sacrifice. The eyes Selene had given up manifested within the cat's head, glowing with a predatory violet hue.
''Hello there, My Maniac Master,'' a child-like, melodic voice echoed.
Marella's breath hitched. ''A Legendary Abyss Devil.''
To the Beings of the cosmos, the Devils were the harbingers of the end. Their presence in history always signaled the collapse of empires. For a witch to bond with one was unheard of. Selene named the entity 'Z,' and through their bond, she gained the ability to manifest Abyssal flames—a fire that could incinerate even the concept of time.
Years passed, and the sisters' social order flipped. Savanna's Epic-grade beast was no match for the Z. The radiant sister's aura became a heavy mask, hiding a growing, poisonous resentment.
Matriarch Marella, blind to the rot between her daughters, eventually assigned them a joint mission. ''A set of hidden ruins has been uncovered in the Shadow Veins. Lead our kin and bring glory to the House of Marronate.''
The ruins were a jagged graveyard of a forgotten civilization, where the walls were made of shadow-glass that reflected the worst fears of those who looked into them. The air was thick with the scent of ancient dust and stagnant magic.
Z, perched on Selene's shoulder in the form of a small cat, whispered into her mind. 'Master, the golden one's heart is fluttering with a very specific kind of malice. She is going to strike soon. Shall I peel the skin from her face?'
Selene, her eyes hidden behind a silken scarf, did not change her pace. 'Mother said sisters are to be cherished, Z. We do not kill family.'
Z let out a raspy, amused purr. 'As you wish, Master. But the play is about to get very interesting.'
The group descended into the heart of the ruins, where shadow-glass walls cast back twisted, unrecognizable versions of their own faces. Savanna took the lead, her radiant golden aura serving as the only torch in the suffocating, heavy darkness.
Shadow monsters prowled the edges of the light. ''We are nearly at the heart of the sanctuary, sister,'' Savanna said, her tone dripping with a melodic sweetness that failed to mask the predatory glint in her eyes.
'Oh, how devious,' Z whispered, his three tails lashing in a fit of dark anticipation. ''What a treacherous little game. My master, I promise you, if you cross that threshold, we are walking into our graves,'' he purred, sounding entirely too excited by the prospect of death.
Selene's boots went silent against the stone as she stopped. She turned her gaze toward her twin, a look so frigid that Savanna began to sweat despite the chill. ''Let us move,'' Savanna stammered, her hands trembling as she forced open the heavy doors to the inner chamber.
The sight within robbed the air from the room. No ancient beast was guarding a hoard. Instead, a council of elder witches stood over the broken, limbless form of Marella. She lay on the frozen floor, her eyes clouded with a profound, weary sadness as they found Selene. Her voice was a ghostly rasp. ''Selene...''
''MATRIARCH!'' the clan warriors roared, charging forward.
The lead witch, draped in robes of burning crimson, raised her hand. ''NULL GRAVITY!''
An absolute authority took hold, rooting every witch to the floor. They were left conscious but paralyzed, forced to watch the horror unfold. Selene looked at her mother—a woman who had been carved apart, yet whose eyes still burned with the desperate need to protect her child. A single, silent tear traced a path down Selene's cheek. Z chuckled softly in her mind. 'So, you aren't just an empty vessel after all.'
''Mother...'' Savanna gasped, her tears splashing onto the stone. ''No... this wasn't the deal. You promised only Selene would die. What have you done to her?''
The witches were the heads of rival houses, and the woman in red sneered down at the girl. ''Your mother learned of our pact too early. We had to silence her. Besides, it is only the cursed twin we require.''
Savanna scrambled toward Marella, trying to wipe the blood away while weeping hysterically. ''I am sorry, mother! I had no choice! They told me they would destroy our entire clan if I didn't bring her here!''
Marella coughed, her body convulsing as she struggled to form words. ''Save... your sister...''
Z stretched his small, feline limbs and stepped toward the center of the room. ''It seems the curtain is falling, my master. I have quite enjoyed our time together.''
The clan leaders bristled, though their eyes betrayed their fear. ''What can a single, restricted devil do against us?'' they mocked, drawing upon their own authorities.
Z gave a wide, toothy grin that split his face. ''You fossils are so obsessed with your pathetic lives.'' His purple eyes flared with a cosmic light. ''PHOENIX OF RUIN!''
A tidal wave of abyssal fire erupted, turning the floor into a lake of molten slag. As the heat dissipated, a woman of impossible, terrifying beauty stood in the center of the wreckage. Her hair and eyes were composed of living, dark flames. ''I am Zyraethra, Matron of the Endless Pyre,'' she announced, her voice a symphony of crackling embers. ''Now, shall we see who burns first?''
The battle that followed was a masterclass in slaughter. Leo, watching through the vision, was stunned by the sheer dominance. 'She is a force of nature,' he thought.
Zyraethra was immortal. Every time she was struck, even when a witch managed to decapitate her, the abyssal flames simply stitched her back together in a heartbeat. She was the matron of the endless, and one by one, the witches began to fall to her fire. She crushed a corpse under her heel, grinning. ''Four remain.''
Suddenly, the air went cold. Zyraethra's flames flickered and began to vanish. She spun around to find Savanna standing behind Selene, a ritual dagger buried deep in her twin's back. Selene's vacant eyes were fixed on her mother, who was screaming in silent agony. Savanna was sobbing, her face a mask of deluded righteousness. ''I have to save the others!''
Selene did not scream. She did not curse her sister. She used her final breath for a single plea. ''Save mother.''
As the light left Selene's eyes, her soul began to drift toward Zyraethra. It was the price of the contract—the final payment for a devil's service. Zyraethra reached out, a sad smile on her lips. ''You would have been a magnificent nightmare, master, if only you hadn't loved your family so much.''
But as the soul touched the devil's lips, reality itself groaned and stopped. The soul was yanked upward, away from Zyraethra's reach. The devil's rage shook the ruins. ''That is mine!''
But it was too late. Selene's soul, and her very existence, were swallowed by the void as if they had never existed. The vision shattered.
Leo's eyes snapped open in his own hall. He looked at the golden circle on the floor where his new hero was beginning to take shape, his mind reeling from what he had seen. '' WE ARE FUCKED!''