Elyra woke before dawn, her body drenched in cold sweat. The remnants of nightmares clung to her mind like cobwebs – flickering images of burning sigils, clawed hands wrapped around her throat, and golden eyes watching her from darkness. She sat up slowly, her muscles stiff and aching from the ritual's aftermath. Every nerve felt raw, like her soul itself had been scraped thin.
The chamber was silent. The candles had long burned out, leaving only faint shafts of pale moonlight spilling through the narrow window above her bed. She pressed her palms to her eyes, trying to banish the lingering images, but the memory of Rhaziel's touch lingered stubbornly – the way his fingers had curled around her wrist, the warmth of his breath against her ear, the promise in his voice.
Freedom… through me.
She shivered, goosebumps rising along her arms despite the humid summer air. What had she done? What price had she paid in desperation?
"Up," his voice commanded, cutting through the silence like a blade. She flinched, her head snapping up to see him standing in the doorway, shadows clinging to his massive form. Even in the dim pre-dawn light, his eyes burned gold, unblinking and ancient.
"I—" She swallowed, voice cracking. "I need… I need a moment."
Rhaziel stepped forward, each movement silent and fluid despite his size. His wings folded close to his body, trailing shadows across the stone floor. He crouched before her, claws curling around her chin to tilt her face up towards him. His touch was firm but not cruel.
"You have no moments to waste," he said softly, his voice rumbling like distant thunder. "Your enemies wake with the dawn. If you wish to live, you will rise now."
Tears pricked her eyes, but she blinked them away, meeting his gaze with trembling defiance. "Why do you care if I live or die?"
His lips curved into a faint, almost sorrowful smile. "Because your soul is bound to mine, little witch. If you die before our bond stabilizes, my power remains fractured. I will not be weakened by your weakness."
Anger flickered through her chest, igniting a spark of courage. She slapped his hand away and forced herself to her feet, though her legs trembled beneath her. The stone floor was cold against her bare feet as she faced him, chin lifted.
"Then teach me," she whispered, her voice shaking with fear and determination. "If my life affects your power, then teach me to survive."
Rhaziel's smile widened, cruel and beautiful. "As you wish."
He rose to his full towering height, shadows coiling around his legs like smoke. With a flick of his wrist, the room darkened further, the air thickening with power. The walls seemed to ripple, melting into endless black. Elyra gasped as her vision blurred, dizziness gripping her.
When the world cleared, she found herself standing on cracked black stone beneath a vast blood-red sky. Endless plains stretched around them, broken by jagged spires of obsidian that stabbed at the heavens. In the distance, rivers of molten lava snaked across the ground, their glow illuminating the darkness with hellish light.
"Where… where are we?" she whispered, clutching her arms to her chest as a cold wind whipped through her hair.
Rhaziel stepped beside her, his wings unfurling wide, casting massive shadows across the scorched ground. "The Veil between your realm and mine," he said. "Here, your magic will awaken. Here, you will learn what it means to be bound to ruin."
She swallowed hard, her throat dry. The air tasted of ash and iron, burning her lungs with every breath. Power thrummed beneath her feet, vibrating up her legs and into her bones, singing in her blood.
"What do I do?" she asked, her voice small in the vast emptiness.
Rhaziel turned towards her, his eyes glowing brighter, his expression suddenly devoid of all warmth. The change was immediate and terrifying. The gentle cruelty she'd seen before hardened into pure, ancient malice.
"Survive."
Before she could react, his hand shot out, fingers splayed. A blast of black flame erupted from his palm, slamming into her chest with the force of a charging bull. She screamed as the fire burned through her robes, searing her flesh with icy heat. The pain was beyond anything she had ever imagined – not just her body, but her very soul felt like it was being ripped apart and reforged in the same instant.
She collapsed to her knees, clutching her chest, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her vision blurred with agony, darkness creeping at the edges.
"Get up," Rhaziel's voice boomed, echoing across the scorched plains. "Again."
She sobbed, shaking her head. "I… I can't…"
"Again," he snarled, and another blast of black fire struck her, sending her sprawling onto her back. Her body convulsed with pain, her lungs burning with the scent of her own scorched flesh. The sky above her spun wildly, red and black blending into endless void.
"Your enemies will show no mercy," his voice thundered. "They will not care for your weakness. They will break you, consume you, and leave nothing but ash. Is that what you want?"
She gasped for air, her chest heaving with ragged breaths. Her fingers curled into the cracked stone beneath her, scraping her skin raw. Anger flared beneath her fear, sharp and hot.
"No," she whispered, her voice trembling with rage.
"What was that?" he asked, his tone mocking.
She forced herself to her knees, glaring up at him through tear-blurred eyes. "No," she growled louder. "I… will not… die here."
A slow, dark smile curved his lips, his golden eyes blazing with savage pride. "Good."
He extended his hand towards her, black fire flickering along his clawed fingers. "Then rise, witch, and claim your power."
As his magic poured into her once more, Elyra screamed – but this time, it was not only in pain. Beneath the agony, beneath the terror, something deep within her soul awakened. Something dark. Something powerful.
And Rhaziel watched, his chest tightening with a feeling he had not known in millennia.
Hope.