Derzina looked out across the chasm before her, its dark depths of twisted stone extending far beyond her sight. For all that she had heard of its size, she still found herself unprepared for the sheer scale of the Great Rift. Beholding the vast emptiness between the sharp-edged cliffs of black rock unnerved Derzina; it looked large enough to swallow the whole of Ortesia’s city with room to spare.

This was the result of the gods’ clash with the Demon King? She tried to imagine a battle that could cause such destruction, only to find that it was beyond her. For all the power Meztraxia and the gods had displayed, it was nothing compared to what had been unleashed to form the Great Rift.

“Have you ever seen anything like it?” she asked, addressing the goddess within.

“I visited King’s Canyon back on Oelindrey a few times; it was quite the impressive sight, though it was tiny compared to this. Size aside, I don’t think the Great Rift compares very favourably. There was life in King’s Canyon; a wealth of tiny creatures and hardy plants that sheltered within it. Here there is only those damnable crystals, and whatever foul beings dwell below.”

“And yet,” Derzina said, sighing, “we must descend into this wretched abyss if we are to defeat the creature responsible for destroying my home. Is there truly no other way? A place as ill-omened as this seems fit to bring only ruin upon us.”

“I share your doubts, but we must be resolute. Uncertain as it may be, this is the only path that remains to us if we are to discover the source of his power.”

“And if we cannot?” Derzina asked, staring down into the darkness.

“Then we are lost. But enough talk of what may be, let us see what awaits us within the rift.”

Derzina walked until she stood before the very point where earth gave way to emptiness. Looking down from the precipice, she caught the metallic scent of blood on the wind. By the strength of the odour, it seemed as if the source must be nearby. Yet wherever she looked, she could find no trace of blood.

Deciding that an unpleasant smell was the least of her worries, Derzina climbed down the cliff. Atasimon’s shadows did the bulk of the work, making the otherwise arduous climb easier than the journey here. The god’s veil adhered to sheer rock where Derzina’s mortal hands would have found no purchase and carried her down at speed.

As she hurtled downward into darkness with only nominal control of her descent, Derzina felt the icy grip of fear settle over her. If she had been relying solely on herself during the climb, she would surely have clung to the rock in terrified paralysis or fallen to her doom.

But she was not alone; a goddess, whose sister had protected Derzina for her entire life, shared her fate. Clinging to the tenuous faith that still dwelt within her heart, Derzina grit her teeth and reminded herself of all that was at stake. For all the fear that the sharp rocks below and the horrors that were sure to be among them evoked, they were nothing compared to what they must face if they were to defeat Meztraxia.

Sharing her concerns would likely have done much to ease Derzina’s mind, but she could not bring herself to admit such weakness to the goddess nor did Derzina dare to distract Atasimon whilst they were climbing. They travelled deep beneath the surface, passing through chaotic formations of stone and leaving the suns’ light far behind.

The depths were silent but for the whispering wind, while the stench of blood only grew stronger. It made her gag, though wondering as to the smell’s source helped distract from the darkness enveloping her. Was the carcass of some great beast rotting nearby? It must be truly colossal to have contained such a vast quantity of blood.

Though it made little difference given the darkness, Derzina found it reassuring to keep her eyes closed. In some way that she didn’t fully understand, it helped isolate her from her surroundings. At least it helped right up until the point where they suddenly stopped moving.

“What’s happening?” Derzina blurted out, opening her eyes and looking around frantically. The darkness around her offered no answers, serving only to amplify her fear.

“My strength is waning,” Atasimon said, “and I must rest a while before we continue. By my reckoning we are nearing the bottom and I would prefer that we face whatever dwells in this accursed place with some fraction of my power behind us. Seeing this cave during my climb, I thought it a perfect place for a short respite.”

Carried by Atasimon’s veil, Derzina was carried horizontally through a narrow opening the rock. Though she could still see nothing, she felt comparatively safe in this enclosed area. Feeling foolish at having reacted with such alarm, she took a deep breath. “Oh, of course. I just was caught unawares, what with this blasted gloom. I don’t mean to be impolite, but how can you be certain we’re close to the bottom?”

“I saw a faint light, far below.”

“I had my eyes closed, how could you see anything?”

“While we may share a body, I am not limited to your mortal senses. We would not have gotten very far if I were. You can likely see the light for yourself, if you look for it.”

Derzina peered into the gloom, struggling to discern anything amidst the endless black. Catching a glimpse of the faintest flicker of red, she took it to be but a figment of her imagination. Yet as she continued to stare, she realized that tiny light was simply a great distance away and quite real.

“What is it?” Derzina asked. “I assume it must be magical in nature.”

“As do I, though I can discern little of its nature amidst this tangled mess of magic that befouls this place. I thought our battle against the Demon King would leave the world scarred in its wake, but nothing of this scale.”

“Is there truly that much magic present? Everything I have seen has been normal enough.”

“It is the greatest concentration of magical energy I have ever witnessed, barring the wizards’ great spell that led to the merging. Unlike that carefully calculated mixture of arcane and divine, here it is a combination of many disparate sources harnessed into one tightly bound whole.”

“Harnessed? Then is someone controlling all this magic?”

Derzina shuddered, feeling fresh terror at invading the realm of such a powerful being.

“I can sense nothing directing it and I would be surprised to learn that a being capable of such a feat still remains in this world. Even the greatest of the gods at the height of their power would be hard pressed to control such power. If someone who surpasses even them dwells here, then Meztraxia seems of little importance by comparison.”

“Then I suppose there’s not much sense worrying about something being in control of it,” Derzina said, calming down once more.

“Indeed, we have far more pressing matters to concern ourselves with. Though for the moment, I can see none more pressing than my need for rest. Thus, unless you have something of considerable import to discuss, I would prefer to cut our conversation short.”

“Very well, then I wish you a restful sleep.”

“Thank you, I shall try,” Atasimon said, and she faded away until Derzina could barely sense her at all.

If Derzina had any reason to doubt Atasimon’s strength was flagging, the goddess’ lack of presence confirmed it. Derzina had thought she’d grown used to sharing her mind, but she felt relieved to be alone with her thoughts.

Lying in the darkness, thinking of what might await them below, Derzina’s exhaustion finally caught up with her and her mind nestled gently into sleep. For all the peace that she had felt as she drifted off, it was soon lost as a dream like no other took hold.

The darkness that had surrounded her for so long was replaced by an endless tide of crimson. Swept up in its wake, she drifted along as shapes rose from the ground. They were indistinct at first, slowly shifting into more recognisable forms. Despite the strange turn, Derzina felt no alarm; somehow, she knew nothing here could harm here.

The strange crop continued to sprout, until she was surrounded by humans and demons. Dyed the same deep red as everything else in the dreamworld, they paid her no attention in favour of staring downward. A thunderous cry, full of rage and anguish, shook the ground and the people around her fell to their knees.

Derzina couldn’t tell whether the gesture was done out in fear or supplication, though she was left with the unaccountable impression that the cry’s source was no longer alive. Was this dream born from the vestiges of the Demon King? If so, then presumably the ones around her were those mortals who had died in the same battle.

As sound as she thought her assumption to be, she had a faint sense of the emotions of those around her and their anger could only belong to the living. After the depth of hatred her sole encounter with the demons had left her with, Derzina could only imagine how it must have been for those at the height of the war. All in all, the planned destruction of the demon’s world had likely seemed an undeserved mercy.

Despite her initial detachment, fury swelled within Derzina’s heart and she reached out for the nearest of the demons. Bearing the crimson demon to the ground, she grasped their head with both hands and slammed it down while they struggled. Chaos broke out all around her, as both sides followed Derzina’s example.

Once her foe stopped twitching beneath her, Derzina moved onto the next. Striking out with her bare hands, she attacked any demon she could reach. Yet the violence brought her no relief, it served only to foster her rage until hatred coursed through her entire being. Stained with the blood of her foes, it wasn’t long before Derzina was covered head-to-toe and became one with the crimson tide around her.

She lost all sense of time and self, slaying and being slain in turn in the endless battle that enveloped the world. After what felt like an eternity, the dream faded and the empty darkness of reality returned.

“Can you hear me?” Atasimon asked, not for the first time by her tone.

“I can,” Derzina said, breathing heavily. “What’s happening?”

“I was hoping you could tell me. I was asleep when you started howling like a frenzied animal.”

“I had a strange dream, but I’m fine now.”

As vivid as it had been at the time, the details of the nightmare Derzina lived were already growing hazy.

“What kind of dream?”

“It was red, everything was red. And we were all killing each other.”

“And have you ever had such a dream before?” Atasimon asked, sounding concerned.

“No, never. It felt almost real.”

“Strange indeed. I fear your experience was born from the influence of this corrupted place.”

“Does it matter? It was still only a dream.”

“Only a dream? I certainly hope so, and perhaps you are right. But it may be something more. I fear I was mistaken to discount the magic present here.”

“Then is there something controlling it after all?” Derzina asked. How else could it have sent her a dream.

“I doubt it. Instead the accumulated magic seems to have acquired a will of its own. An altogether more worrying and unpredictable prospect. But there’s nothing for it; no matter what lies ahead, we cannot turn back.”

“What about me? Should I be worried?”

“I can shield you from its influence while I’m awake, though only time will tell what that dream might have done to your mind.”

Derzina sighed, as if she needed more magic living within her. “Then let us make haste, before any further misfortune can befall us.”