Desperate and terrified, Aiyana was carried through numerous bleak and barren Abyssal worlds. Each time the archdevil stepped through a portal, he sensed the next weak point in reality, and with incredible speed, he moved to its location, where he tore a fresh opening in the fabric of space. And so they traveled until they arrived at an unnamed pnet within the far recesses of the void between realms.

  Their final destination was a terrifying world. Jagged crags littered the ndscape, and writhing tentacles emerged from innumerable fissures. The dark spaces around them shifted and moved with unseen horrors. Despite attracting the attention of countless eyes, the native beasts withdrew deeper into the shadows, sensing the greatest monster in this nd was the one carrying the forsaken padin.

  They journeyed across the gray and depressing terrain, covering vast distances with a speed she imagined could only be surpassed by the archangels. After traveling for what felt like ages, the archdevil stopped before the mouth of a wide cave. Aiyana stared into the murky depths and knew they had arrived. The archdevil entered and the cave’s opening shrank into a smaller and smaller sliver of light as the darkness swallowed them.

  After a moment of lightless hell, Aiyana’s eyes adjusted, and she discerned a red glow illuminating the stone walls ahead. The light grew brighter with every step as they rounded a sharp bend. Murmurs became audible as a raspy voice spoke in a tongue she did not know. Aiyana shuddered, terrified she was about to experience one of the many fates worse than death she had prayed to avoid.

  What will they do to me, and how many times will they make me beg for death before releasing me from their torment? This cannot be my fate. The second there is an opportunity to escape, I must take it, even if it ends in my death.

  Despite her intense focus on regaining her freedom, images of the countless variations of torture crept into her mind. As they drew near, she steeled her resolve, determined not to give whoever awaited the pleasure of hearing her scream. They turned the corner and Aiyana squinted at the brightness of the light shining from the cave’s floor. A rge five-pointed star was painted on the rocky ground, its crimson glow revealing the room and those within.

  On the left, a horrifying figure stood behind a bubbling cauldron. The thing’s mutited face made Aiyana sick; thick scars sealed its eyes, and its lips had been torn from its face, leaving it with a permanent, eerie grin. Empty gss jars that once contained unknown potions and agents littered the floor beside it. It wore tattered gray rags that hung loosely over its emaciated frame, and its shriveled arms grasped a wooden pole as it continuously stirred whatever foul concoction it was brewing.

  A short creature in a bck hooded robe crouched on the opposing side of the chamber. It muttered to itself in the raspy voice Aiyana had heard while carefully organizing a small pile of bones and softly gleaming runic stones with its furry hands.

  When the archdevil entered, the little creature fell silent and halted its work. It turned its head just enough for its luminous green eyes to stand out in the shadows of its hood.

  “Zrex! Druxus!” the archdevil bellowed.

  His words boomed throughout the cavernous room, shaking the cave. The two figures immediately cowered, whether from surprise or well-earned fear, she could not say. They quickly bowed and responded with seemingly fervent affirmations before falling silent with a subtle gesture of their master’s free hand.

  With a flick of his wrist, the archdevil tossed Aiyana, and she nded on the cold stone. She rolled from the momentum, finally stopping in the pentagram’s center.

  She sprang to her feet, and although Aiyana was weaponless, she was a trained killer. She had already selected her target: the small hooded figure who seemed adept at dark rituals with its knowledge of runes and bones. Killing it may do nothing, but there was hope its death could foil any sinister pns taking shape.

  Aiyana dove at the cloaked creature, attempting to grab hold of it before snapping its neck—a crude yet effective way to end its life. But it hissed and rolled away with remarkable speed, leaving her to hit the ground. Aiyana reeled, realizing she had missed her opportunity at a surprise attack. The creature pulled a bck stone from the leather pouch fastened to its waist and threw it against the wall. The stone shattered, spttering bck, inky liquid across the gray rock.

  Within seconds, something crawled from the sptter. It was as bck as the slick substance from which it emerged, with skin that shimmered like oil upon water. It pulled itself forth and climbed through the dark window connecting the two unknown worlds. It was long and gaunt, with a featureless face and smooth genderless body. Thin limbs and protracted fingers extended at an exaggerated length as it gripped the cavern wall, pulling itself free before slumping onto the floor. It stood and charged at Aiyana with reckless abandonment.

  Before it could seize her, she thrust a well-timed kick into its midsection, but instead of solid contact, her solleret went straight through its gut. Undeterred, she drove her foot to the ground, splitting the thing from abdomen to pelvis. It responded by grabbing her throat and lifting her into the air while she repeatedly drove her fist into its head.

  Another faceless figure crawled from the portal, followed by two more at its heels as they struggled to climb over each other. Aiyana seized her enemy’s forearm and pulled herself up, delivering a kick to its face. The thing’s head spattered across the cave’s ceiling, yet it never loosened its grip. She linked her fingers and brought both hands down like a hammer onto its forearm, splitting it in two. The monster’s severed hand fell from her throat, and she nded, ready to fight.

  Within seconds, the other three were upon her. Aiyana attempted to defend herself, but they overwhelmed her. Their hands wrapped around her limbs, and they hoisted her above their heads. She kicked wildly with her free leg before the headless one rejoined them. It grabbed her ankle, robbing Aiyana of her final means of resistance. They carried her to the pentagram and lowered her to its center, pinning her to the ground.

  As the cloaked creature approached, Aiyana saw the face of a demonic rodent with coarse brown fur and two slender fangs jutting along its chin. This curious beast lived a life of stealth and solitude in the Infernal Realm. It excelled at hiding from the roaming horrors as it skulked through unnoticed tunnels and crevices, crafting dark spells in hopes of using them to one day subjugate those who had made it feel weak.

  It stood there momentarily, observing her with bitter jealousy and cold malice. It sneered, for it hated her almost as much as it hated itself. Reaching deep into its leather pouch, it pulled out a shackle made of bckened metal. It pced the restraint over her right wrist and pressed it against the cavern floor.

  The steel shrank, molding to Aiyana’s wrist perfectly before fusing with the rock below. She desperately fought against the powerful grip of her captors while the demonic rodent secured her remaining limbs. It muttered a series of incantations and purple symbols appeared on the restraints, sapping all strength from Aiyana’s body. The transformation was so drastic that she could barely open and close her hands, let alone resist whatever was to come.

  With its task finished, the rodent walked to the wall and lowered its head, allowing the shadows to obscure everything but the glow of its eyes. The featureless monsters returned to the inky portal they had emerged from. They climbed through and reentered their lightless world—the bck liquid absorbed into the rock, removing all traces of their incursion into the Abyss.

  Throughout the ordeal, the archdevil had remained at the cavern’s entrance. He waited silently, arms crossed in the gloom. The only aspect of him Aiyana could see clearly was the smoke emanating from his eyes; it appeared as if the shadows within the cave were too frightened to approach them.

  Swirling violet portals opened around the chamber, and five winged figures dressed in scarlet robes emerged. They were fallen angels, beautiful and terrible in their grace and power. Blood-stained cloth was wrapped around their heads, concealing their eyes. Sanguineous tears flowed down the angels’ cheeks as they stepped forward with cruel purpose. They were unhindered by their blindness, for a dark power had gifted them a new form of sight in recompense for their physical sacrifice.

  They held bck orbs, each the size of Aiyana’s head, with green ethereal figures swirling within. There were faces amongst them, twisted in agony and despair. These were souls stolen from their rightful rest upon their owner’s death, now bound within the dark orbs, withering away as madness shattered their remaining sembnce of self. There was no proof of their origins, but from the pain in Aiyana’s soul, she knew these were spirits torn from her fellow Enochians. Forsaken and forgotten, they were doomed to serve their most bitter enemy.

  By all that is merciful, please do not force me to join them! she thought as they started chanting.

  The fallen angels stood at the points of the star, and their orbs came to life, powered by the suffering within. The archdevil stepped into the pentagram. He loomed over Aiyana before running a bded fingernail down the front of her armor, slicing it open. He effortlessly pulled apart the orichalcum breastpte, peeling it off of her and exposing the cloth tunic beneath.

  She feared what was about to happen would be far worse than an attack on her soul, for true remorseless evil had no limits to the cruelty it could inflict upon another. Aiyana’s defiance erupted in a furious scream. If pure hatred could sy an enemy, hers would have severed even the mightiest devil in two. Unfortunately, her tormentor only responded with a broad, fang-filled grin.

  The chanting intensified as wailing echoed from the orbs. The bck smoke of the archdevil’s eyes streamed forth, becoming a dark cloud that swirled around Aiyana, engulfing her. It reeked of sulfur and tasted like ash as it forced its way into her mouth with every agonizing breath. Her body writhed as she resisted the invading force, believing her resolve to be her only defense.

  Through her skin, ears, and eyes, the bck swirling cloud pushed its way in. Her essence was overwhelmed, and she became saturated with a malicious hatred that desired to inflict pain upon all of existence. After what seemed like an eternity, the cloud finished merging with her, and Aiyana’s bound body y trembling on the cavern floor. Even though the ritual sted but moments, for Aiyana, it was as if time had slowed, beholden to this dark entity’s will, allowing it to savor her pain and fear.

  The archdevil stared down at her. He now had yellow eyes with vertical slits for pupils, the same devilish eyes she had seen countless times. He turned his back to her and strode out of the cavern, his hulking form disappearing around the tunnel’s bend.

  The fallen angels stopped chanting, and portals reappeared, allowing each creature to leave. As the portals closed, the pentagram faded, leaving her in total darkness.

  Abandoned by all of creation, Aiyana finally allowed herself to cry.