The familiar darkness was swallowing Rae again, a suffocating abyss where nothing could be seen. She could sense Eleanor behind her, but the foreign princess was nowhere to be felt. Sight was useless in this enveloping blackness.
Rae tried to grasp onto anything, seeking a sense of direction, but it felt as though she was floating in pure nothingness.
Then, a red beam of light pierced through the darkness, revealing a bleak and lifeless forest. The trees were barren, stripped of all leaves, and the entire forest seemed to exude an eerie, oppressive aura. The stench of death hung in the air, and Rae felt the chilling gaze of something unseen, as if the very forest was alive and hostile.
She focused on the immediate need to speed up Eleanor's healing before she began searching for the princess.
She gently set Eleanor down, taking a moment to catch her breath. The adrenaline that had fueled her earlier was now fading, and Rae couldn't help but feel a wave of relief that they had survived the terrifying monster.
"My lady? Is that you, my queen?" Eleanor's voice trembled, as if unsure of what had just happened.
"Eleanor... Looks like your vampiric healing has kicked in, so there's no need for me to intervene."
"This is new for me, my queen... I thought you didn't like hugs."
Rae's heart clenched as she responded, "I'm sorry... I almost lost you to that beast's attack. I'm sorry I wasn't a more caring queen."
"You don't have to apologize. I'm supposed to be your shield, after all. Sometimes, it's hard to protect you, though. You're so powerful and gifted that I thought I'd never be able to be of any use to you. But now... now I've finally been able to help."
"What do you mean?" Rae asked, confusion flickering in her voice.
"I mean that... I can use fire magic now."
"How?" Rae asked, her curiosity piqued.
"I'm not entirely sure, but I think I can control it. I don't know how I got this ability thou."
Rae's eyes widened. "That's an interesting development. If this is true, I'll need to teach you all the magic circle spells we worked on with Merle."
"I can't wait. I'm finally able to be useful to you," Eleanor replied, her voice filled with excitement.
Rae smiled softly before asking, "Tell me again, how did you find out you could use fire magic?"
Eleanor took a deep breath before recounting her story. "When the drake positioned itself to breathe fire, I knew there was no way I'd survive. I saw that the princess was also in its line of fire, and I knew she would die along with me. I... I wished to protect her for you, as my last act as your servant. I knew that if the princess died, it would cause you a great deal of trouble. When the flames were released, I instinctively shielded the princess, and out of nowhere, red magic circles—just like the ones you use—appeared, redirecting the flames away from us."
"That's fascinating," Rae murmured. "But speaking of which, where are we? And where is the princess?"
"I'm not sure where we are, but I think we're in a pocket dimension, like the one Trina used," Rae explained.
"A pocket dimension?" Eleanor echoed, confused. "What does that mean, my lady? And how is it connected to Master Trina?"
"A pocket dimension is a finite space outside of the current dimension we reside in."
"I still don't understand," Eleanor admitted.
"Don't trouble yourself too much," Rae said with a reassuring smile. "Just know that Trina could travel freely between here and our dimension. As for the princess... I'm still not sure where she is. We got separated when we passed through the gate."
Eleanor nodded, her resolve clear. "I don't understand everything, but I know one thing: we need to find her."
Just then, a creature Rae had never seen before materialized before them. Its lower body was made entirely of smoke, while its upper body was composed of a skeletal frame. Was this the undead she had heard so much about?
The creature moved toward them slowly, and Rae's interest piqued. Would it attack? Could they even interact with its incorporeal form?
When it came close, the creature seemed to gesture as if attempting to communicate. Rae watched, intrigued. It appeared to be offering them a way out of the bleak forest.
How unexpectedly kind.
The creature guided them through the forest, and Rae took in the sight of the strange creatures lurking within. Most had an eerie presence, as if they were born from pure negative energy.
After a while, they emerged from the forest, and the creature quickly disappeared, replaced by a small figure with horns and wings.
"Welcome to the shadow realm," the creature said with a grin. "I'm an imp, and I'll be your guide for today."