Nathan Everett's eyes fluttered open to a sky twisted and warped, where clouds swirled in unnatural patterns. The air felt thick, almost suffocating, as if the very atmosphere was alive, pressing down on his chest. His body ached, and he realized he was lying on cold, wet earth. The last thing he remembered was the monstrous creature—a beast with limbs that defied nature—before everything had gone dark.
His vision blurred as he tried to sit up, his head pounding. Around him, shadows twisted unnaturally, moving in the periphery of his sight, whispering like lost souls. They weren't real—or at least, they shouldn't have been. He could feel something changing within him. The darkness no longer just haunted him; it was part of him now.
Nathan's heart raced as he scanned the strange world around him. The landscape had shifted dramatically, no longer just the grim and nightmarish terrain of the demon realm. Giant obsidian spires jutted from the earth, shimmering with otherworldly light, and there were structures—ruins of what once seemed like castles, temples, and monuments. Something felt different. This place, it was ancient, not just a demon's lair but something far older, far more mystical.
Footsteps crunched behind him, and Nathan turned to see King and Enoch, their expressions matching his own confusion.
"You feel that?" King asked, his voice hushed, as if afraid to disturb whatever unnatural forces held sway over this world.
Nathan nodded, his hands shaking slightly. "It's… different. Like something is waking up."
"We're not in the same place anymore," Enoch added, scanning the horizon. "It feels... ancient."
Just as the words left his mouth, the shadows began to move again, swirling around them, gathering in a dense fog. From the mist emerged a figure Nathan hadn't seen in what felt like a lifetime.
Angel.
But this was not the Angel they had once known. Her body appeared ethereal, her skin pale, almost translucent, and her eyes glowed with an eerie light. Nathan's stomach twisted as he took a step toward her. She was alive—but not the same.
"You... you came back," Nathan whispered, his voice trembling.
Angel smiled faintly, but it was a sad, distant expression. "I never left. I was always here, waiting."
King stepped forward, his hand hovering by his side, as though unsure whether to reach out or draw back. "Angel... what happened to you?"
Her gaze drifted past them, focused on something far beyond. "This place changed me. It's changing all of us."
Nathan looked at her closely and realized her presence seemed to be tethered to the shadows around them, almost as if she had become part of this world. "You're... you're part of this place now, aren't you?"
Angel didn't answer directly. "There's a reason we're here, Nathan. The demon realm—it was only the beginning. There are powers beyond what any of us can understand, and they're waking up."
As she spoke, the sky overhead rumbled, and the ground beneath their feet trembled. In the distance, massive, hulking creatures stirred from their slumber, their bodies covered in the same obsidian-like material as the ruins around them. Their eyes glowed like molten fire, casting an ominous light across the desolate landscape.
Nathan felt a pulse of energy surge through him. It was something more than fear—it was a connection. He could feel the magic in this place, raw and untamed, seeping into him. And it wasn't just him. King and Enoch exchanged uneasy glances, the same realization dawning on them.
"We're not supposed to be here," King muttered, his eyes wide. "This place—it's alive."
Angel stepped forward, her expression grim. "The ancient ones are stirring. The demons were only their servants. There's something older, more powerful... and it's waking up."
Nathan swallowed hard, his pulse quickening. "What do we do?"
A gust of wind whipped through the ruins, carrying a voice on the air. It was deep, almost a growl, and it seemed to speak directly to them, echoing in their minds.
"You are not prepared."
The words sent a chill down Nathan's spine. He exchanged a glance with Angel, who looked unphased by the voice, almost as if she had heard it before.
"They've been waiting for us," Angel said softly. "All of this—the fire, the demons—it's all been leading here. To this moment."
Nathan clenched his fists. "Why us? Why are we connected to this?"
"There's something inside each of you," Angel replied, her voice almost a whisper. "Something that binds you to this world. You were chosen."
The shadows around them began to solidify, taking on monstrous forms—beasts with twisted limbs, glowing eyes, and jagged teeth. Nathan's heart raced as he felt a surge of magic inside him, unfamiliar yet powerful. The air was thick with energy, as if the very world was watching, waiting for them to act.
King drew his sword, the blade glowing faintly as if responding to the magic in the air. "We fight."
Nathan nodded, feeling the same surge of power coursing through his veins. "We have no choice."
But as the creatures closed in, Angel's voice cut through the tension. "No. Fighting them won't save us. We need to understand the power that binds us to this place. It's the only way to survive."
Nathan hesitated, but the connection he felt with this world couldn't be ignored. There was something ancient stirring beneath the surface—something that had been waiting for them all along. And if they didn't unlock its secrets, they would never make it out alive.
As the shadows closed in and the monstrous forms emerged from the mist, Nathan knew one thing for certain: this was only the beginning.