Before Liria could respond, the ground beneath her cracked, and she was plunged into darkness. For a moment, she felt weightless, her body tumbling endlessly in the void. Then, with a jarring thud, she landed on something solid.
"Ow!" she groaned, sitting up and rubbing her elbow. The endless white was gone, replaced by a dimly lit chamber with walls that seemed to shimmer like molten lava.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic," a familiar, rich voice purred.
Liria whipped her head around to see the demon woman standing over her, no longer shackled. Her golden eyes glowed with amusement, her fiery hair crackling softly.
"You again," Liria said, scrambling to her feet. She tried to steady her voice, but the unease in her chest betrayed her.
"Me again," the woman said, spreading her arms theatrically. "You should be grateful. Not everyone gets a personal audience with someone as important as me."
