AI Rory plunged her hand into the swirling void. Cold. Not the bite of winter, but the absolute zero of interstellar space, a chill that threatened to stop her heart.
A violet glow, faint and pulsing like a bruised star, emanated from Nyx's form beside her. The Shadow was already partially merged with the shimmering tear in the air, their shadowy tendrils testing the unknown. The air crackled with raw magic, tasting of ozone and forgotten libraries.
"Ready?" Nyx's voice, a whisper across the wind, echoed in her mind.
"As I'll ever be." She gripped the <item id="2001">Heartstone Pendant</item> clutched in her other hand. It warmed against her palm, a tiny crimson sun against the oppressive cold of the portal. It flared, a defiant beacon , and the shimmering veil pulled at her, a silent invitation. She stepped through.
The world twisted. Not a transition, but a violent deconstruction of reality . Colours bled, sounds stretched and warped, and for a terrifying moment, Rory ceased to exist, a disembodied consciousness adrift in a sea of pure, unadulterated sensation. Then, just as abruptly, it coalesced.
She stood on a path of solidified starlight, a translucent purple-black that seemed to hum beneath her boots. Above, no sky, but a canvas of warm amber, eternally twilight, lit by slow, swirling currents of emerald and gold. Structures rose in the distance, organic and impossibly grand, like cathedrals grown from crystal and living stone. Giant, bioluminescent fungi pulsed with soft light in fields stretching into the hazy distance, their caps broader than any ancient oak. The air, surprisingly, carried the sweet-sour scent of fermenting grapes and rich, dark soil. The sounds, when she focused, were a low murmur, like a distant feast in progress, intermingled with melodic chimes that hung in the air , vibrating long after they were struck .
Nyx solidified beside her, appearing as a dark, elegant silhouette against the alien splendour.
"Welcome to <location id="853">Dymas</location>," Nyx's voice was almost a sigh, less a whisper now, more substantial, as if the realm gave them more form. "The realm of Gluttony."
Rory took a shaky breath, the initial shock giving way to an awestruck wonder. It wasn't the fiery wasteland she’d imagined, but a place of impossible, decadent beauty. "Gluttony... I expected something less... edible."
"Excess isn't always ugly, <character id="4412">Aurora</character>," Nyx said. "Only unbounded."
They began to walk. The path wound through what looked like immense fields, but instead of crops, towering structures of spun sugar and candied fruits glimmered under the amber sky, tended by small, grey-skinned beings with multiple arms and too many eyes, diligently harvesting luminous berries a size of a human head. The air grew thicker with the scent of spices and roasting meats, so rich it clogged her throat.
Ahead, colossal, gnarled trees, their bark shining like polished obsidian, bore fruits luminous with inner light, their colours ranging from deep indigo to fiery orange. Some pulsed with soft light, like distant, sleepy hearts. Rory reached out, almost touching a cluster of shimmering, amethyst-coloured berries, before Nyx’s hand, cool and insubstantial, stopped her.
"Do not touch."
"Why not? They look... inviting." She studied the fruit, a faint, almost hypnotic glow drawing her in.
"Their beauty can be misleading. Many things grow here that nourish, but many more that ensnare." Nyx's grip was surprisingly firm for a being of shadow. "This realm offers much, but it always exacts a price."
They continued deeper, the landscape shifting. The fields gave way to sprawling gardens, alive with plants that defied earthly botany. Flowers with petals like spun glass chimed softly in an unseen breeze. Bushes bore geodes instead of fruit, their crystalline interiors glinting with captured light. The gentle murmurs of the realm grew louder, resolving into a symphony of distant laughter, music played on instruments of otherworldly design, and the clatter of silverware.
A colossal arched gateway, woven from what appeared to be vines of pure gold, shimmered in the distance. Its intricate carvings depicted scenes of unimaginable feasts, rivers of wine, and mountains of delicacies. As they approached, the scale of it became overwhelming. The arch soared higher than any skyscraper, and its immense gates, made of polished, dark wood, stood ajar, revealing a tantalising glimpse of what lay beyond.
"That," Rory breathed, "is a rather grand entrance."
"Prince <location id="853">Belphegor's</location> palace," Nyx said. "The heart of <location id="853">Dymas</location>."
Within the gates, the sounds of revelry intensified. The gateway opened into a vast courtyard paved with mosaics of precious stones. A fountain in the centre spewed not water, but a shimmering, golden liquid that smelled intoxicatingly of honey and spiced wine. Guests, some human-like, some monstrous, all exuding an aura of languid pleasure, drifted across the courtyard. Their attire ranged from elegant, flowing silks in impossible colours to more outlandish garments woven from living flora that gently pulsed with light.
Nyx pulled Rory into the shadow of a colossal, iridescent pillar, its surface shifting with the colours of a dying nebula.
"We cannot enter unnoticed. Not yet."
Rory watched the scene, a strange fascination mixed with unease in her stomach . A tall, slender woman with skin like polished jade and hair woven with glittering threads drifted past, her laughter like tinkling bells. Beside her, a hulking creature with six eyes observed the fountain, its multiple mouths twitching. They were all beautiful, in an unsettling, otherworldly way.
Suddenly, a disturbance. A group of the multi-armed, grey-skinned servants scurried through the courtyard, carrying a massive silver platter laden with what looked like miniature suns, glowing and sizzling. The aroma of roasted meat, impossibly rich and savoury, wafted towards them, making Rory's stomach rumble despite herself.
The serving creatures bumped into a tall, imposing figure, cloaked in robes the colour of midnight, with faint, glowing violet eyes. The platter tilted. One of the miniature suns rolled off, bouncing once on the mosaic , before coming to rest near Rory's foot. It pulsed with light and heat, smelling of caramelised sugar and something utterly foreign, yet enticing.
The creature’s eyes, even in the distance, seemed to fix on her. They held a faint, familiar glow. A memory, fleeting and unbidden, of a whisper in the darkest corner of her earliest dreams. Nyx tensed beside her. The Shadow's presence grew colder, more solid.
"Trouble?" Rory whispered.
"Perhaps. Or simply... recognition."
The cloaked figure began to glide towards them, its gaze unwavering . Each step was unnaturally silent, a ripple in the fabric of the celebratory noise. The festive chatter in the courtyard seemed to dim, focusing, narrowing to the approaching figure. Around them, the guests paused, their revelry momentarily forgotten as they watched the silent advance. The Heartstone in Rory's hand throbbed , a crimson heartbeat against the encroaching stillness.