The red sand burned beneath her feet, though she could not tell if it was fire or something else. Lava flowed in rivers around her, molten and glowing, yet it never touched her. She jumped over a fissure, tail swaying behind her—a heart-shaped tip that felt strange and foreign, but instinctively natural.
A screech cut through the air. Another imp—twisted, clawed, frenzied—lunged at a smaller demon. She froze, unsure. Hunger or instinct? She couldn't name it. The smaller demon's soul flickered as the larger one tore into it. Without thinking, she leapt, slamming her makeshift rock into the attacking imp. It screamed, a sound that made her flinch, yet her pulse pounded.
Something inside her reacted—an unfamiliar pull. The imp's flickering essence rushed into her chest, a warmth that made her tremble. She swallowed it, barely conscious of what she had done. The scream ended. The body fell still, and the blood hissed against the sand, steam curling upward.
Her hands tingled. Her horns itched. Her tail swished as though aware of itself, independent of her thoughts. She did not understand it, but a part of her felt… stronger. Sharper. Alert.
More screeches. Others were coming, drawn by the chaos. She ran, heart racing, leaving the blood-sizzled sand behind. Each step carried her further from the beach, the cries and howls of other demons chasing her into the jagged shadows of the Abyss.
She didn't know what she was—why her tail was shaped that way, why her instincts pulled her toward souls, or why the blood made the sand hiss. All she knew was survival. Run, or die.
And somewhere in the twisting shadows, eyes watched. Low-level demons she hadn't seen before. Some curious, some hostile. She would have to fight, hide, and survive if she wanted to live. Only then would she begin to understand… the rules of this place, the nature of her power, and the truth of what she was.
The screams and clashes paused abruptly, as if the red sands themselves had held their breath. Every demon froze mid-attack. A strange pull gripped them, not a thought, not a voice, but something far older and deeper.
They looked at one another, confusion and curiosity warring in their eyes, before instinct took over. One by one, the low-level demons, snarling and twitching, turned toward a distant rumble—a volcano, towering and ominous, its peak shrouded in ash and fire.
She followed, tail twitching nervously. Her muscles tensed as the heat rolled off the mountain like a living wave. Without knowing why, she climbed, her claws digging into the rock, the molten veins of the mountain pulsing beneath her feet. The others scrambled behind, pushing, clawing, screaming, some falling into the molten cracks, consumed by instinct and hunger.
At the summit, the ground was brittle. She clawed at the rock, digging deeper and deeper, scraping through ash, stone, and hardened magma. Hours—or perhaps moments—passed; time felt distorted in the heat and pressure. She didn't stop. She couldn't. Something inside her, primal and relentless, demanded she keep going.
Finally, she broke through. Darkness swallowed her, cool air rushing up from below. She stumbled into a vast hollow, a hidden chamber alive with strange energy. The others entered, scattered, some trembling, some already fighting each other again.
It was not the end of their journey. The chamber opened into the upper level of the Abyss, where a strange, sprawling ecosystem thrived. Rivers ran thick and black, forests twisted with unnatural growth, and monstrous creatures prowled instead of ordinary animals. Some demons scattered toward the rivers, others toward the forests or seas. Each was drawn instinctively to the place that called to their form.
She paused at the edge of a jagged cliff, watching the monstrous wildlife below. Her tail twitched, and she realized—without understanding—she felt… right. Her instincts hummed in harmony with the land. Her claws tingled, her senses sharpened, her eyes flicked toward prey and danger alike. The Abyss had expanded. Survival here would be different, and the game had only just begun.
Every step she took on the upper level made her aware of her body's subtle changes—the flicker of horns, the sway of her heart-shaped tail, the thrill in her chest when she glimpsed a soul, even in the monstrous critters around her. She didn't yet understand what she was, only that she was built for this place. And somewhere deep inside, a pull whispered of power she had yet to claim.