The wind cut like razors.
Kael plummeted. The portal had closed behind him with a deafening roar, and now all there was was falling—falling and darkness.
For a moment, he thought hell would pull him back. That Lilith would reach out and drag him into the abyss. But no. The sky around him began to change. The incandescent red gave way to gray, the heat dissolved into cold, and before he could understand, he broke through the clouds.
The impact came like thunder.
CRASH!
His body tore through the canopy of three trees before crashing face-first into the ground, scattering leaves, branches, and dust everywhere.
Silence.
Only the distant sound of the wind in the leaves. And then, a hoarse groan.
"...Ow... you son of a—"
Kael rolled onto his side, coughing up dirt and blood. His ribs screamed, and the world spun in circles. He blinked, trying to understand where he was. The forest was familiar. The twisted trees, the damp smell, the distant cawing of crows.
Azalith.
He was back.
