Ethan's scream was swallowed by the void as the ground beneath the manor cracked open like a wound, pulling him into a vortex of shadows.
He felt like he was falling through time.
Through screams.
Through blood.
Through something ancient that hated the light.
And then—
Silence.
When he opened his eyes, the world had changed.
No more stone walls or velvet sheets.
Instead, he stood on black obsidian ground under a sky of swirling crimson clouds. Lightning tore through the sky—black lightning—and far in the distance, something howled.
The Abyss.
Before him rose a citadel so massive it made mountains look like ruins. Its towers pierced the sky like jagged fangs. Dark banners fluttered with runes that bled light. Rivers of fire flowed around its base, guarded by horned beasts with too many eyes.
And at its heart…
…a throne of bone and shadow.
Upon it sat Lilith Astarra, his wife.
But here, she wasn't merely beautiful.
She was terrifying.
Her eyes burned like twin infernos. Her robes shifted like living shadows. Two black horns curled from her head like a crown born of chaos.
Ethan took a step forward—and the entire court seemed to stir. Dozens of monstrous creatures bowed before her: demons with wings of ash, serpents with faces, knights in armor that bled smoke.
"Welcome home, husband," Lilith said, voice echoing across the throne room like thunder laced with silk.
Ethan's breath caught in his chest.
This wasn't a woman.
This was a goddess of terror.
"I—what is this place?" he asked, barely able to form the words.
She smiled, slowly rising from her throne.
"This is the Abyss, Ethan. My kingdom. Our kingdom… if you survive."
He flinched as a massive beast crawled near him—its mouth filled with human hands.
"Why am I here?" he asked.
Lilith walked down the steps like a queen descending from the stars. She stopped inches from him and tilted his chin up with a single finger.
Her eyes were no longer warm. No longer seductive.
They were amused.
Like a cat studying a trapped mouse.
"Because, dear husband," she whispered, "you belong to me now."
She leaned closer, her smile razor-sharp.
"And I want to see how long a toy like you lasts… in my world."