​High above the ocean, a man with blackish-red hair stood clad in dark purple.

​He perched upon one of the grassy floating islands that drifted high above the waves. His gaze drifted downward, fixing on a tiny speck of shadow marring the pristine white sand far below. That was where Zorn lay.

​"The Scorpion's Heart has finally passed through the threshold as prophesied," Donal murmured with a grin. His purple cloak snapped violently in the high-altitude winds. "Along with that, I can feel the Relic's energy nearby. Strange. Isn't that supposed to be in the palace? We should check it out as we meet up with the new guy," he chuckles.

​Beside him stood Khor. He was dressed in flowing white robes, his blonde hair catching the sunlight and contrasting sharply against his pale complexion.

​He gazed down at the beach with a scowl. 

"Whatever. Let's just hope Gradivus had better not have sent us the wrong one," he grumbles as he walks away.

***

​The cry of gulls cut through the fog in Zorn’s head. Then came the sound of waves, gently crashing against the shore.

​The air was warm and breezy, but his body felt like a weight of lead pressing into the scorching sand.

​He tried to open his eyes. A jagged shard of gold, the sun, seared his retinas.

​Too much! There is way too much light!

​Coming from the Sixth Realm of Eternal Night, this "beautiful" day felt like a torture chamber.

​He groaned, his voice a dry rasp. "My head..."

​He pushed himself up onto his knees. His palms hit the sand, and it felt like pressing into hot coals. He expected to feel the soak of the ocean, but his clothes were bone-dry.

​The magic that had snatched him from the sea was gone.

​He glanced up, squinting against the blinding radiance. He held his breath for a moment.

​The sky was an incredible shade of blue, a color he had never truly seen before. It was vibrant and alive, dotted with clouds that partially obscured the floating islands in the distance.

​"What is this place?" he whispered, his eyes darting around in a frantic search.

​This isn't the Eternal Night.

​He looked behind him. A thick, green forest stood nearby, the dense leaves blocking out the worst of the light.

​"No black leaves?"

​In front of him, the sea stretched toward the horizon, sparkling like a massive mirror of blue and silver. In the far distance, he could see mountains. They were colossal, their rocky peaks capped with a stubborn, unmoving fog.

​In his home world, the darkness was permanent. He’d had no idea what sunlight felt like, or how overwhelming it could be.

​He took a careful, slow step toward the water. The sand gave way under his feet with a soft, satisfying collapse.

Each step felt like sinking deeper into this strange, foreign world.

​A small seagull cried out overhead, its wings beating against the wind. Its shadow flickered across the sand.

​He bent down and let his fingers submerge in the waves. The water was cool and refreshing.

​"At least the water feels the same as home."

​But the serenity unnerved him. He didn't trust it. How far had he fallen? Where was he?

​Zorn rubbed the back of his neck as he retreated from the water's edge. The heat of the sun lingered on his skin. He wasn't used to the warmth. It was aggravating.

​"Where in the world am I? What is this place? This is starting to piss me off!"

​"Hey! What do you want from me?" he yelled at the sky, jabbing a finger toward the clouds. "Huh!? You damned door! Is this a joke? Is this something evil?"

​The door was gone, long gone. His shouts were eclipsed by the mocking screech of the gulls.

​Rumble.

​Zorn froze, his eyes wide. He slapped a hand over his belly and winced. "...I'm hungry."

​The glyph on his left wrist flared a dull red. It was a phantom ache that demanded fuel. To a demon, energy was life, and this light was draining his reserves faster than usual.

​The woods beckoned. He rushed toward the shade of the massive, moss-covered trees, his head spinning from the glare.

​Leaves crunched beneath his boots. Sunlight fell through the canopy in shafts of gold. Insects buzzed nearby, hidden from view.

​This feels like hell!

​The trees towered over him like pillars to the gods. Soft green patches of moss radiated in the dappled light.

​"This place," he breathed, "it doesn't feel real."

​Maybe it wasn't. Maybe he was back home, napping in a tree while Lira read books below him, leaning against the trunk like she always did.

​But that wasn't the case. This was reality.

​A sour thought crossed his mind. Lira... if she were here, she'd just laugh. She'd find all of this fascinating and tell me to calm down.

​He shook his head to dispel the memory.

​Snap!

​A twig broke. Zorn froze.

​The sound came from deeper in the woods. Something was moving. His heart raced as he braced himself. He swiveled his head, peering into the green gloom.

​Nothing.

​"Who's there?" he called out, his voice straining.

​No answer. Only silence. But he felt it. Eyes were watching him.

​Snap!

​He spun around with a growl. "I KNOW HOW TO FIGHT–"

​He stopped mid-sentence. A plump, brown beast stared back at him. Its fur shimmered with a metallic, oil-slick sheen.

​"...A beaver?"

​The beaver stared back with black, pebble-like eyes. It continued to chew lazily on a twig. For a few long seconds, the two simply stared at each other in an awkward silence.

​Zorn pointed a trembling finger at the creature. 

"MEAT!"

​He bolted. The beaver dropped its twig, mouth agape, and vanished into the undergrowth.

​Zorn grunted with a snarl. He didn't chase it like a boy playing a game. He moved with the predatory efficiency of a man who had lost everything but his rage.

​Branches slapped his arms. He vaulted over roots and dead leaves. When he finally lunged, his Scorpio Glyph hissed. A spark of dark smoke trailed from his fingers as he pinned the creature to the dirt.

​The beaver yelped as he wrestled it down. Suddenly, its life force began to drain. The creature's essence trailed into the glowing red glyph, and Zorn felt his energy return.

​"Finally... wait a minute."

​He looked down at the beaver's limp body. The craving to eat its flesh had vanished. The animal's life force had already satiated his hunger.

​A hint of guilt pricked at him.

​Sorry, buddy. I didn't mean to waste you.

​He walked to a nearby tree and began to bury the beaver beneath the moss. He clapped the dirt from his hands when he was finished.

​"There."

​CRASH!

​The ground shuddered. A distant boom vibrated through the trees, shaking the very leaves from the branches. Birds exploded into the sky in a panicked, squawking cloud.

​Zorn’s eyes widened.

​"...That wasn't thunder."

​Whatever it was, it was heading straight for the beach.

***

(Five Minutes Ago)

Snow-white hair whipped behind her as she sprinted through the dense thicket, her hand clamped tight over her pocket of her dress.

​Behind her, the pursuer gained ground. It was a towering, mechanical nightmare of black iron and jagged purple plating.

​"Leave me alone!" she screamed, her voice cracking against the wind.

​The monster didn't stall. It raised a heavy, gauntleted hand, conjuring a roiling orb of violet energy before hurling it forward.

​Suddenly, a brilliant light pierced through the fabric of her dress. The mysterious object in her pocket pulsed with power, catching the magic head-on and refracting the blast.

​The world dissolved into a deafening roar.

​The shockwave sent her body tumbling through the brush like a ragdoll. She felt the air leave her lungs just before she hit the water.

​A heavy splash echoed across the shore.

​The girl scrambled to sit up, hacking salt water from her throat. When she finally looked up, her heart stopped.

​The monster was already there, looming over her. It let out a low, metallic growl. With a mechanical whine, it raised its fist and plunged it toward her.