Travelling through inter-dimensional rifts is unpleasant, to say the least. It’s Melaina’s first (and probably only) time doing so, casual world jumping very much reserved for those who aren’t scavengers or vermin.

Assuming that you most definitely are either a scavenger, a vermin, or (gods forbid!) a leech, then you may need a bit of help to understand what Melaina’s going through.

Imagine, if you will, your entire body being twisted inside out. And while that’s happening, you’re infinitely falling, forever. Your vision, if you have any, blurs as eternal space stretches before you, behind you, beyond you, in every direction you can imagine, and even directions you can’t. If you have wings, it will feel as though they are being ripped from you, though you can still flap helplessly if you wish. If you have legs, they will splay, which is fine for bipedals, but if you’re an unlucky centisoldier, that’s an equivalent to torture.

But the rifts themselves aren’t torture. In fact, they can be quite useful, especially for diplomats, war generals and the like. Once someone’s travelled a few dozen times, that infinite fall can feel pleasant, the stare into the void can be calming.

Torture would be getting kicked through a rift, having your body transformed, and being sent to the shitty little dumpster planet. Good luck down there! Would be a total shame for someone to get banished from their cool, fantastical world, where they could link with literally any magical or monstrous species you can imagine, and instead they’re tossed out into a drab little solar system with some kind of power killing forcefield. How boring. Dull. One could even say mind-numbing.

Poor, poor Melaina. Having her bones crushed and remoulded over and over to blend in with the weaklings she’s joining. Her jaw locks into place, no longer able to unhinge, and the many, many fangs she’s been collecting over her immortal life fall from new gums, replaced by tiny little stubs that Earthlings call molars. However will she defend herself now? She could use her talons, if they weren’t snapping off with stupid little ‘nails’ growing in their place. Her body cracks and contorts, forcing itself upright, grey flesh turning a very pale pink as her forked tongue congeals into one muscle.

Melaina, of course, is unable to detect the change of her skin tone, until there’s an evil stabbing sensation in her monolid eyes, light detecting cones forcing themselves in where they are not wanted. What Melaina had previously viewed as boundless shades of grey flourish into the actual majestic hues of the universe. Purples, greens, blues, yellows, reds… All of it is alien to a vampire that has lived forever in greyscale, and the explosion of colour can be scary when it jumps out like that.

Unless you’re in a situation where the wonders of the rainbow are the least of your worries.

A situation, for example, where you’ve commit a bit too much arson, and now the Vampires In Charge (not the proper term), have decided that you’re a problem, so you get punted down to the shithole called Earth. The planet that the wider universe has collectively agreed not to inform of anything. It is put to much better use as the place to stick all the problematic creatures when every other conceivable punishment isn’t enough.

A totally hypothetical situation, of course.

Unfortunately, it’s awfully similar to the one Melaina finds herself in. Even more unfortunately, it’s the situation you’ve elected to learn about, rather than do some actual interesting research into the inner workings of Pirium, or S’ri Ollo, or Nimenia, or even HD24 if you’re in the mood for something particularly dry.

But no. You’re following Melaina.

Melaina, who is in crippling pain from her transformation into a powerless human, and has just collapsed onto some grass. Four other bodies surround her, similarly dishevelled and layipovng prone.