Deimos Dawson: heir of pantheon

A frozen path

Death's hollow gaze fixed on Nevaeh, his voice a whisper of eternity. "The path ahead is treacherous, Nevaeh. Are you certain you wish to proceed?"

Nevaeh squared her shoulders, her eyes glinting with determination. "I've never been more certain of anything, Father. Deimos needs me."

Death nodded solemnly. With a gesture of his skeletal hand, reality began to warp and twist. A swirling vortex of darkness and ethereal light tore open before them, revealing glimpses of a chaotic landscape beyond.

"This portal will take you to the outer edges of the Nether Realm," Death intoned. "From there, you must find your own way to Vortharix."

Nevaeh approached the portal, her heart racing. She turned back to Death, a question forming on her lips. "What if I can't—"

"Trust in yourself," Death interrupted, his voice carrying an unusual warmth. "You possess strength beyond measure, Nevaeh. Remember that."

Nevaeh nodded and leapt into the swirling vortex, and reality fractured around her. She plummeted through a kaleidoscope of impossible colors, shards of different realms flashing by in dizzying succession. Ghostly echoes of long-forgotten worlds whispered in her ears, their secrets just beyond comprehension.

Time seemed to stretch and compress simultaneously. One moment, she was falling through an eternity of starlit void; the next, she was hurtling past the fiery hearts of newborn suns. Cosmic strings vibrated around her, their resonance shaking her to her very core.

Nevaeh glimpsed facets of existence she had never imagined - crystalline cities suspended in aurora-lit skies, vast oceans of liquid thought, and forests where each leaf contained an entire universe. The boundaries between realms blurred, revealing the intricate tapestry of reality itself.

As she neared the end of her journey, Nevaeh caught a fleeting glimpse of a familiar face - Deimos, his form fractured across multiple realities, reaching out to her. But before she could react, the vision vanished, and she was thrust into the harsh reality of the Nether Realm.

Nevaeh crashed onto the ground with a bone-jarring impact, her breath exploding from her lungs in a visible cloud. As she struggled to her feet, her eyes widened in shock. Instead of the familiar fiery landscape of the Nether Realm, she found herself in a frozen wasteland. Jagged ice formations jutted from the ground like crystalline daggers, and a biting wind howled across the desolate terrain.

"It's never been this cold," Nevaeh muttered through chattering teeth, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. As if responding to her distress, her armor materialized around her body, its enchanted metal gleaming with an inner warmth. Despite the protection, she could still feel the unnatural chill seeping into her bones.

A red-skinned figure emerged from behind a nearby ice formation, its eyes widening at the sight of her. "The queen has returned!" it exclaimed, its gravelly voice filled with awe. The being struck its chest once with a closed fist, a gesture of respect unique to the Nether Realm's hierarchy.

Nevaeh looked down, her face flushing with embarrassment. "I'm not—" she began, but the red-skinned being had already retreated, leaving her alone in the frozen landscape. Shaking her head, she pressed forward, her armored boots crunching through the frost-covered ground.

As she rounded a massive ice formation, a thunderous roar shook the air. A colossal creature lumbered into view, its hide a mottled pattern of reddish-copper scales. Despite its fearsome appearance – massive jaws lined with razor-sharp teeth and powerful, clawed limbs – the beast had no eyes, its face a smooth expanse of armored skin.