Deimos Dawson: heir of pantheon

Edge of maddness

The shimmering portal spat Nevaeh and Azrael out onto a glassy, obsidian-like surface. The air crackled with otherworldly energy, heavy with the scent of ozone and something... older. Ancient. As their eyes adjusted to the dim, purplish light, they found themselves in a vast chamber, its walls adorned with pulsing, eldritch runes.

Nevaeh's hand instinctively tightened around her sai, her senses on high alert. "Azrael," she whispered, "something's not right here."

Before Azrael could respond, the ground beneath them shuddered. Cracks spiderwebbed across the glassy surface, a network of fissures spreading out from where they stood. Nevaeh's eyes widened as she felt the floor give way beneath her feet.

"Nevaeh!" Azrael shouted, reacting with lightning speed. He drove one of his chain blades deep into the solid ground nearby, using it as an anchor. With his free hand, he lunged for his sister, catching her wrist just as she began to fall.

The hole gaped beneath them, a yawning chasm of absolute darkness. Nevaeh dangled precariously, her feet kicking at empty air. She looked up at Azrael, saw the strain in his face as he held onto both her and the chain blade.

"I've got you," he grunted, his muscles bulging with effort. With a herculean display of strength, Azrael swung Nevaeh up and away from the hole, tossing her to safety with one powerful motion.

Nevaeh rolled as she hit the ground, coming up in a defensive crouch. She spun around just in time to see Azrael pull himself up, his movements fluid and precise despite the strain.

As they regained their footing, the air around them shimmered. Shadows coalesced, taking form with frightening speed. Veil Stalkers materialized, their otherworldly forms a nightmarish blend of shadow and substance.

Nevaeh's body tensed, her warrior instincts kicking into overdrive. Her eyes darted from one Veil Stalker to another, assessing threats, planning moves. But then she saw it—clutched in the hands of one of the Stalkers was a familiar sword. Deimos's sword.

The world seemed to slow down, narrowing to a pinpoint focus on that blade. Memories flooded Nevaeh's mind—Deimos's laugh, his unwavering support, the bond they shared. And now, his weapon in the hands of these... monsters.

Something snapped inside Nevaeh. A primal rage, unlike anything she'd ever felt before, surged through her veins. With a feral cry, she launched herself at the nearest Veil Stalker, her sai a blur of deadly motion.

Azrael, caught off guard by the sudden shift in Nevaeh's demeanor, barely had time to react. "Nevaeh, wait!" he called out, but his words were lost in the chaos that erupted.

Nevaeh's first strike caught the Veil Stalker across the chest, her sai leaving a trail of sparks as it scraped against its otherworldly armor. The creature stumbled back, but Nevaeh pressed her advantage. She spun low, sweeping its legs out from under it, then brought her elbow down hard on its face as it fell.

Two more Stalkers rushed her from behind. Without looking, Nevaeh backflipped over them, her foot connecting with one's jaw in a brutal kick. As she landed, she grabbed a loose piece of the shattered floor, hurling it like a discus at the other Stalker's head.

Azrael watched in a mixture of awe and growing concern. He'd never seen Nevaeh like this—her movements were faster, more brutal, driven by a rage that seemed to have consumed her entirely. As much as they needed to fight, he knew he had to stop her before she did something she'd regret.

A Veil Stalker charged at Azrael, forcing him to momentarily focus on his own battle. His chain blades whirled, creating a defensive perimeter around him. The Stalker's claws scraped against the chains, sending sparks flying. Azrael used the momentum to wrap the chain around the Stalker's arm, then yanked hard, pulling the creature off balance. A swift knee to its midsection followed by an elbow to the back of its head sent it crashing to the ground.