44. Adelaide

The world around us shifts and warps, a nightmarish scene of chaos and destruction. The blood-red sea churns violently, its crimson waves lashing against our bodies with increasing ferocity. Each surge carries with it the metallic scent of blood, thick and cloying, overwhelming my senses. The liquid is warm, almost hot, like it's been freshly spilt from countless unseen victims.

Above us, the sky writhes in a chaotic swirl of black and crimson, pulsing with malicious energy. The fabric of reality is being torn apart, revealing glimpses of something beyond - a void filled with unimaginable horrors. Bolts of crimson lightning arc across the rumbling clouds, illuminating the hellish landscape in brief, terrifying flashes.

The black, volcanic towers that once loomed over us, now crack and splinter under the strain of the unnatural forces at work. Massive chunks of obsidian rain down around us, each impact sending tremors through the blood-soaked ground. The air is filled with the sound of shattering stone and the hiss of fragments being swallowed by the churning sea.

Crimson's grip on my hand is like iron, her nails digging deeper into my flesh with each passing moment. The pain is sharp and insistent, a constant reminder of my predicament. My blood drips steadily into the churning sea beneath us, each drop causing ripples that spread out in ever-widening circles. But even this physical agony pales in comparison to the terror that has frozen my body. The realisation of what's about to happen, of the cosmic horror we're about to unleash, is almost too much to bear.

Crimson removes her hand from my mouth, her fingers leaving behind the taste of ash and something darker, more primal. She turns to look up, her gaze filled with wonder and excited anticipation.

"Let go of me!" I scream, my voice raw and desperate. I try to wrench my hand free, pulling with all my might. But it's useless. Crimson's strength is inhuman, her grip unbreakable. I can feel her power vibrating through our joined hands, dark and tempting. It calls to something deep within me, a part of myself I've tried to deny since this whole nightmare began.

She laughs, the sound echoing across the hellish landscape. It's a sound of pure, evil joy, devoid of any human warmth or compassion. "Oh, Adelaide," she says, her voice dripping with mock pity. "Still fighting, even now. I almost admire your stubbornness. But don't you see? This is our destiny. This is what we were born for."

I'm about to retort, to deny her words with every fibre of my being, when a familiar voice cuts through the chaos. The sound of it sends ice racing through my blood, freezing me in place more effectively than any physical restraint.

"Both my girls, working together. It brings a tear to my eye."

That smooth, cultured voice has haunted my nightmares for weeks. It's been a constant reminder of the betrayal that set all of this in motion, the moment when my world shattered, and this nightmare began. Slowly, dreading what I'll see, I turn to face him.

Randall Black stands next to me, a vicious smirk distorting his features. There's something different now, something worse. An aura of dark power surrounds him, similar to Crimson's but somehow more corrupted. It's as if he's been tainted by whatever dark forces he's been communing with.

"Randall," I spit the word like a curse, bile rising in my throat. The sight of him, standing there so casually in this hellscape, makes me want to scream and retch simultaneously. "Is this where you've been all this time? In this buffer zone between worlds?"

His smirk widens. "Hello, Adelaide," he says, his voice smooth as silk and cold as ice. "I see you've finally embraced your true nature. Or should I say, natures. It's about time you stopped fighting what you are."

Fury bubbles up inside me, hot and fierce. It's a rage I've never felt before, replacing the ice in my veins with burning hot lava. This man, this monster who dares to call himself my father, has orchestrated all of this. Every moment of pain, every loss, every horror I've endured - it all leads back to him.

"You bastard!" I scream, lunging towards him with murderous intent. But Crimson's grip holds me back, her nails digging even deeper into my flesh. I can feel warm blood trickling down my wrist, joining the sea below. "You set me up! You manipulated every moment of my life! How could you do this to me?"

Randall doesn't even flinch at my outburst. If anything, he looks amused, as if my anger is nothing more than a child's tantrum. His eyes gleam with a cruel light. "Do what, exactly?" he asks, his tone maddeningly reasonable. "Give you power beyond your wildest dreams? Make you part of something greater than yourself? You should be thanking me, Adelaide."

"You funnelled me into this life!" I shriek, my voice cracking with emotion. "You stabbed me in the heart!" The memory of that moment floods back, more vivid than ever - the shock, the pain, the feeling of utter betrayal as my own father plunged a knife into my chest. I can feel the cold steel sliding between my ribs, the warmth of my blood spilling out.

He waves a dismissive hand, as if my near-death experience was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. "A necessary step in the process," he says, his tone matter-of-fact. "The old you had to die for the new you to be born. And look at you now - more powerful than ever, on the cusp of greatness. You've exceeded my expectations."

I shake my head, disgusted by his callousness. How can he stand there, in the middle of this nightmare, and speak so casually of what he's done? "Greatness?" I spit the word back at him. "Is that what you call this?" I gesture at the nightmarish landscape around us, at the rising sea of blood now lapping at our knees, at the sky torn apart by lightning. "This is madness, Randall. Pure, unadulterated insanity."

For the first time, a flicker of anger crosses his face. His eyes darken, and for a moment, I catch a glimpse of the monster lurking beneath the surface. It's terrifying, but also oddly satisfying. At least now I'm seeing the real him, not the mask of fatherly concern he first presented to me.

"You ungrateful child," he growls, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "I've given you everything. Power, immortality, a destiny beyond anything a mere mortal could dream of. And this is how you repay me? With scorn and rebellion?"

"I never asked for any of this!" I shout back, my voice raw with emotion. Each word feels like it's being torn from my throat, but I can't stop. All the pain, all the anger, all the fear - it all comes pouring out. "You created me for your own ends. You're not a father - you're a monster. A fucking prick who's played with people's lives like they were toys!"

Crimson's grip on my hand tightens painfully, her nails drawing more blood. I can feel it running down my arm, warm and sticky. "Enough of this shit," she hisses, her eyes flashing dangerously. There's an edge to her voice now, a hint of impatience. "We have work to do. The portal won't open itself."

At the mention of the portal, Randall's anger fades, replaced by an unsettling eagerness. His eyes light up with an almost manic gleam, like a starving man presented with a feast. "Yes, yes," he says, practically bouncing on his toes. "The portal. Is it time?"

His anxiousness sets off alarm bells in my head. Why is he so desperate to open this portal? What's on the other side that he wants so badly? There's something he's not telling us, some hidden agenda that makes my skin crawl with unease.

"Almost," Crimson replies, her voice thrumming with anticipation. I can feel her excitement through our joined hands, a dark energy that threatens to overwhelm me. "We just need one final push. Adelaide's blood, mixed with my power - it's the key to tearing open the veil between worlds."

Randall nods, his eyes gleaming with an enthusiasm that borders on madness. It's the look of a man who's spent his entire life working towards a single goal, and now sees it within reach. "Then let's not waste any more time," he says, practically salivating. "Open it. Now. The longer we wait, the more chance something might go wrong."

As they speak, I feel a change in the air. It's subtle at first, but grows stronger with each passing second. The blood-red sea churns more violently, waves crashing against our thighs with increasing force. I can feel the warm liquid soaking through my clothes, clinging to my skin.

The sky above darkens further, if that's even possible. The flashes of lightning become more frequent, illuminating the nightmarish landscape in stuttering, strobe-like flashes. Each bolt tears at the fabric of reality, revealing glimpses of something beyond - a void filled with writhing shadows and unnameable horrors.

My skin tingles, and my hair stands on end. I can taste ozone on my tongue, mixed with the coppery tang of blood. It's becoming harder to breathe.

"What's happening?" I ask, unable to keep the fear from my voice. The world around us is changing, transforming into something even more nightmarish than before. I can feel the wrongness of it all pressing in on me, crushing me.

Crimson grins. "We're opening the way, sister," she says, her voice filled with dark joy. "The NetherRealm awaits. Can't you feel it? The power, the potential - it's all within our grasp."

The blood sea rises further, now lapping at our waists. I can feel the power building, a pressure in the air that makes it hard to breathe. It's like standing at the epicentre of a storm, feeling the raw energy gathering around you.

"No!" I cry out, struggling against Crimson's grip with renewed desperation. I know, with a certainty that chills me to my core, that if this portal opens, it will unleash horrors beyond imagination. "You can't do this! You don't know what you're unleashing!"

But my protests fall on deaf ears. Crimson raises our joined hands, her eyes glowing. The power flowing through her is a force of nature barely contained within her human form.

Randall stands nearby, his expression one of eager anticipation. He looks like a child on Christmas morning about to open the biggest present under the tree. But there's a darkness to his excitement, a hunger that speaks of desires far more sinister than any child's wishes.

The vortex of blood rises higher, forming a massive, swirling portal in the air above us. It's a wound torn in the fabric of reality, the edges ragged and beating with malicious energy. Through it, I can see glimpses of another world - a realm of endless night, where shadows move with evil purpose and whisper dark secrets.

Strange, twisted creatures lurk at the edges of my vision, their forms too alien to comprehend fully. I catch glimpses of writhing tentacles, of eyes that glow with unholy fire, of mouths filled with far too many teeth. Each sight sends a fresh wave of terror through me.

"The NetherRealm," Crimson breathes, her voice filled with longing. There's an almost religious fervour to her words, as if she's a pilgrim finally laying eyes on a holy land. "Our true home. The source of our power, the cradle of our destiny."

As the portal grows larger, I feel a tugging sensation, as if something on the other side is trying to pull us through. It starts as a gentle nag but quickly grows stronger and more insistent. Panic rises in my throat. Once we cross that threshold, there might be no coming back. We'll be trapped in a world of darkness, forever cut off from everything and everyone I love.

"Please," I beg, looking between Crimson and Randall. I hate the weakness in my voice, the desperation, but I can't help it. The terror is too great, the stakes too high. "Don't do this. You don't know what you're unleashing. This could destroy everything - not just our world, but all worlds!"

Randall laughs, the sound cold and cruel, devoid of any warmth or empathy. It's the laugh of a man who's long since abandoned any pretence of humanity. "Don't worry, Adelaide," he says, his voice dripping with condescension. "We know exactly what we're doing. We have strived for this for centuries."

"You're insane," I whisper, horrified by the madness I see in his eyes. This isn't just ambition or a lust for power - this is something deeper, more twisted. A fundamental brokenness that can never be fixed.

The tugging sensation grows stronger, hooks embedded in my soul, trying to drag me into the abyss. I dig my heels into the blood-soaked ground, trying to resist the pull of the portal. But it's like trying to fight against a tidal wave - futile and exhausting.

Crimson finally lets go of my hand, and I shoot up towards the sky, towards the giant maw ripping through reality. The world rushes past me in a blur of blood and darkness. "Help!" I shriek, my voice lost in the roar of the portal.

"Take the sacrifice!" Crimson yells as I'm dragged further into the maw. Her face is a picture of triumph, eyes blazing with unholy glee. "Take this sacrifice and open your doors to your true Queen!"

Terror spikes my blood.

Sacrifice?

The word echoes in my mind, its implications too horrible to contemplate. Is this what I've been to them all along? Not a daughter, not a sister, but a lamb led to slaughter?

Before I can process this betrayal, I feel something grab me. Clawed hands, impossibly strong and colder than the void of space, close around my ankles. They yank me into the portal with irresistible force.

Two words are ripped from my throat, "Oh shit!"

Read on with Immortal Dawn, Book 3 Immortal Dawn (pre order for mid-September)