The transition from the mortal world to the Demon Realm didn’t happen with a flash of light or some gentle hum. It felt like being shredded from the inside out. As I used the blood bound ritual I’d found hidden under the floorboards of my father’s study, the air around me curdled. It turned into a thick, oily smoke that filled my lungs until I was certain I was dying. The world screamed, a high pitched frequency that made my teeth vibrate, and then, with a bone deep thud, I was standing on solid ground.
But it wasn't the ground I knew. The sky above wasn't blue or even black. It was a swirling, bruised violet, choked with embers that drifted through the air like burnt snow. The atmosphere tasted of copper and dust. I stood at the base of a massive bridge made of what looked like petrified
