Split of the Worlds (18+)

She had fought them until they almost tore her wings off. Normally both a weapon and an escape option, more and more of the iridescent white feathers had fallen into the hands of the stinking, screeching creatures. There were just too many. She had had to send her wings away and could now only rely on her speed, strength and sword. But the hilt of her weapon had become slippery with blood, and her muscles were weakening more with each passing moment. At some point her shield was shattered and she lost her helmet. Her white-blond hair stuck in strands to her neck and face.

She had let herself get separated from her squad, had rushed too far forward in the frenzy of battle. Now she would pay the price. But she had sold well; around her lay many auburn bodies that would not soon rise again. Death on this battlefield was not final, but every little victory counted. This time, after all, she had bought time out for her companions. Now her opponents, those lowly, twisted creatures, were gathering again, and she knew it would be the final onslaught for her.

Shreaking. A red wave of twisted bodies rushes towards her.

Pierce. Rotate. Cut.

The taste of blood on her lips. Fire in the eyes.

Sharp pain.

Darkness.

~~~

"What do you have there?"

This Eternal War had become so boring. Always only death and doom with no hope of an end of any kind. For a long time, all this had satisfied him. The roar of his enemies when he thrust his black horns through their breastplates. The taste of their life on his tongue. The power to send waves of darkness over their boastful armor.

Now...

It was always the same, regardless of whether he threw himself into battle during the closure or whether he tried to fill in the monotony in between. There was no excitement, nothing new, anything that told him he was still alive.

And now this. His servants had captured something and dragged it from the battlefield to his corridors and caverns. They were so proud, they wanted to show it to him.

They had acted on their own authority. A punishment was due. He sighed. Even the prospect of that no longer pleased him adequately.

With an impatient move, he swept the foremost servant aside to see what they had brought in. His gaze fell on a stained bundle on the floor. It must have been mostly white before, but now it was smeared with red and brown. It clearly smelled of blood and dirt. And of...

What else was that?

Ah, it was moving. He now realized that the figure's hands and feet were tied. Suddenly, amber eyes flashed from a blood-caked face.

~~~

Metal. And ashes. The floor didn't taste good. She was probably not back in the White Mountain. Which would also explain the pain. And her memories.

Hm. That smell. What...?

She jerked her head up. No! That couldn't be.

But there was no doubt. She was in a low black stone cave surrounded by a hissing, nervous bunch of inferior creatures. And right in front of her, her master had built up. She looked him straight in the face from her unfavorable position on the floor. Just in time to see his features first contort into a grin, then he began to laugh roaringly. Threw his head back and made the walls shake. His sharp teeth sparkled silver, contrasting with the deep red of his skin. He stood before her, legs apart and self-confident; every muscle was clearly visible, from his clawed feet to his flat stomach to his muscular arms, which he had crossed over his broad chest. He wore only a knee-length brown leather war skirt that was reinforced with black metal plates at regular intervals. He didn't need any more protection. She knew from her own experience that the demonlord's feared nothing in their fortresses. And rightly so, because there were always hosts of servants around them who would literally set themselves on fire rather than let anyone approach their master. Among other things, because the slightest negligence resulted in the loss of body parts or even abdication. As slowly as possible to serve as a good example. Taking a demonlord's fortress was impossible while its master resided in it.