Lilith woke with a start, her heart racing. Images of last night’s bath lingered vividly in her mind—the way Sera had arched beneath her touch, the unexpected rush of feeding on another’s essence. For a moment, she wondered if she’d dreamed the entire encounter.
She sat up, running her fingers through her purple hair. The sheets beside her were empty. Frowning, Lilith rose and wrapped herself in a silk robe before padding across her bedchamber to the door.
“Sera?” she called, stepping into the corridor.
No answer came. Concern flickered through her as she made her way to the guest chamber. The door stood slightly ajar, and Lilith pushed it open to find Sera still fast asleep, her chest rising and falling in deep, steady breaths.
Lilith approached the bed quietly. Sera’s face looked peaceful, her small horns peeking through her tousled hair. After their intimate encounter, Lilith had helped the exhausted half-demon to this bed before returning to her own chamber to sort through her conflicted feelings.
That had been fourteen hours ago.
“Is this normal?” Lilith whispered to herself, studying Sera’s sleeping form. She’d never fed on someone’s essence before. Had she taken too much? The thought sent a chill through her.
Deciding to let Sera rest, Lilith retreated from the room and made her way to the dining hall. With a gesture, she summoned several shadow servants who materialised from the darkness.
“Prepare breakfast for two,” she instructed. “Something substantial and nourishing. And tea—something with restorative properties.”
The servants bowed silently and glided away to fulfil her commands. Lilith settled at the head of the long obsidian table, absently tracing patterns on its polished surface as platters of food began to appear.
Just as she was about to begin eating alone, movement at the doorway caught her attention. Sera stood there, dressed in a simple blue tunic. Her hair was dishevelled, and a slight flush coloured her cheeks when her eyes met Lilith’s.
Lilith coughed lightly, composing herself. “Good morning. Have a seat.”
Sera nodded and moved to sit across the table, her eyes darting to Lilith’s face before focusing intently on the food before her. She began eating without ceremony, though Lilith noticed her movements were more deliberate than usual.
The silence stretched between them, filled only by the soft clink of silverware against plates. Lilith found herself uncharacteristically at a loss for words. It was Sera who always filled their silences with questions or observations, yet now she seemed equally tongue-tied.
“Did you sleep well?” Lilith finally asked, breaking the tension. “You’ve been asleep for fourteen hours. I was beginning to worry.”
Sera looked up, surprise evident on her face. “Fourteen hours? I had no idea.” She paused, considering. “I feel very rested, though. Better than I have in years, actually.”
Lilith sighed with relief. “Good. That’s… good.”
Another awkward silence descended. Lilith took a sip of tea, searching for a safer topic.
“The storm has passed,” she said finally. “We should be ready to continue our journey after breakfast.”
This seemed to ease Sera back into familiar territory. “Passing through the Wasteland border unnoticed won’t be easy, even if we fly,” she said, her expression growing more animated. “The Solarians maintain constant patrols along the entire boundary.”
“Will they try to stop us?” Lilith asked.
Sera shook her head. “Probably not, even if they notice us. They’re more concerned with things getting out than going in.” A wry smile touched her lips. “Their policy is essentially ‘good riddance’ to anyone or anything foolish enough to enter the Wastelands voluntarily.”
Lilith nodded appreciatively. “You know your stuff.”
“It’s something one learns when their entire life revolves around it,” Sera replied with a shrug, though Lilith detected a hint of pride in her voice.
The tension between them gradually dissolved as they finished their meal, conversation shifting to lighter topics—the strange foods available in different regions, peculiar customs Sera had encountered in her travels, and Lilith’s observations about the differences between the world she remembered and what she’d seen since her return.
Neither mentioned the bath.
After breakfast, they dressed for travel—Lilith in her demonic armour that left little to the imagination yet offered surprising protection, Sera in sturdy leather gear supplemented by few items from Lilith’s dimensional inventory.
Standing before the gate that would take them out of the Infernal Sanctum, Lilith glanced at Sera. “Ready?”
Sera nodded, her expression determined. “Ready.”
With a wave of her hand, Lilith dismissed the Sanctum, and the opulent dining hall dissolved around them, replaced by the forest clearing where they’d taken shelter from yesterday’s storm. The morning sun filtered through the leaves above, dappling the ground with golden light.
Their journey to the Wastelands—and whatever awaited Lilith there—was about to begin in earnest.
* * *
Lilith stood in the clearing, violet eyes scanning the sky. Perfect flying conditions—clear visibility with just enough cloud cover to provide occasional concealment if needed.
“Ready for another flight?” she asked, turning to Sera.
“Absolutely,” Sera replied, excitement evident in her voice despite their earlier awkwardness.
Lilith reached out, her fingers weaving complex patterns in the air as she whispered the incantation. “Síirvéel áahaara.”
Blue-white energy swirled around Sera, coalescing into translucent wings that shimmered with arcane power. The half-demon woman gasped as her body became noticeably lighter, surrounded by a subtle aura of gravitational manipulation.
“Still feels incredible,” Sera murmured, flexing her magical appendages experimentally.
Lilith smiled, then unfurled her own demonic wings. The leathery membranes stretched wide, their purple hue catching the morning light. With a powerful downstroke, she launched herself skyward, feeling the rush of air against her face.
Sera followed, her movements more confident than yesterday. They ascended in spirals, climbing higher until the forest below resembled a green carpet dotted with patches of shadow.
“This way,” Sera called, banking eastward. “We’ll approach from the north-eastern sector—fewer patrols.”
Lilith nodded and adjusted her course, following Sera’s lead. For nearly an hour, they flew in relative silence, the landscape changing beneath them from dense forest to rolling farmland, then to increasingly barren scrubland as they approached the border.
As they soared over the desolate terrain, something nagged at Lilith’s mind. Certain formations in the landscape—a particular bend in a river, the silhouette of a distant mountain range—stirred vague memories.
“I know this place,” she murmured, almost to herself.
“My Lady?” Sera asked, gliding closer.
“These landmarks,” Lilith explained, gesturing to the terrain below. “They’re familiar, but… different. Like seeing a place you visited as a child, now changed by time.”
Indeed, the geography bore similarities to what she remembered from Infinity, but the scale felt off—distances stretched further, mountains taller, valleys deeper than in the game. Yet the fundamental patterns remained recognisable, like faded echoes of her virtual memories.
“There,” Sera pointed ahead, where the scrubland abruptly ended. “The border.”
The transition was startling. A jagged line stretched across the landscape where green-brown scrubland met ashen grey wasteland. No wall marked the boundary—none was needed. The corruption of the land itself created a natural barrier more effective than any human construction.
They crossed over, and Lilith felt the change immediately. The air grew heavier, thicker somehow, carrying a metallic tang that coated her tongue. Yet paradoxically, energy surged through her body—a tingling, electric sensation that made her feel more alive, more powerful.
“Home,” she whispered, the word escaping unbidden.
Beside her, Sera shuddered visibly but maintained her flight. “Are you alright?” Lilith asked.
“I’m fine,” Sera replied, though her voice sounded strained. “Half-demons can tolerate the Wastelands better than humans, but it’s still… a bit uncomfortable.”
Lilith nodded, scanning the horizon. The desolation stretched in all directions—blackened earth, twisted vegetation, and occasional ruins jutting from the ground like broken teeth. In the distance, violet lightning crackled between ash-coloured clouds, illuminating the landscape in brief, eerie flashes.
Something prickled at the back of Lilith’s neck—a sensation of being watched. She turned sharply, eyes narrowing as she searched the skies and ground below. Nothing moved except dust devils swirling across the barren plain.
“Is something wrong?” Sera asked.
“I’m not sure,” Lilith replied, still scanning their surroundings. “I feel like we’re being observed.”
Sera tensed, her own gaze sweeping the area. “I don’t see anything, but that doesn’t mean much. The Wastelands have ways of hiding things that don’t want to be seen.”
After another moment of vigilance revealed nothing, Lilith reluctantly turned forward again. “Let’s continue, but stay alert.”
“From here on, I’m afraid my knowledge becomes limited,” Sera admitted. “I’ve never ventured deep into the Wastelands—only along the borders where I guided refugees.”
“You’ve done more than enough,” Lilith assured her. “I can take it from here.”
Lilith reoriented herself using the landmarks she recognised, calculating where Umbra—the capital of Nocturne—should lie. If her memories from Infinity translated correctly to this world, they needed to head northwest, toward where a mountain range rose in the distance, its peaks shrouded in perpetual storm clouds.
“This way,” she said with newfound determination, adjusting their course.
As they flew deeper into the corrupted lands, Lilith couldn’t shake the feeling of unseen eyes tracking their movement. Whatever—or whoever—was watching remained hidden, biding their time.
* * *
The sensation of being watched intensified with each mile they flew deeper into the Wastelands. Lilith’s wings cut through the corrupted air with practiced ease, but her mind remained unsettled.
“Enough of this,” she muttered under her breath.
Lilith closed her eyes mid-flight, her fingers tracing arcane patterns as she focused her will. Amber light flickered beneath her eyelids as she invoked the Sixth Sense spell. The magic spread through her consciousness like warm honey, heightening her awareness of potential threats.
But the results were frustratingly vague—a muddy impression of pursuit, nothing more. Too many competing dangers in the Wastelands created a cacophony of warnings that blurred together. Her spell detected dozens of potential threats—venomous plants that could spray acidic pollen, territorial wyverns nesting in distant crags, carnivorous fog that hunted in the valleys below—all creating magical static that obscured the specific presence stalking them.
“Dammit,” she hissed, opening her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Sera asked, adjusting her magical wings to glide closer.
“Someone’s following us. I can feel it, but I can’t pinpoint them.” Lilith scanned the horizon again.
Sera’s expression tightened with concern. “Should we change course?”
“No,” Lilith replied, frustration edging her voice. “I’d need to get closer to identify whatever’s tracking us, but…”
She glanced at Sera, suddenly aware of her companion’s vulnerability. In the game, decisions had been simple—risk meant potential reward or, at worst, respawning after death. But this was reality now. Sera wasn’t an NPC or a disposable ally; she was a living person who could be permanently harmed or killed.
The thought stirred uncomfortable questions in Lilith’s mind. What were the true power dynamics of this world? In Infinity, her character had been among the strongest players on the European server—a level 200 demon empress with legendary gear and maxed skills. But did that translate here? What if something in these Wastelands outclassed her?
She could probably escape almost anything with her teleportation magic if threatened, but Sera lacked such options. The protective spells Lilith had cast on her companion would only do so much against a truly powerful enemy.
“My Lady?” Sera’s voice pulled Lilith from her thoughts.
“We continue to Umbra,” Lilith decided. “With luck, whatever’s following us will lose interest before we reach the mountains.”
They adjusted their altitude, flying lower to use the twisted terrain for partial cover. Lilith kept her senses alert, occasionally casting glances behind them. The corrupted landscape beneath them grew increasingly bizarre—pools of liquid that defied gravity, flowing upward in spiralling columns; forests of crystallised trees that chimed discordantly in the wind; and vast fields where the ground itself seemed to breathe, rising and falling in slow, hypnotic rhythms.
In the distance, the jagged silhouette of the mountain range grew more distinct. Somewhere among those peaks lay Umbra—or what remained of it. Lilith’s heart quickened at the thought of seeing her capital, even as she reminded herself it wouldn’t be the magnificent city she remembered from the game.
“We should reach the foothills before nightfall,” she called to Sera.
As they pressed onward, Lilith couldn’t shake the feeling that their unseen watcher was growing bolder, drawing closer with each passing mile. Whatever it was, it showed no signs of turning back—and Lilith feared a confrontation might be inevitable before they reached the ancient seat of her power.