[Location: The Abyss – Layer 1: The Ash Wastes]
[Time: Unknown]
There was no sound.
No wind. No birds. No screaming crowds.
There was only the sensation of cold, hard stone against a cheek.
Damien opened his eyes.
He didn't see the blue sky of Elias. He didn't see the golden dome of the Divine Barrier.
He saw only grey.
The sky was a churning ocean of slate-grey clouds, heavy and oppressive.
There were no stars. In the center of the sky hung a massive, silent sphere of absolute darkness, a Black Sun, rimmed by a corona of sickly purple light.
"Alive..." Damien rasped.
His voice sounded wrong. It was thin, weak, like dry leaves scraping together.
He tried to sit up.
COUGH.
His body convulsed. A spasm of agony tore through his chest, feeling like someone had poured liquid nitrogen into his lungs.
He retched, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
Shockingly, his blood wasn't red. It was dark, almost black, sizzling slightly as it hit the grey dust.
