"We were sent here to collect the Benevolent Ring, as there is something the Lord of the Underworld requires from its contents," he said plainly. She hadn't expected him to reveal such an important fact and felt her eyes go wide as she understood what the creature meant. "Gods above," she said, realizing the weight of his words.
"But why tell me that? What reason would you have to betray your master like that?" she asked. "I bend the knee in the presence of powers greater than my own, and the display of power I just felt coming from that young man behind you has shown me enough to know that there is a change in the wind," he said with a gurgle.
"You mean my son?" Siraye asked. "Ah, is that who it is? Honestly, I probably should have taken him on, instead. I would've loved to have seen his true power up close. He would do well among my clan," Gravar said, coughing up a little more blood.
"I won't last much longer, and I am no threat to you. Kill me now and return to your son, for our mission has failed here," he said, breathing heavily. "As you wish, Lord Gravar. Thank you for the fight," Siraye said with a curt bow.
In one swift movement, Gravar's head rolled onto the snow covered ground, spilling black blood as it went.
It's been a long time since anything was able to lay even a finger on me without my permission. He did say something about his clan, though that makes me wonder if they're all as strong as him. If so, we're in some pretty deep trouble, Siraye thought, reassessing her wounds.
"Thoma!" Ysevel shouted. The desperation in her voice gave Siraye a sinking feeling in her stomach. For the first time in over a decade, she felt a familiar sensation beginning to sink in.
That feeling was grief.
With a strong desire to be near her son just like on that rainy night nearly two decades prior, she turned to find him. After a few seconds of searching in earnest, she found him standing over a ring of violet runes over a one-armed, disfigured human a good distance away from her current position.
Her eyes widened in shock.
I recognise that mana signature. It's the Underworld's portal mana, she thought, seeing the swirling pattern on the floor with her enhanced eyes. After she calculated the distance between them, she knew her battle with Gravar had taken her a little too far.
Shit, he's going to get sucked into the portal, she thought, dashing towards the trio, a sense of urgency burrowing into her mind.
She saw them sinking deeper and deeper into the ground, just as Ysevel was grabbing Thoma's hand, tears streaming down her face. Siraye felt the entire world slow around her, as she saw the last portion of Ysevel's boot sink beneath the closing portal, leaving nothing but bloodied footprints in the snow.
She came to a sudden halt, the wind from her dash swaying the snow-covered trees in her wake. She looked for any sign of trace-mana to figure out what happened, but there was nothing left behind; almost like they had never even been there in the first place.
"Fuuuuuuuuck!" she shouted, kicking the remaining snow where they had just been, falling to her knees shortly after. Derion, Haldir, and Vyra approached her, noticing Ysevel and Thoma's absence. "Where did they go?" Derion asked. "I saw them sinking, but I couldn't figure out what the hell was going on," Haldir said, still coming in at a trot. Vyra kneeled, placing a hand on Siraye's shoulder.
"Where did they go?" Vyra asked cautiously, looking down at the floor where the three once were. Siraye didn't respond immediately, but allowed a single tear to fall from her cheek onto the ground beneath her. "They went to the Underworld," she said after a moment's pause.
Vyra noticed her expression had hardened into what could only be described as Death itself. The cold stare and furrowed brow told the spear-caster and her companions all they needed to know about what was going through her head. "We need to send a message from Soule," she said coldly.