Snowfield

The howling wind blew across the frosted landscape, snow falling around them in this land of extended day and knight. Amidst this blizzard, a woman in her royal raiment steps forth without a struggle, her entourage around her wear heavier furs and clothing to aid them in the blizzard, but the woman is unmoved by the swirling winds. They are looking to the horizon, where three faint red beams of light meeting the sky became just two. She paused, her boots crunching the snow beneath her. She could hear one of her mortal supporters suffering behind her, so she eases his pain by waving her hand and cutting off the blizzard abruptly.



Her curved horns sparkled in the freezing air like her dress as she stares off at the distant glowing lights emanating from a distant land, while another was closer to their region. She exhaled warm breath, looking at the closer beam of light that matched the same ruby color as her eyes.



"I wonder if she's trying to test me, building that... 'thing' so close to us." she says at last, before one of her supporters came to her side, wanting to know more about it. "It's nothing that concerns us..." she turned, heading the way they had come. "...yet. For the time being, we continue to build ourselves up. I want patrols out here daily to check on the crimson lights, since the mountains block our view." she then continued back, her entourage backing her up.

In the distance, hiding among the frozen dunes of the frozen polar wastes, a pair of.... pale white Cacodemons of the Hell Horde observed in silence Izmir's entourage. A slight hiss of confusion and a little anger eminated from one of the creatures at the sight of mortals among her group, but was kept at bay by the others, plus mental commands from higher demons far away.



After observing for a while, the creatures floated away and retreated into the stormclouds.

It was ten a new observer materialised from the misty glades and shifting tundras of the icy fields.

"The Winter Cacodemonssssss were right.... A conclave of eccccccccxiled Sssssssundered ones living with.... Mortalsssssss. Sssssstrange, and yet just what we need right now..."

Izmir paused, her entourage pausing with confusion, turning to the woman. She could sense something that the weaker demons and weaker mortals around her couldn't sense. Those of similar age to she and her long since deceased sister. She turned her head towards the direction of the observer, her lidded gaze turning to face the creature observing them.



She only continued to push forward without incident given her entourage currently present. "Its nothing." she lied to her allies, needing them not to worry for themselves or her own safety. "Let us return to the Keep, immediately." she declared. Her eyes shifting to the peripherals, still keeping a weary eye on the frozen creature.

The Wraith nodded, and smiled slightly. "I ssssenssssse.... sssshe wishes to be left alone. Perhapssss, ssssshe would not be reccceptive to an audienccccce with usssss." the Wraith said to itself as it faded into the mist.

"Then the only option would be to redirect Edgar's growing group toward her. Perhaps Danua can accomplish this." the Empress mentally communicated to her Wraith.

"Would that be wisssssse, your gracccccce? Issssss the little one ready? Her body and mind were ssssssseverely changed by the ssssssscientistssssss exxxxperimentssssss. Recovery may take a long time before Danua isssssssss capable of.... handling the emotion of ssssssseeing family again." the Wraith raised it's concern.

"*Sigh* I wish we had the time to make sure, Kryon. But with Verial's revival now certain, we need to set things into motion. There is no telling how little time is truly left before he reaches us, or 'them' And every Shard of hell we can recover is strength we need to help stop the monster..."

"I underssssstand, Your grace. I will have Tormentor prepare her once sssssshe reawakenssssss."