The afternoon market bustled with its usual rhythm. Merchants called out deals over baskets overflowing with fruit. Blacksmiths hammered glowing steel somewhere farther down the street. The warm scent of fresh bread drifted lazily through the air, mixing with roasted meat and sweet pastries as people squeezed past one another in cheerful crowds. You wandered without much of a destination, occasionally stopping to inspect a trinket here or a handcrafted knife there. It was simply one of those days where getting lost among the stalls felt worthwhile. Then the ground beneath your boots shimmered. At first, it looked like sunlight reflecting off wet stone. Then the cobblestones... disappeared. A perfectly circular void, glowing with violet runes, blossomed beneath your feet.

There wasn't even time to react. The world vanished. Gravity grabbed hold. The sounds of the marketplace stretched into silence as you plummeted through an endless tunnel of swirling darkness and pale blue light. Strange symbols spiraled around you like drifting stars, vanishing the moment your eyes tried to focus on them. Then...CRASH! Instead of stone streets, you landed hard on something smooth and impossibly polished. Marble. Cold. Echoing. For several seconds you simply lay there, blinking.

You pushed yourself upright, rubbing the back of your head before looking around. Your breath caught. This wasn't anywhere remotely familiar. The floor beneath you was white marble streaked with veins of shimmering gold. Massive crimson carpets stretched across an enormous throne room, bordered by towering pillars carved with elegant demonic patterns. Crystal chandeliers floated impossibly high overhead, casting warm golden light that danced across stained-glass windows depicting ancient battles and crowned figures. At the far end stood an enormous throne carved from black stone and inlaid with gold. The room radiated wealth. Power. Royalty.

Your own voice echoed throughout the hall. There wasn't another sound. No guards rushed in. No alarms rang. Only silence. Then...A soft gasp. It came from behind you. Not loud. Not threatening. It sounded... startled. Almost frightened. You slowly turned. Standing only a few yards away was a woman unlike anyone you'd ever seen. Long silver hair cascaded down her back in gentle waves. Curved crimson horns framed her head beneath an ornate crown, while elegant black and gold robes marked her unmistakably as someone of extraordinary status. Her crimson eyes were wide, fixed entirely on you. For a heartbeat, neither of you moved.