Entering the Rift

Meanwhile, the Duke of Sleipnir got comfortable on the edge of the cave. Shortly after he'd disposed of the corpses by sending them into the rolling dark river below, some of Loki's staff came over. They were shocked to see only one person left in the cave.

"Um, your Excellency, where... where is the leader?"

"Hm?" Ethan turned and blinked. "Oh... he... how should I put this? He was too enthusiastic when he saw his experiment finally succeed. Look, the brilliant result of all his hard work is below this cliff. He didn't want to wait anymore and took everyone to follow him down. Which might have been the wrong decision, so to say."

The staff carefully crept closer to the cliff, and when he saw the darkness below, though it was more a creek than a mighty river now, his eyes widened. "Do you mean to say the leader is...?"

"Dead." Ethan nodded unemphathetically. "Most likely."

Unexpectedly swiftly, the staff got over his shock. For a moment, he pondered, then asked: "But the experiment was a success?"

"The portal has yet to be revealed and inspected, but it seems that way." Slowly, a smile emerged on Ethan's face. He knew all too well that Loki wasn't bound to the charisma of their leader - which didn't exist anyway - but to the purpose of their research.

While gazing down, furrows emerged on the staff's forehead, seemingly caused by worry. "Will the Dragsa kingdom continue to fund us then?"

"Well, they certainly won't reject me. I will soon be the king's son-in-law, after all." Ethan's smile went from mischievous to smug. "About everyone else, I don't know..."

The staff paused for a bit, then he raised his head to gaze at the man before him with a troubled expression. His eyes wandered to inspect the cave that was filled with scorch marks, blood, and broken equipment. It honestly did not look like a peaceful 'they just went to take a look at the experiment'. However, after a few seconds, the staff lowered his head in front of Ethan. "Would you then like to be the new leader, your Excellency? You are one of the leader's disciplines, after all. If you step forward, I am sure nobody else would dare to take the place."

"Oh, did the old man have anyone else? I only remember a few corpses... but anyway, I guess I've got no choice." Dramatically, Ethan sighed. "I can be the leader of your troublesome group. Now, can you please clean up this space a bit? It reeks, and I want to watch the last stages of the experiment in peace."

"Of course, your Excellency... leader. Leave everything to me."

Shortly after, the cave was cleaned, and cushions, strawberries, and wine were brought to the new leader of Loki. Ethan took all of it magnanimously but never moved from his place on the edge of the cave, his eyes fixed on the dark creek that was turning slimmer and slimmer.

Soon, the bottom of the canyon came into view. Below the cave was the broadest and deepest stretch. Ethan leaned forward, his head resting on his hands, the elbows on his knees. "I always wondered where she fell... if there was anything left to see. But, it seems like there is only stone - ah! What's this?"

Suddenly, he stretched out a hand and a line of fire fell down to the bottom, illuminating the darkness and a part of the canyon floor that seemed to be coated in various metals. Mostly, there was grey steel, but also a bit of bronze and silver, as well as a fine line of gold. Some jewels seemed to blink between the metal.

"Oh, I remember! She wore a golden hairpin that day, a phoenix design with rubies... what a shame it was all molten. She was such a beautiful madwoman... Bellatrix, Bellatrix, you really burned a deep grave for yourself. Well, I guess this happens when a nearly godly power is unleashed without restraint. Sadly, you fell prey to an even deadlier magic. This man really is something. So annoying. Really, too sad that you can't incinerate him as well anymore... I wonder who would've won in a direct confrontation. Well, both of you are nothing compared to my Kitty."

He laughed. The members of the organization close by felt a chill down their backs. They dared not interrupt the new leader's monologue, though they found it sufficiently strange. Everyone in their organization knew that this man was as dangerous as cold-blooded, and even more crazy. They made up their minds to only contact him for the most important decisions and handle everything else themselves. However, there just happened to be important news that they couldn't delay...

With a deep sigh, the staff from before approached Ethan's side. "The fight upstairs is nearly finished. I'm afraid there will be intruders soon. How should we react? Shall we pack up and leave?"

Ethan's brown eyes flashed with annoyance. "And leave the experiment to itself after we came this far? Are you dumb? Of course not!"

Flustered, the staff glanced at the other members of Loki that filled the cave. They were not trained to fight, and the soldiers they held back from the main battlefield for protection were not more than a handful. "What... do you propose then?"

Ethan shrugged. "What else? Fight, if you must. Anyway, time's almost up, so I'm going down now. See you later!"

Giving no time for response, Ethan started to climb down the cliff. Below, there was only a tickle of darkness left that was rapidly absorbed into a gleaming white rift that seemed like a portal in the air, half a step above the ground.

At the same time, Kate woke up Katherine. "Your time has come. There is only about a minute left before the darkness outside is gone. I don't know what will become of the rift afterward."

"Alright. If I ever want to reach you...?" She made hopeful eyes, yet Kate sighed.

"You can try to call my name, but it's unlikely that I will hear you. Even if, I won't be able to respond the way I can right now. Our dimensions are too different and too far apart. Though I hope you will remember me, nonetheless. Your visit here alone might elevate the connection between us, as it did last time. But now, you need to hurry."

Katherine nodded. Coated in her power, she approached the rift. Darkness was still leaking through, but the stream didn't seem as broad anymore. Mentally preparing herself, she set foot into the dark power. Where it met Kate, it shifted aside. Before Blacky could take conscious action, Katherine crouched down and into the rift, exiting at the other side. It felt no different than passing through a door.

As soon as she entered the real world again, Katherine could feel the strain on her power. She was still exhausted and sleepy. Rapidly orienting herself, she aimed to leave the remains of the dark river as soon as possible. Yet, when her gaze met another figure, she stilled, and her brows furrowed.

"You again. Surprised I'm still alive?"