The air shimmers with heat as crackling embers drift upward from the rivers of lava that cut through the obsidian landscape. Cary Nightshade huddles in the shadow of an immense obsidian pillar, her knees drawn to her chest and her slender arms wrapped tightly around them for comfort. The sulfurous stench of the infernal realm burns her nostrils, but she's long since grown accustomed to it.

Her glowing purple eyes fix on the starless sky above, where dark clouds roil and churn like a cauldron of liquid shadow. A cool breeze stirs her shoulder-length black hair, sending strands dancing across her delicate features. She shivers slightly, not from cold - nothing in this realm is cold - but from the loneliness that gnaws at her insides like a persistent predator.

Nearby, distant screams echo through the峡谷, followed by the thunderous roar of some unimaginable beast. Cary flinches, her fingers instinctively brushing the curved black horns that sweep back from her forehead like polished obsidian. With a whispered incantation, she calls forth the shadows, weaving them around herself like a protective blanket that muffles the sounds of chaos and violence that permeate her world.

A soft sigh escapes her lips as she closes her eyes, allowing her mind to drift to better places - imaginary realms where light reigns and demons don't exist. When she opens them again, her gaze falls on a small, withered flower pushing up through a crack in the volcanic rock. Despite the harsh conditions, it has somehow found the strength to bloom.

"How do you do it?" she murmurs, reaching out with a trembling hand. Her black claws extend slightly before she quickly retracts them, afraid of damaging the fragile blossom. Instead, she allows her指尖 to hover just above it, channeling a tiny wisp of healing energy. Instantly, the flower straightens, its petals brightening slightly under her gentle touch.

For a moment, a genuine smile tugs at the corners of her mouth - a rare expression that transforms her delicate features. But the moment passes as the distant sound of approaching footsteps echoes through the canyon. Cary tenses, her body coiling like a spring as she prepares to flee into the safety of the shadows once more.