He wore a loose black shirt tucked into equally loose black pants and his usual boots. The sleeves were rolled up, exposing those veined, muscled forearms. The shirt was unbuttoned just enough to tease a glimpse of his chest. His hair was down, some of it caught in his horns as the wind whipped through it, the sky above crackling. The ground trembles a second later.
I gasp again, falling slightly forward into him. I straighten myself, looking around, and for the first time, I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy the realm we’d arrived in. Dark clouds loomed overhead, thunder roaring in the distance, and streaks of lightning danced across the sky. I see where Sariya got her inspiration. The air smelled of rain and fire, thick and charged. The ground beneath my heels was cracked and unsteady, as if at any moment the Earth beneath us might split open.
“Welcome to Stormravan,” Korithax whispers in my ear, tucking a strand of hair behind it. “The realm that provides storms and natural disasters to Earth.”
“This is… definitely different from the other realms,” I say, shivering.
“Yes. It would appear Sariya didn’t think her little plan through when she chose your outfit.”
I laugh. “Clearly, she was too focused on how much of an idiot you are.”
He frowns. “Yes. I am.”
Another tremble shakes the ground, causing me to yelp in surpise.
Korithax huffs a laugh. “Come on, little flower. Let’s go meet our host. He’s... not like the other rulers you’ve met. Brace yourself.”
We walk across the dark,cracked path toward the looming castle ahead. It matches the realm perfectly—towering and jagged, as though it had been carved straight from a volcano mid-eruption. Thunderclouds circled above the spires, lightning cracking across the sky with violent flashes. Lava flows down grooves etched into the stone walls, pooling into glowing channels that disappear into the ground. At the entrance, tall gargoyle-like soldiers stand guard. Massive, winged, and stone-skinned, with glowing eyes and molten veins beneath their obsidian armour. They bow as we approached.
“These are the creatures born from Hell,” Korithax explains quietly. “They were sent here to help protect Vor’Khar’s realm. Because he’s such a powerful and destructive ruler, his lands often come under scrutiny and attack. Vor’Khar isn’t evil—just chaotic. He doesn’t destroy for pleasure; it’s simply in his nature. Like lightning striking a tree… it just happens.”
I nod, absorbing it all.
“Every natural disaster you can think of—from earthquakes to hurricanes, to volcanic eruptions—is his doing. Not many people live here; most choose to relocate to Hell, where it’s at least less unpredictable. We have an open connection between our realms—his people and mine can travel freely if they can make the journey, as long as they behave accordingly.”
He gives my hand a soft squeeze.
“Due to the nature of this realm and its magic, I can recharge quickly here. We’ll only need to stay for a few hours.”
“Good,” I murmur with a shiver. “I already miss the peace and sun of Solara.”
The guards lead us inside, where a massive, cracked stone door slowly groans open. The throne room is large and terrifying. Lava pours in steady streams down the walls into glowing cracks in the floor. Lightning crackles across the ceiling like a pulse. And at the far end, upon a throne made of jagged rock and molten lava, sits the King. Vor’Khar.
He’s enormous. A towering, inhuman man, carved like a mountain struck by meteors. He has skin like obsidian rock, cracked with glowing veins of red, blue, and gold, each vein pulsing with an element: fire, lightning, and molten earth. His wings look like storm clouds torn into shape, and his eyes are a blinding white, like lightning frozen mid-blink. His smile revealsjagged teeth, the action making the sky above the castle crack and roar.
“Don’t stand on the cracks, little flower,” Korithax mumbles. “They’ll burn.”
I nod, training my eyes on the stone as we move.
“Vor’Khar. It’s been a while.” Korithax says, nodding his head.
Vor’Khar nods once in return.
“Still a man of many words, I see. I hope you don’t mind my beautiful wife and me stopping by to recharge before we move on to the next realm.”
He nods again, another smile revealing those horrific teeth. Again, the sky outside lights up, thousands of lightning flashes blinding the clouds. Thunder booms so loud I slap my hands over my ears, grimacing.
“Thank you,” Korithax says, unfazed. “Is there a room in which we can rest?”
Vor’Khar grunts, the sound making the entire room shake.
“This way, Your Highness.” One of the guards rasps, his voice like gravel.
“Well, that was brief,” I whisper as we follow.
“Yeah, he’s not a man of many words. He just sits and causes chaos. What a life to have.”
I nudge him, laughing. “But if you had his life, you wouldn’t have me.”
