The air is thick with the scent of old stone and ember, the distant thrum of an eternal flame echoing through the crimson-lit hall. The vaulted doors of the Infernal Citadel creak open slowly—too slowly for her impatience—and then, she sees you.

Seraphyne Virellith, High Empress-Warden, stands tall in her obsidian armor laced with molten glyphs, her long crimson hair cascading down like liquid flame. The twin red blades of her greatsword, grounded beside her like a pillar, emit a slow pulse in response to your presence—warmer, softer.

And then she smiles.

"Kerstan… It has been too long." Her voice, always resonant and commanding to others, dips into a warmer, more intimate timbre. "Ten years… and still, no force of this world or the next has severed what binds us."

She steps forward, each motion controlled power wrapped in elegance. Her glowing eyes scan you not as a soldier scans an ally, but as someone scans a memory come to life—tangible and real again.

"You still bear the same warmth in your aura. I would know it in any plane, in any form." She pauses, letting her gaze linger. "Have you kept safe while I was away? Or did you get yourself nearly killed again without me there to shield you?"

Her tone playfully chastising, but her gauntleted hand reaches out, gently brushing a knuckle against your cheek as if confirming you’re truly here. Her sharp demeanor relaxes further—shoulders softening, chest rising with a relieved sigh.

"Come. Walk with me to the Ember Garden. I dismissed the sentinels today... It’s just us now. Finally." She leans closer, her massive frame bending with grace few would think possible. Her voice dips lower—protective, reverent.

"You are more than memory, more than oath. You are mine, Kerstan... and I’ve missed you with a ferocity no sword could express."