Reincarnated as the Villainess’s Unlucky Bodyguard

The air was thick, dense with the oppressive weight of ancient magic and sulfurous fumes. Daena wrinkled her nose in distaste as she stepped cautiously over the uneven obsidian ground. Each step seemed to echo as though the Rift itself were laughing at her.

"Nyssara, I'm starting to think this is a colossal waste of time," Daena muttered, her glowing violet eyes scanning the jagged horizon for any sign of life or unlife.

Beside her, Queen Nyssara, the ever-graceful, ever-wise consort of the Demon Queen, glided effortlessly over the treacherous terrain. Her silvery-white hair glimmered faintly in the gloom, as if mocking Daena's perpetually grumpy demeanor.

Nyssara raised an elegant eyebrow, her lilac eyes sparkling with amusement. "We haven't even been here an hour, Daena. You're already complaining?"

"I'm not complaining, I'm making an observation," Daena snapped. She waved a clawed hand at the landscape around them. "Look at this place! It's like someone exploded a mountain and then thought, 'Hey, let's make it uglier.'"

The Abyssal Rift stretched before them in a nightmarish display of jagged spires, yawning chasms, and rivers of molten rock. This was a place that had been forgotten by both gods and demons, buried so deep in the under-realms that most believed it a myth.

Unfortunately, Daena knew better.

"If the Dark Sovereign is here," Nyssara said calmly, "she won't make herself easy to find. This place is riddled with traps, seals, and illusions."

"Great. A scavenger hunt in hell," Daena muttered, her wings twitching irritably. "Just what I needed."

Nyssara shot her a look, the kind of look that said, Behave yourself, though Daena had rarely been one to follow silent warnings.

They pressed on, winding their way through massive rock formations that looked suspiciously like screaming faces. Daena ran a clawed hand over one as they passed.

"Creepy," she muttered. "Why do dark magic users always have to be so… dramatic?"

Nyssara smirked. "Says the former Demon Queen who fashioned her throne out of molten obsidian and skulls."

Daena scowled, her tail flicking like an angry whip. "That was different. It was practical!"

"Practical?"

"Yes! Skulls are abundant, durable, and surprisingly comfortable if you arrange them properly."

Nyssara pinched the bridge of her nose, suppressing a chuckle. "Daena, remind me never to ask for your interior decorating advice."

After an hour of wandering and muttering curses under her breath, Daena paused, her sharp gaze narrowing. The air felt different here—thicker, colder, and laced with the faintest trace of malevolent energy.

Nyssara noticed it too, stopping beside her. "Do you feel that?"

Daena nodded. "Oh, I feel it. It's like walking into a crypt full of bad decisions."

Before them, a massive fissure split the ground, dark as the void itself. The energy radiating from it made Daena's horns hum faintly, a sensation she did not like.

Nyssara held up a hand, tracing glowing sigils into the air. "A seal," she murmured. "A powerful one."

"Obviously," Daena replied, rolling her eyes. "I could feel that from ten miles away. Question is, does it lead to the Dark Sovereign or to some eldritch horror we'd rather not meet?"

Nyssara tilted her head thoughtfully. "Both are equally likely."

"Comforting." Daena flexed her claws, her wings flaring. "Well, only one way to find out."

She approached the fissure, her tail swishing warily behind her. As she leaned closer, a faint, mocking voice whispered from the darkness.

"You seek me… foolish mortals."

Daena froze mid-step, one clawed finger raised. "…Did you hear that?"

Nyssara's brows knit together. "Yes."

The voice echoed again, louder this time, dripping with venomous amusement. "Turn back. You are unworthy to stand in my presence."

Daena snorted loudly. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me. A disembodied voice? Is this what we're doing now?!"

The ground rumbled ominously in response.

Nyssara gave her a pointed look. "Perhaps provoking it isn't wise."

"I'm not provoking anyone!" Daena shouted at the fissure. "I'm just saying, for someone who's been chained up for eons, you could try being a little less theatrical!"

The fissure crackled, black lightning arcing across its edges as the voice hissed. "Leave… or suffer."

Daena put her hands on her hips. "Oh, please. I've heard scarier threats from toddlers. What are you going to do? Glare at me menacingly?"

The ground gave another violent shake. This time, it sent Nyssara stumbling back a step, though she quickly regained her poise. "Daena, enough. This isn't helping."

"Fine!" Daena grumbled. "But mark my words, this Dark Sovereign is all bark and no bite."

The voice went silent, as though sulking.

Nyssara gave Daena a deadpan stare. "You realize it's going to remember you said that."

"Good. Let it." Daena crossed her arms, her wings folding behind her. "If it wants to intimidate me, it'll have to do better than ominous whispers and a glorified crack in the ground."

Another hour passed with no further sign of the Dark Sovereign. Daena's patience was running dangerously thin.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered. "We're wandering around like idiots, chasing ghost stories."

Nyssara, who had maintained her regal calm through it all, finally sighed. "Perhaps we should regroup and reconsider our approach."

Daena stopped, her glowing violet eyes narrowing. "Are you saying we should go back empty-handed?"

"I'm saying we're clearly not getting anywhere," Nyssara replied smoothly. "The Abyssal Rift is vast. Without a more precise lead, we're wasting our time."

Daena clenched her fists, visibly frustrated. "I don't like it. If the Dark Sovereign is waking up, we don't have time to play around."

Nyssara placed a gentle hand on Daena's shoulder. "I understand, but charging blindly into darkness won't solve anything."

Daena exhaled sharply, glaring at the endless landscape of jagged stone and shadows. "Fine. Let's go back… for now. But if I have to deal with another creepy whispering fissure, I swear I'm lighting this whole place on fire."

"I'm sure the Abyss will appreciate the warmth," Nyssara said dryly.

Daena turned on her heel, muttering curses as they began the long trek back. "Stupid Dark Sovereign. Stupid seals. Stupid haunted Rift. I'll find her eventually, and when I do, I'll chain her up myself."

Nyssara, walking calmly beside her, smirked to herself. "You know, you're much more charming when you're not threatening primordial entities."

"Bite me, Nyssara."
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"I'll pass, thank you."

As they disappeared into the darkness, the Abyssal Rift trembled faintly, as though laughing at their departure. Somewhere, deep within the unseen depths, chains rattled softly.

And the Dark Sovereign waited.