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Thick, black and purple clouds spilled over the sky, like rancid fumes from a cauldron. They blotted out the light, and covered the ocean below in darkness.
A needle sharp pinnacle of rock jutted out of the ocean; a finger pointing towards the heavens. Standing atop this rocky spire was a figure garbed in black. Its face was hooded and cast in shadow, yet still exuded a mysterious beauty. It was tall, taller than a large man, yet still slender. Held aloft in one hand was a truly spectacular staff - purest midnight and slightly gnarled, toped with a delicate cage of wood holding a perfect black diamond prisoner.
The figure lifted the staff higher; a small break in the clouds revealed a glimpse of moonlight, which reflected off the diamond. Suddenly, bolts of darkness erupted from the diamond, flying in every direction. They penetrated the clouds above, becoming rolling thunder and cruel lightning. As these vicious conductors of storms began their prelude, the figure pushed back its hood, to reveal a hellish image.
She was beautiful, in a dark and savage way. Her long hair was like fresh black ink, dripping down her back. Huge, bat-like wings spouted from her back; ebony, trimmed with sea green and tapering into points above her shoulders. Her cerulean eyes stared coldly, with a harsh cruelty about them, like a hunting hawks. Her complexion was the colour of paper; pure white, unblemished except for a long stitched wound that curved along one angled cheekbone, marring her otherwise stunning visage. Her lips were dyed coal black, and her eyes were shaded with shadows and soot and rimmed with night. She grinned evilly, revealing wickedly sharp, curved teeth, paler even than her skin. Her clothing was unique; a swaying skirt of sooty black, and a bodice that was blushed with night, and edged by a spiked fringe of turquoise green. A heavy cloak of dusty black was wrapped over her frame with an oversized hood.
She lifted the staff higher, stretching out her wings to fill them with the tense air of the storm. The sea round her was restless; it whispered her name 'Slethina, Slethina.' it murmured, slapping the base of the pinnacle. Slethina closed her eyes, breathed in deeply, and stood completely still. After a few seconds, her eyes snapped open and a solid stream of darkness burst forth from her staff, pouring into the ocean and polluting the sky. Thunder crashed loudly across the sky, signalling the beginning of the end.
Slethina conducted the ungodly storm with glee. As thunder boomed all around, setting the tempo, lightning lashed down like burning whips, recoiling the moment it touched the ocean. Rain roared down in icy torrents, and the gale screamed in harmony with it. The sea became a furious beast, foaming at the mouth with rage. Waves taller than mountains rose and fell in time with the thunder. Insanity gripped the maddened sea, and it began to swirl faster and faster in the depths of its fury. As it gained speed, a dip appeared in the very centre. It grew and grew, becoming deeper as the velocity of the water increased. Slethina's eyes lit up when she saw this, and spurred the storm on.
Slowly, a pulsating darkness appeared from the core of the sea. It rose up shakily, and as it did so the storm ceased. A dead calm overtook the sea, the heavy clouds dissolved, the rain halted and the gale dropped. Yet the centre of the ocean remained open; a gaping wound in the expanse of water. The pulsating darkness that had emerged now hung silently in the air. It put out tendrils, feeling the atmosphere. Slethina leapt from the rock, flying towards it with outstretched hands.
She stopped short of it, hovering in the air. A tendril reached out curiously, feeling for her hand. Awe filled her face, and she held out her hand, dumbstruck. The dark finger traced it delicately, feeling the faint lines on her palm and the sharpness of her nails. At last the tendril dropped, and Slethina hesitantly reached towards it. When she was met with no resistance, she touched it, caressing the darkness with gentle fingers. As she trailed her hand down the creature, the pulsating grew stronger, pushing forwards to meet her. Slethina pressed her fingertips to it, feeling the strong beat. Thump. Thump. Thump. The warm rhythm seemed to ignite something wicked deep within Slethina's heart, and menace entered her eyes. Her fingers flexed and she plunged her fist into the innocent before her.
The resulting scream made the ocean shudder with pain. She twisted her hand viciously inside the darkness, searching. Finally, she grasped what she had been looking for. Anchoring her nails into it, she wrenched it out.
Nestled in her palm, glistening with black blood, was a dark blue orb. A faint light throbbed weakly within it, dying in Slethina's clutches. She couldn't believe it ' she held the heart of the sea in her hands. The light within the heart flared brightly one lat time, before it extinguished.
The sea immediately turned black, stained with crimson. A terrible tempest tore across the evil water. The raw wound at the centre of the sea grew wider, revealing the sandy bottom. A thick fissure appeared, and cracked open. An enormous, roaring blackness erupted from it.
It burst forth with such force that the inky ocean was sprayed everywhere. Black foam stained Slethina's white skin. Streaming out of the fissure was living night; it twisted and turned as it writhed through the sky. Once all of the hellish substance had emerged, demons and fiends began clawing their way up into the world, belching fire and mauling the land with their talons. Winged beasts, neither bird nor dragon, shot out of the fissure and screeched joyously at the storm covered sky. Slethina closed her eyes and smiled, basking in the evil around her.
She stretched forth her staff, and implored the hell beneath her. 'Behold this earth that I have unveiled to you! Feel its purity, its beauty and its innocence. Savages of Satan himself, follow me, and I shall lead you triumphantly into this rich world. Together, we shall crush the goodness from the rocks themselves! My friends, we shall live as kings!'
Once she had spoken the living night drifted closer. It spoke in a voice that reverberated through her. 'You intend to use us as mere soldiers in your quest for power? You would enslave us though you have just freed us from eternal torment? Hell was better than your dark designs.'
Slethina immediately became worried. 'No! No, I mean not to enslave you. I released you so you could aid me in my conquest. When we hold dominion, we shall rule as one.'
The darkness seemed to consider Slethina's offer. 'But you still intend to use us for the destruction of this world? Whether we agree or not?'
'Yes, but the rewards will be great. Also I am sure the dumb beasts and demons would appreciate ravaging a prosperous land like this one.'
As Slethina spoke, the living night swelled and darkened with fury. 'You dare to call my children half-witted brutes, driven solely by violent instincts?'
Slethina paled, if possible, and trembled before the rage of Hell. Her wolfy white teeth bit into her perfect black lip. The living night roared at her 'I refuse to accept an offer from a devious fiend! You defile me with your very presence. I shall take you where you belong! Hell!'
As the wrath of the living night overwhelmed her, she screamed once, but it was lost in the howl of hell. It reached out and smothered her, consuming her with its fury. With a rushing sound, the living night sucked itself and the spawn of hell back into the fissure, sealing it as they left.
The heart of the sea fluttered into life, glowing blue once again. As it did so, the angry black and red drained away from the ocean's surface, returning it to a flawless azure once more. At the very centre of the ocean, illuminated by the setting sun's rays, was a solitary black lily, drifting endlessly on the rolling waves.

Forever.