In order to understand some of the weird and/or unique terms that I use in this story series, I made these glossaries, in which I try to explain what they all mean.

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Helena (Age 10): Yeah, I guess we should hold off on all the Necromancy talk 'til we go to Helheim and discuss it with the Drow, first…

Helena: You're sure that that “Go to Hell” spell of yours will take me to the Dead Zone, right? Because I'd hate to wind up in Muspelheim before I'm ready waste Balroth's sorry behind…

Necky: I'm positive. This spell is regularly used by the Drow, even in the Current World Order.

Helena: Alright then. Let's do this.

Helena had basically reached the limit of what she could learn concerning Dark Magic in Midgard, and so she sought to learn from the greatest living users of Dark Magic: the Drow.

The Drow—also known as Dark Elves—are second only to Dragonkin in their mastery of Dark Magic, and being naturally gifted in Dark Magic herself, Helena sought to train with them, as well as to ask them about her theories concerning the idea of Necromancy.

When Helena cast the Dark Magic spell “Go to Hell” that Necky had taught her, a Wyrmhole as black as night appeared directly in front of the two, leading to the dark underworld known as Helheim.



They arrived in the small quiet region of Helheim known as the "Dead Zone", which was a buffer zone of sorts that exists between the Dark Elven queendom of Svartalfheim and the Demon-infested hellscape of Muspelheim.

Although a normal Human would be unable to see anything in the supernatural darkness that exists throughout Helheim, Helena could see as clearly as she could during daytime on the surface, if not clearer.

Above there was nothing but pitch blackness where the sky would normally be, and the “ceiling” of Helheim was so far above her that she could shoot a bolt of magic upwards and never see or hear the impact of it blasting against it.

The ground around here wasn't that different from the inside of a cave. It was rocky, and despite the absence of stalactites, stalagmites and small pools of pristine-looking water could be seen all around.

There wasn't much in the way of “plants”, but various types of mushrooms and other fungi—many of which glowed in the pitch blackness, and some of which were as large as trees—could be seen, as could small and unusual-looking creatures, such as small insects, crustaceans, and salamanders, all similar to those seen in deep caves on the surface.

Helena: So the Dead Zone is basically just like a big ol' cave with no ceiling, huh?

Necky: There is technically a ceiling, although it is dozens of miles above us, and so it is rarely ever a factor in life here.

Helena: I'm assuming you've reached it before when flying though, right?

Necky: Yes, I have. It is actually quite different than the ground here. It is almost entirely comprised of Dralgium, and it is completely devoid of all fungal life.



Necky: There are stalactites, though.

Helena: I see…

Helena: Well, I see that there are plenty of these tree-sized mushrooms down here, so I'm assuming if there are bats down here, that they probably perch under those instead of on the ceiling here.

Necky: Yes, that is correct, although bats are not actually native to Helheim, and were actually introduced here by some of the Vampire refugees who settled in Svartalfheim.

Helena: So the Vampires were the ones who brought bats to Helheim, huh? That's actually kinda funny, haha!

Helena: …I don't need to worry about being attacked by monsters or demons down here though, right?

Necky: The demons of Muspelheim know better than to enter the Dead Zone. Should any of them dare to enter, magical wards placed at the sole exit from Muspelheim will activate the alarms in Svartalfheim, and the powerful golems deployed here in the Dead Zone will immediately be sent to intercept the intruders and eliminate them.

Helena: I see… So despite the massive casualties that the Drow suffered during the Great Reset, they're got a pretty secure stronghold in Svartalfheim now, to the point where even this buffer zone is secure?

Necky: More or less. Exploring the Dead Zone isn't without risks, but so long as we stay on the path, we should be safe.

The path in question was the long path that ran between the entrances to Svartalfheim and Muspelheim. Helena's Wyrmhole placed her right in the center of said path, and traveling eastward is all that she needed to do to ensure that she reached Svartalfheim. Were she instead seeking to challenge the demons of Muspelheim, she would've headed west.

While on her way to Svartalfheim, she happened to cross paths with a solitary traveler headed the opposite direction. The person appeared to be a Vampire clad in black platemail armor, with a look of resignation on their face.

Helena: Hey, what's up?

Vampire: …

The Vampire stopped walking, but they didn't respond or turn to look at Helena at all. She turned to speak to Necky.

Helena: Is it safe for them to be headed to Muspelheim on their own like that? I thought you said that a typical Muspelheim raiding party consisted of at least 50 members—usually far more?

Necky: Yes, that is correct. Muspelheim is not a place that is safe for a solo adventurer at any level, save for perhaps one with royal blood.

Vampire: …Just leave me alone, OK?

The Vampire resumed walking towards Muspelheim.

Helena: Wait! You never told me your name!

Helena: I'm Helena Dusklight. Although I may look like a Vampire like you, I'm actually just a Human freak who was born with a Dark Element. And this Dracolich here is my besty Necrofyrmythyr, although I call her Necky for short.

Necky: Greetings, Vampire.

The Vampire paused again, and they turned around to face Helena and Necky this time.

Vampire: You want me to introduce myself? Very well…

Vampire: My name is Mel Greycloud, and as you can plainly see, I'm a Vampire.

Mel: …Now please leave me alone.

Mel began to turn around again to leave, but they were suddenly interrupted again by Helena.

Helena: Mel? If you don't mind me asking, is that short for Melanie? Or Melvin?

Mel: …Melancholy.

Helena: Oh…

Mel: Now like I said, LEAVE ME ALONE!!!

Mel turned around again and started resuming heading towards Muspelheim.



Helena: Do you think that Mel kid is gonna be OK?

Necky: Kid? They appeared to be in their teens, and given the immortal nature of Vampires—

Helena: I'm calling them a kid because they're acting immature. That, and I can tell that I'm both higher level AND far more powerful than them.

Helena grinned evilly.

Helena: …Anyway, do you think that they'll be alright? I'm pretty worried about them…

Necky hesitated for a moment, but then answered.

Necky: …No. Heading into Muspelheim on your own like that is essentially suicide. If the toxic miasma doesn't kill them, Cerberus will rip them to shreds before they can even make it past the 1st room.

Helena: I see… I'm going to go after them, then.

Helena: …Anything that I need to keep in mind before I go rushing in to save this fool?

Necky: Nothing that you aren't already aware of.

Necky: As I've told you before, Cerberus is a gigantic 3-headed Hell Hound that uses primarily Dark and Fire Element physical attacks such as biting, but has some limited magical capabilities as well. Your Freak Gene, Mana Shield, high Spirit stat, and Dark Element should be able to protect you from most of it quite well, in spite of the level disadvantage.

Helena: …There's no way in Hell I can actually take it down on my own though, right?

Necky: Not likely. Not at your current level, anyway.

As they headed westward towards Muspelheim, it progressively became hotter, drier, and harder for them to breathe, due to the ever-decreasing amount of oxygen in the atmosphere. Helena knew that this was going to become an issue once she entered Muspelheim, especially if she stayed in there for too long. And although Drowish raiding parties always had spells and equipment that allowed their members to be able survive in such an inhospitable environment, Helena did not have such things.

Helena stayed a distance of about 100 feet or so behind Mel, never letting them leave her sight. And as soon as Mel arrived at the cave entrance to Muspelheim, they entered immediately, without making any sort of preparations to deal with the demons or the inhospitable environment that lay within. Helena and Necky followed right behind them.

Immediately upon entering Mel was attacked by the Demon Lord Cerberus, whose sole task it was to guard the entrance to Muspelheim against would-be intruders. As the 3-headed beast charged towards Mel, Helena quickly rushed in front of them and was crushed in the mighty Hell Hound's jaws herself instead.

Mel: What the hell do you think you're doing?! I'm trying to kill these demonic scumbags who are responsible for me becoming a bloodsucking freak!

Helena: Don't be an idiot! You know damned well that if Cerberus were to land one clean bite on you you'd be dead almost instantly! Now get the hell outta here while you still can!

Helena took tremendous damage from Cerberus's biting attack, but her Freak Gene caused her Defense stat to match Cerberus' Strength stat, and her Mana Shield caused the damage to be taken from her tremendous pool of MP rather than her incredibly low pool of HP.

Helena drank a Mana Potion to restore her MP.

Mel: This is MY CHOICE! I can't go on living like this! My own mother hates me, and now that I'm a bloodsucking freak she has every right to! Just look at me!

Helena began to get incredibly frustrated with Mel's insistence on remaining in Muspelheim. She continued to take bite after bite from Cerberus' 3 heads and their powerful jaws, chugging Mana Potion after Mana Potion to keep herself alive, all to keep Cerberus' attention off of Mel.

Helena: I SAID “DON'T BE AN IDIOT”, DUMBASS! NOW GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE BEFORE I KILL YOU MYSELF, YOU MOPEY BLOODSUCKING HALFWIT!!!

Shocked and somewhat intimidated by Helena's suddenly harsh and threatening tone, Mel decided to run back out into the Dead Zone, and once they did so, Helena followed behind shortly thereafter.

Helena: Geez! What the hell is wrong with you, you dimwit?! What was all of that rubbish about your mommy hating you or some crap?! Even if that were the case, that's no reason to feed yourself to some 3-headed demonic freakshow!

Mel felt guilty for a moment for having inadvertantly put Helena's life at risk with their selfishness, and so they decided to apologize and explain things to her.

Mel: …I truly am sorry about this. I had never intended for you to follow me into harm's way, it was my intention to—

Helena: To die, right? My goodness! How freaking stupid can you be?!

Helena rolled her eyes at Mel, and they blushed in embarrassment at Helena's remark.

Mel: Well, why do you want me to live so badly anyway? Some sappy nonsense about how “everyone's life has meaning” or some rubbish?

Helena: …Are you saying that they don't?

Mel was surprised by Helena's response, but then replied.

Mel: Well, mine certainly doesn't. Nobody cares about me. Nobody loves me. Even my own mother wishes I had never been born…

Helena began to think about her own mother. Not her godmother, who she loved with all of her heart and knew loved her as well, but her birth mother: Angela Dusklight, who sacrificed her own life just to bring Helena Dusklight into this world.

Helena: …How do you know that? How do you know that your mother doesn't love you? Did she tell you that herself? Or are you just jumping to conclusions because she gave you a sad name?

Mel: I can just tell… Every time she's looked at me ever since I was a little kid, she'd always get this sad look on her face, as though my very existence reminded her of something terrible… It wasn't until recently that I had finally realized why…

It was just then that Mel realized that Helena was quite a bit younger than them.

Mel: How old are you anyway? You look like you're no older than 8 or something. Where are your parents?

Helena then pretended to be offended by Mel's remark.

Helena: I'll have you know that I am 10 years old, you ungrateful bloodsucker!

Mel blushed again out of embarrassment.

Mel: …Could you please not call me a “bloodsucker”? It's kinda rude…

Helena then smirked.

Helena: Oh, my bad. Should I call you a “bloodsucking freak” instead? Isn't that what you had called yourself earlier.

Mel blushed even more.

Mel: Just be quiet, you!

Mel: …Anyway, I suppose you're too young to understand why it is that my mother hates me, but let's just say that something really, REALLY bad happened to her, and that's the only reason why I even exist now…

Helena: I see… And you believe that every time she looks at you she is reminded of what happened to her before?

Mel: Exactly… It'd have been better if I hadn't ever even been born…

Helena: Yeah, I used to think the same thing about myself, until I realized 2 very important things…

Helena: First of all, Necky here helped me to realize that I have incredible potential, and that questioning the validity of my existence is counterproductive.

Helena: Secondly—and far more relevant to your own situation—I realized that it was foolish to second guess my late mother's decision to give birth to me. She knew that she was going to die if she went through with it well in advance, but chose to sacrifice her own life so that I could be born. What gives me the right to question her decision?

Mel was astounded by what Helena just said.

Mel: Wait… Your mother actually DIED giving birth to you?

Helena: Yup.

Mel: …And she KNEW that she was going to die ahead of time, and still decided to go through with it.

Helena: Yup.

Mel: Wow… That's some heavy stuff…

Mel: Well, you've certainly given me a lot to think about, kid, so thanks.

Mel: …Also, how the hell did you not get killed when Cerberus bit you all of those times?

Just then, Mel FINALLY actually noticed Necky behind Helena.

Mel: Umm… You can't see ghosts, can you? 'Cause there's this ghost of a giant skeletal Dragon right behind you…

Necky: Didn't you hear Helena introduce me earlier? I suppose you were too distracted at the time. I am Lady Necrofyrmythyr of Death's Eternal Shadow. I am a Shadow Dracolich, or a Shadow Dragon who has become a Lich, and Miss Dusklight is my apprentice, as well as my best friend.

Mel: …Say that again now?

Necky: I am Lady Necrofyrmythyr of Death's Eternal—

Helena: There's no need to repeat yourself, Necky, they heard you the first time. They're just being a goofhead, that's all.

Necky: Ah, my apologies.

Mel: So you're a 10 year old Vampire who has no parents and is best friends with the ghost of a Dracolich…?

Helena: Not quite. My birth parents are both dead, but I live with my godmother in an orphanage in a small town called Shadewood.

Helena: Also, I'm NOT a Vampire! I just look this way because I was born with a Freak Gene, and have a Dark Element.

Mel: Wait, you have an Abnormal Gene too?! That means you're basically—

Helena: Royalty, I know. And no, neither of my parents were of royal descent. Just your regular small town peasant folk.

Mel: Wow…

Mel was so overwhelmed to hear so many strange and unusual things about Helena, especially since they could tell that they were all in fact true.

Mel: You're a really special person, did you know that Helena?

Helena: Of course! How could I not?

Helena then started laughing, and Mel began to blush again.

Mel: Yeah, I suppose you're right…

Mel: …Anyway, thanks for saving my life, Helena. I'm still not sure that I deserve to be alive—especially now that I'm a bloodsucking freak—but you've certainly helped me to see things differently than I had before. And for that, I am truly grateful.

It was then Helena's turn to blush for a change, her cheeks darkening as the black blood that coursed through her veins colored them.

Helena: Eh, it was nothing. Just trying to do good deeds whenever I can like my mom taught me to, y'know?

Mel: Well, it means a lot to me. I'd be dead right now if it weren't for you, and perhaps for the first time in my life I'm actually glad that I'm alive.

Mel began to blush again.

Mel: Umm… I'm not sure exactly how to ask this, but would you mind if I kissed you? Like, on the cheek or the hand or something…

Helena blushed again, but then started laughing.

Helena: Hah! Seriously? So that's what you're angle was all this time, wasn't it? To pretend to be suicidal so that I'd come rescue you and you could try to seduce me with your vampiric wiles?

Mel: What?! Of course not! And what exactly are “vampiric wiles” anyway?

Helena then burst out in laughter at their reaction to her joke.

Helena: I'm just messing with ya! Sure, you can kiss me on the cheek if you want, since you are pretty cute for a “bloodsucking freak”.

Mel blushed AGAIN at hearing Helena call them a “bloodsucking freak”, but rather than responding, they simply leaned in towards Helena's cheek, and gently kissed it.

Helena: Wow, so that's what it's like to be kissed. Here, let me kiss you now.

Mel: Um, what?

Before Mel could say anything else Helena leaned in towards Mel's cheek and kissed them just as they had kissed her.

Helena: Interesting… Kisses are just as enjoyable to give as they are to receive…

Mel: …What?

Helena: Oh, don't mind me, hehehe…

Helena then beamed an innocent-looking smile at Mel.

Helena: Anyway, I'm assuming you live in Svartalfheim with your mom?

Mel: Yeah, I moved down here with my mom a few years ago, after I got infected with this damned Vampirism…



Helena: Well, me and Necky were headed that way ourselves. Would you mind if we walked there together?

Mel: Of course not! I mean, we're friends now, right? I've never had any friends before…

Helena: Yeah, I suppose we are, aren't we? And I've never really had any friends before either. At least, not unless ghosts, Goblins, and the elderly count.

Helena and Mel both smiled at each other, and then held hands and began to walk eastward down the path, heading towards the entrance to Svartalfheim.

The entrance to Svartalfheim was truly a sight to behold. An enormous black wall of pure Dralgium stood in front of Helena and Mel, reaching up into the nonexistent sky. Countless massive Dralgium Golems stood guard in front of it, and Dralgium Gargoyles were perched on ledges on the wall itself.

It was quite clear to Helena that if the demons ever hoped to invade Svartalfheim and to steal the remaining portion of Helheim from the Drow, they would need to use the full force of all of the Demon Lords and Demon Overlords to break through Svartalfheim's defenses, although this all also made Helena wonder how the terrible genocide that killed untold millions of Drow and drove them from western Helheim was ever even able to occur during the Great Reset 65,000,000 years ago.

Helena, Mel, and Necky approached the gate, and the giant, draconic-looking Dralgium Gargoyle that stood in from of it spoke to them.

Gargoyle: Greetings. I am the Guardian of the Gate.

The Guardian then looked at the three of them, and immediately recognized both Necky and Mel.

Guardian: Ah, I see you have returned Lady Necrofyrmythyr.

The Guardian then lowered their head low and bowed before the great Dracolich reverentially.

Guardian: Might the young Human girl there be Miss Helena Dusklight, that new friend of yours whom you told us all so much about?

Necky: Yes, that is correct. This is my best friend, Miss Helena Dusklight of Shadewood.

Helena then did a curtsy to the Guardian, and then they nodded approvingly.

Guardian: …And I assume you're young Mel Greycloud who left earlier today?

Mel: That's right. And this beautiful young lady saved my life, so I am quite indebted to her.

Helena couldn't help but smirk slightly upon hearing Mel say that, although she didn't respond to their flattering remark.

Guardian: I see…

Guardian: Anyway, it is quite obvious that none of you are a security risk, so I'll go ahead and let you all through. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Helena: “Inconvenience”? This was no inconvenience, I know that the Union of the Snake would like nothing more than to infiltrate Svartalfheim and to destroy it from the inside, so I know that you all have to be cautious.

Guardian: You know about the Union of the Snake? My goodness, no wonder Necky was impressed with you.

Mel: The Union of the Snake? So they actually exist? I guess us crazy conspiracy nuts were right after all, huh?

Guardian: Yes, they exist, and they're quite good at illusion magic too, which is why we have to be careful.

Guardian: They shouldn't even be able to make it down here in the first place though, as Balrothic Dark Magic is incapable of producing Wyrmholes that could reach Helheim like Drowish Dark Magic can.

Helena: …But what about the demons? They all got down here somehow, right?

Guardian: Well yes, but that was different, as it was some feature of Datenshi itself that had allowed them to do so.

Guardian: I'm not the right person to be having a conversation about this with, though. You'd want to talk to someone at one of the Mage's Guilds or the Darkweb Library about something like that.

Guardian: I will say that some of the more powerful demons can use illusion magic as well, though. So even if the Union of the Snake can't reach Helheim, we still have to worry about the possibility of one of them trying to infiltrate us.

Helena: I see…

The gates of Svartalfheim then began to open, and Helena, Mel, and Necky all passed through.

Helena: …You said once I've been to Svartalfheim I can just open Wyrmholes directly into there, instead of having to go to the Dead Zone every time?

Necky: Yes, that is correct.

Helena: Sweet!