The Cavern of Nightfall was darker than Morana expected. Darker and hotter.

She saw just fine, since her eyes easily adjusted to the shadows. But the heat boiling from below was that of a volcano. It heated the air around her, making her choke on its scratchy heat in her throat. The rock of the tunnels was cool enough to touch, but offered little relief.

Heated, she threw her hair back and peered down at her feet. She was flattened against a wall, hands and toes clinging on small ridges as she climbed across a bottomless pit. There was no bridge or other path across, and Obsidian didn't fit through the narrow gap between the rocks she crawled through to enter. Most of the tunnel had collapsed during the war, either on purpose to shield the demons away, or as an act of vengeance by the allies. Morana found a path leading further down and it was spacious, but it forced her to traverse the abyss.

"Stars, it's boiling in here. No wonder my father runs so hot," she groaned, second-guessing her decision to come here, but her stubbornness kept her going. She was in too deep to turn back now.

Onyx fluttered around her, scouring the caves and cawing as if to cheer her on. He also didn't know if this was the right way down. They found an old map which Morana stole from the documents of her athair, but it only showed one entrance from the surface. This path might as well lead to a deadend.

But Morana willed herself to keep climbing. Precariously scooted along the wall and scraped her horns on the rough rock. Her grip was steady, trained by years of climbing trees and the Cliffs of Zephyr when Yeosang wasn't looking. She knew where to grab and her strength brought her across the depths.

And yes, Morana knew her athair would pass out if he knew what she was up to. That's why she didn't tell him. He thought she would sit something out for once, recover from the ghastly visions she witnessed in those orc tunnels. But truly, all that horror only spurred her.

Morana might not be in touch with her elven side a lot, but she felt with those prisoners. They weren't strong enough to defend themselves and if her athair didn't have his husbands, he, too, might have ended up there.

Morana could offer little help or empathy, hated the political side of things. But she could fight. And she knew that if the demons got ignored while the rest of the allies joined into a new empire, their hatred might just breed another community like the orcs. Even if they didn't want rape, they would want to plunder and kill, as was their nature. Any friend of the seraphim was an enemy of theirs.

Unfortunately, however, the demons were sealed away in their cavern, shunned by anyone else after their treason during the war. They hurt plenty of people, plundered and killed as if they fully supported the mayhem of the orcs.

But they didn't stick with them later on to brutalise the captured elves.

They had no one else to talk about a truce with. Mingi was shunned by their people and he couldn't go alone. If he went with someone else, however, he would get chased out.

So Morana took up the task. She needed to talk to the demons and find out what they were up to. If there was the slightest chance that they could maintain peace and apologise for what they did, Morana would take it. They weren't like the orcs. And it would be a shame to go to war with them or kill the folk Morana was so curious about.

Onyx had come with her on her precarious quest. Morana didn't risk Thistle getting hurt, so she told her to join her uncles. Her adorable little friend had peered up at her with drooping ears and big eyes, but she ultimately gave in and stayed behind in case Seonghwa needed her for goblin policies.

It was quiet in the heated caverns, but Morana wasn't lonely. Her curiosity about what she would find spurred her.

She climbed across another chasm, little rocks crumbling off beneath her fingers and disappearing into the depths. Onyx fluttered around her anxiously, unable to catch her in case she fell. As soon as Morana hopped onto the nearest flat surface, she hissed at her squawking companion.

"Shh, you will give us away!" She peered around the dark, hoping to catch a glimmer of light to lead her in the direction of people, but she was still shrouded in darkness. It had been hours since she entered the tunnel, but it kept leading down, so she stubbornly pushed ahead. Somewhere down here had to be some demons.

The echo of Onyx' screeches lasted a while, but Morana wasn't sure if anyone would hear it. If anyone even cared. The demons could have all murdered each other down here and nobody would have noticed.

So she kept climbing, following the caves deeper into the mountain. The demons liked to boil hot, but they didn't dig into eternity like the dwarves. She had to find something.

Another hour passed and while Morana wasn't getting cold, she was getting frustrated. How long could it take to enter their lands? Did they have no doors, no roads she could find for at least a hint that she was going in the right direction? She didn't tell Hongjoong where she was going, which meant she would have to climb all the way back up if she were to find a dead end. She would go insane if this led nowhere.

But as her rage simmered hot, she finally found something to go by.

At first, she didn't even notice the change in the air. She was busy rolling up her pant legs to combat the heat, since her elven side withered under the constant burn. Onyx perched on her shoulder and shared his thoughts of wanting to leave, so she dug out a snack for him from her bundle next, hoping to calm the bird before he would go tattle on her to her family.

When she straightened, she realised just how much her vision had improved since she came down here. An orange glow seemed to originate from the next dip behind the rock, illuminating the nearby crevices.

Curious, Morana drew closer, following the trace of fire so deep in the darkness. It brought colour back into the depressing grey pit and hope spurred her tired limbs when she thought she finally found her goal.

But before she could get to the source of the light, a shadow next to her suddenly moved. A massive silhouette peeled from the dark after standing there in complete silence, hidden in a gap of the rock. Onyx flattered off her shoulder with a cry for battle, but Morana had just enough time to whip around, not getting to draw her weapon against whatever lizard creature that might live down here.

The hand that snatched her ankle was massive, but it ended in five fingers. A moment later, its strength ripped the girl off her feet and Morana dangled upside down in the air. The ground was far from her and she kicked out, trying to free herself, but only a rough grunt responded to her.

"Hey! Put me down!" Morana yelled, struggling against the grip, but her captor didn't move to throw her into a pit or stabbed her, so she was also hesitant to grab her weapon. In the dim light, she could make out the shape of a towering demon male, and he had a spear in his free hand, but he wasn't using it. He just dangled Morana's smaller body in the air, studying her peculiar appearance.

"Oh? Little darkspawn girl. Did you get lost?" He finally realised why she looked as she did, and Onyx pecked at his ears to no avail. Morana flailed her arm, beckoning him to stop. They were in no immediate danger. A demon wouldn't attack one of their own right away.

"Ugh, I didn't come to fight. See, not grabbing my weapon," she huffed, showing her empty hands. The demon peered down at her curiously, at the rare dazzle of her eyes, the glow of her skin. Most darkspawn kids came from dark elves, so she was a sight to behold.

And yes, Morana was very aware she was gorgeous, but her leg started to hurt.

"What is your interest down here? Do we know you? Haven't seen you leaving," the demon mumbled, slow on the uptake that she came from the tunnels that offered no proper way out. No wonder they stationed that one in this corner. Just her luck to run into a guard.

"I'm here on royal business. Where are your current leaders?" Morana crossed her arms, trying to look as dignified as possible while she dangled in the air.

"Royal business, eh? You are one half elf too much for that. Who sent you, huh? You a spy?" He shook her warily, as if the secrets would come tumbling out of her pockets and Morana swayed in the air like a pendulum. She gritted her teeth against the urge to dig her horns into his stomach and show him about her elven side.

"I wish. At least I would have a reason to look at your ugly mug then," she grumbled instead, and the demon looked amused by her spite. She was much smaller than him, nothing compared to a real demon, and she had come alone. Still, she was confident to kill at least one demon if they bothered her.

"Big mouth for one like you," the demon commented and his horned skull tilted as he studied her anew. Morana didn't allow him too much gaping before he might realise why she looked familiar. None of his business.

"I mean it. I need to talk with your people. It's about your future and it might make you stronger, if that is what you want," she lured, and of course, the demon instantly contemplated her offer. Where power was, they were easily drawn, like dwarves to gold and gryphon-borns to mead. Stars, Morana missed the stormy air of the sea right now.

"The last time an elf made promises to us, it backfired. Tensions are high right now," the demon replied, and Morana scoffed. More than ten years and their tensions were still high? They almost needed an elf to govern them.

"Ironically, I know who you mean. But this is not the same. Hear me out first, then you can decide," she offered, since she was starting to feel dizzy from being shaken through the air. Onyx hopped over the ground by her feet, helpless in freeing her, so she hung her ground.

The demon contemplated her some more, but then he shrugged. No harm in letting her in, since she was just one girl against the mass of their people. If she bothered them, they could still eat her after.

It was a trap with no other way out; Morana was aware. But she had to do this. For her emmya, who would be unable to bring the demons back on his side.

"I like your grit, little girl. Go on, then. See if they won't rip you apart," her captor ultimately decided. He slowly put her down on the ground and Morana caught herself with her hands before she lowered her body to catch her breath. She didn't feel threatened by the demon, but such was the unexpected kinship of their kind. Her crawling in here meant she had enough guts to be worthy of hearing out.

The guard stared at her when she got to her feet, so Morana gave him an appraising look. If he tried anything weird, axe to the fingers. Hlin taught her that.

"Good on you. I'll put in a good word for you," she told him to gain at least one person on her side and he chuckled at her attempt to seem mature. When he nodded at the glow of orange, Morana dashed off, Onyx following close behind to pick at her wild hair like a fretting emmya.

But she gained entry, knew the demons were here now. So she eagerly slipped down the rock to go talk to them.