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“But there isn’t any life here,” I whispered, a pit of dread building in my stomach.

“That’s not completely true,” Leo said, walking toward a small mound of black rocks that sat underneath a sky of deep-purple clouds, volcanoes sputtering purple flame far off in the distance. He crouched to the ground, burying his hands deep into the rocks.

As soon as he closed his eyes, I knew what he intended to do, the feeling of sandpaper itching beneath my palms, the rock calling to me.

It wasn’t like One, or any of the nine Earths. It felt dangerous, almost evil, whispering to me like a nightmare lullaby, begging me to give it life.

“Leo, stop. This doesn’t feel right,” I said, trying to stay calm, as Adrian came to stand beside me. He might not be able to feel the earth like us, but he knew this place was wrong.

Leo didn’t heed my advice, only shifted his hands deeper into the earth, the rock rising above him, spinning like a cyclone into the form of a body.

I gasped as the rocks fell into place, creating a two-legged creature. Its eyes unseeing, staring into the void of the hellscape. The empty pits where its eyes should have been, glowing purple.

Leo smiled. “Extraordinary, isn’t it?”

Adrian stepped in front of me, partially blocking my view of the beast Leo had just created.

“I’ve named them Decodons, out of respect for this place.”

Adrian’s voice was angry and made me jolt when he spoke. “What is the purpose of this?”

Leo looked surprised to find Adrian upset. Then he noted the way Adrian had positioned himself in front of me, his eyes landing on the ring on Adrian’s finger, then darting to my own hand, to the gold that sat there.

Leo’s own voice turned angry. “What have you two done?”

Adrian didn’t miss a beat, not caring if Leo was angry. “We’ve wed. We meant to tell you, when the time was right.”

Leo laughed coldly. “When the time was right? You mean when I was done mourning the death of my parents? You thought now was a good time to marry my fucking betrothed?”

“The theatrics aren’t necessary,” Adrian sneered. “We all know you two never intended to go through with your arrangement.”

“Is that so?” Leo asked, looking to me.

I kept my voice neutral. This wasn’t the place for this conversation. Leo wasn’t himself here. “You’ve taken lovers, Leo, and I’ve chosen to do the same.”

“With my best friend?” He stared at me with disgust.

“I know the timing is bad, and I’m sorry for that, I really am, but I thought you would be happy for us. I love him, Leo.”

Leo shook his head, his face filled with genuine shock. “Who else knows about this?”

“No one,” I whispered, tears forming behind my eyes. “We wanted to tell you first.”

Leo’s eyes glowed purple. “Good.”

All of a sudden, the creature exploded, and rock speared toward me and Adrian.

Adrian shot a wall of fire in front of us, his flame purple instead of its usual orange, working to deflect the former body parts of the creature. On contact, the dark rock turned to hot ash as it sprayed us.

I yelped, throwing my hands in front of my face, doing little to stop the ash from singeing my skin.

Adrian grunted as the purple flame dove back beneath the surface of his skin, as if it pained him, before grabbing my hands. “Are you okay?” His voice was laced with fear as he brushed the ash off me.

“I’ll be fine,” I whispered, whipping my head to Leo. “Take us back home.”

“No.”

“What do you mean no? Take us back, now.”