Max paused on the other side, waiting for me. I drew a breath, coughing out the dank scent of decay so different from the fresher air of the maji chamber. The atmosphere on this plane felt old, as though the oxygen was almost used up, some contamination poisoning it slowly. Death clung to every breath, though my magic kept me safe. Crumbling walls greeted us as we slowly made our way deeper into the gloom of night, a single moon overhead dull in the thickness of the gray that wasn't quite clouds. I stumbled before my demon, her power hushed and soft, leaped to my defense, her night vision bringing everything into focus. I looked down at the hunk of rusted metal jutting from the crumbling earth that had almost knocked me over, sharp edge dulled by age.
"This world is dying." Max's usually
