The sound of Damon's voice stayed with me even after Gia closed the portal to the Echoing Wastes. That endless pleading, caught in a loop of desperation.
"Please... someone... please..."
I stood in the grey mist of the in-between space, trying to push the memory away. Failing.
"You understand now," Gia said quietly. "Why the Harvester is so effective. Why people give up so quickly once they've been marked."
"Part of them is already in hell."
"Yes." She moved closer, her translucent form solidifying slightly. "But the Echoing Wastes is only the first stage. Once the host dies, once they finally give in and end their life in the Mortal World, their soul doesn't go to the Liminal Realm."
"It goes to the Shadow Depths."
"Yes. The second dimension of the Cilios Realm. Where Xarath prepar
