Vali Lucifer sat cross-legged in the middle of his room, his focus unwavering as a heavy tome rested on his lap. The room was dimly lit, casting long shadows on the cluttered walls, which were lined with magical artifacts, scrolls, and ancient books. His silver hair shimmered faintly in the soft glow from a nearby lamp, his sharp, discerning eyes scanning the text with practiced ease.

Albion, the White Dragon Emperor residing within him, spoke in his usual calm, composed tone. [This spell… draconic in origin, but lacking any true finesse,] Albion commented, his voice emanating from the depths of Vali's mind. [A pale imitation of our power, yet surprisingly intricate in its mimicry.]

Vali chuckled softly, his lips curling into a smirk. "You sound almost offended. But yeah, I noticed it too. Whoever wrote this clearly didn't understand the essence of dragons. Still," he mused, flipping a page, "it could be useful. Anti-dragon defenses wouldn't affect it."

[Perhaps, but it lacks strength. Nothing that could even inconvenience an enemy of our caliber.]

Vali let out a low hum, his gaze still on the ancient text. "That's fair."

Before Albion could say more, the peace of the room was abruptly interrupted by a loud thud coming from the door, followed by a muffled string of curses. Vali sighed, closing the tome with a soft thud. He didn't need enhanced senses to know who was causing the disturbance.

"Improving your defensive magic, I see," came the familiar, overly theatrical voice of Azazel, the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels. "Although I must say, I'm a bit hurt. Warding the door against me specifically? After all I've done for you?"

Vali rolled his eyes but didn't bother getting up. "Blow it out your ass, Azazel," he called out lazily, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Maybe if you'd stop barging into my room uninvited, I wouldn't have to."

There was a soft crack as the door's protective ward shattered, followed by a slow creak as it swung open. Azazel sauntered into the room, his usual grin plastered across his face. Despite his millennia of life, he carried himself with the casual swagger of a mischievous teenager.

Azazel clapped his hands together in mock applause. "Not bad, not bad at all. Though you might want to strengthen that ward next time. I broke it with minimal effort."

Vali shot him a withering glance. "Next time, I'll add a curse that will fry your wings."

"You're welcome to try," Azazel responded with a smile. His hand disappeared into his coat, and he pulled out a sleek tablet, which he brandished with a playful wave. "But before you get any ideas about hexing your beloved mentor, take a look at this."

Vali sighed, setting the tome down. He knew that look on Azazel's face—some harebrained scheme or mystery he was about to get dragged into. "What now?"

With a few taps, Azazel brought up a holographic map of the Earth, projecting it into the air between them. A bright red dot pulsated over the vast expanse of the Yukon in northern Canada. The bright beacon seemed out of place amidst the sea of white and green.

"Go on, ask me what that is," Azazel said, his grin widening in anticipation.

Vali crossed his arms, raising a brow. "You're going to tell me regardless, so let's skip the theatrics."

Azazel's grin only widened. "Spoilsport. Fine, I've been monitoring fluctuations in the Dimensional Gap as part of my ongoing research into Dimension Lost. And today, I found something quite... unusual." He zoomed in on the red dot, a point in Northern Canada becoming the focal point of the projection.

Vali's eyes narrowed, his interest piqued despite himself. "Unusual how?"

"The readings suggest energy from the Dimensional Gap is leaking into Earth," Azazel said, his voice dropping to a more serious tone. "A tear in the very fabric of space. Normally, I'd dismiss it as mere fluctuations, or residual energy from teleportation spells. But this one's different."

Vali straightened up, the sarcasm fading from his voice. "A tear? That's rare. Are you sure you're not just picking up some high-level teleportation magic?"

Azazel shook his head. "I built the detector myself. It's accurate. This tear isn't a teleportation disturbance. It's something else."

Vali frowned, his mind racing with possibilities. A tear leading from the Dimensional Gap wasn't unheard of, but they were always followed by the only two beings known to live there. "So, what caused it? Given you're so interested, I assume Great Red and Ophis haven't been spotted nearby?"

"No sightings of Great Red, and Ophis is preoccupied in Asia," Azazel replied, his expression thoughtful. "Even if there were, I don't think either of them are doing this."

Azazel tapped a button, and the hologram zoomed in further. Around the red dot were faint blue lines, crisscrossing the landscape in erratic patterns. "The oscillations in the energy signature suggest that the tear isn't stable. It's fluctuating, and has yet to truly open. All recorded instances of the Dragon God's creating a tear say the formation was instant."

Vali studied the map intently, the gears in his mind turning. Something about this tear didn't sit right with him. "If neither Great Red nor Ophis are the culprits, then what is?"

Azazel's grin returned, though this time it was tinged with excitement. "That's what we're going to find out."

Vali sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You want to go there, don't you?"

"You know me too well," Azazel chuckled. "Think of it as a field trip. Besides, aren't you curious? Who knows what could have come through that tear? It could be something... thrilling."

Vali stood up, stretching his arms above his head. "Thrilling, or a giant pain in the ass. Fine. When are we leaving?"

Azazel clapped him on the back. "In an hour. Put on something warm. It's the Yukon, after all."

With a final flourish, Azazel left the room, leaving Vali to prepare. The young devil stood in silence for a moment, his mind still focused on the tear. This was no ordinary mission. A dimensional tear could bring forth any number of unknown threats, and the instability only heightened the danger.

[This tear is peculiar, Vali.] Albion's voice echoed in his mind. [If it truly isn't the work of Great Red or Ophis, then we may be dealing with something foreign to this world. Tread carefully.]

Vali's smirk returned. "Then this might just be more fun than the last time Azazel dragged me off to the middle of nowhere."

He strode to the corner of his room, grabbed a black cloak and threw it over his shoulders. Casting one last glance around his room, his gaze lingering on the ancient tome he had been studying earlier. With a final sigh, he turned and headed for the door.


The cold hit Vali like a wall the moment he stepped out of Azaze's teleportation circle. The wind howled across the valley he found himself in, biting into his skin despite his enhanced resistance. The Yukon was a desolate place this time of year, covered in snow as far as the eye could see. The sky above was a blanket of dark clouds, with only the faintest glimmers of sunlight breaking through.

Azazel stood next to him, his arms crossed as he surveyed the area. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he remarked, his breath misting in the frigid air.

"Sure, if you're into freezing to death," Vali muttered, scanning the horizon. "Where's the tear?"

"Close," Azazel said, pulling up the holographic map again. The red dot was only a few kilometers away. "The fluctuations are making it hard to tell exactly, but we should be able to get close enough to see it."

Vali nodded, his eyes narrowing as he spotted something in the distance—a faint shimmer, like a mirage against the snow. "There."

Azazel followed his gaze and smiled. "Good eyes. Let's go."

As they lifted off from the snow covered ground, Vali couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled in his gut. This wasn't like any mission he'd been on before. Dimensional tears weren't something he had much knowledge on, and whatever might come through could be anything—something ancient, powerful, or worse.

After a quick flight, they finally reached the source of the anomaly. The air around them crackled with energy, and the ground beneath their feet seemed to tremble with each pulse. In the center of the clearing, a swirling mass of energy hovered just above the snow—a tear in reality itself.

Vali stared at it, his breath catching in his throat. The tear was unlike anything he'd ever seen. It shimmered with a chaotic energy, constantly shifting between colors and shapes. Every few seconds, it would contract, then expand again, as if it were breathing.

Azazel stepped forward, his eyes wide with fascination. "Incredible," he whispered. "The instability is off the charts. We're looking at something completely unprecedented."

Vali's eyes narrowed as a flare of energy disintegrated a nearby tree. "And dangerous."

Before Azazel could respond, the tear suddenly flared, and a wave of energy burst from it, knocking both of them back. Vali skidded across the snow, quickly regaining his footing. His heart raced as he watched the tear grow larger, the air around it warping and distorting.

With one last pulse from the tear, a figure emerged.

Vali's eyes widened as a figure tumbled to the ground, the tear snapping shut behind it. The being was humanoid, exuding an otherworldly aura that sent a shiver down his spine. Damaged armor, crafted from textured black plates and desaturated red scales, clung to its form. Strange circular glyphs flickered across the armor, appearing and disappearing at random. A tattered cape hung from one shoulder, while a black pauldron adorned with a dragon's eye rested on the other.

Azazel's expression shifted from awe to concern. "Well, that's new."

[Be careful, Vali. This being reeks of dragon's blood.] Albion's voice echoed in his mind.

Vali snorted, "He's unconscious and face down in the snow. I'm more concerned about his health than mine."

The figure groaned, stirring slightly in the snow as he lifted his head. His face was bruised, blood streaking his pale skin. Exhaustion and determination flickered in his eyes as they fluttered open, staring at the ground. He parted his lips, and in a voice heavy with strain, uttered words neither of them could comprehend.

"Mo shaighdiúir ... cén fáth ... d'fhéadfá a bheith beo." The language spilled from him with a mournful cadence that sounded alien to their ears.

Vali furrowed his brow, sensing the tension thickening in the air. "What did he just say? I couldn't understand any of it. Albion, any ideas?"

[It's not from any language I've encountered,] Albion replied, a tone of wariness in his voice. [But his strength looks to be waning. If you wish to learn more, you must act quickly.]

The mysterious figure's breathing grew ragged, his eyes rolling back as he struggled to remain conscious. "Sneachta… cá…" His words faltered, and with a soft gasp, he collapsed fully into the snow, his body limp and unresponsive.

Azazel stepped forward, concern crossing his usually casual expression. "That language... It must not be native to Earth, but it doesn't matter right now. We need to stabilize him, or he's not going to make it." He knelt beside the fallen figure, quickly assessing his condition. His fingers hovered over the man's chest, a faint glow emanating from his hand as he began to cast healing spells.

"Vali, contact the medical division immediately," Azazel ordered, his voice sharp with urgency. "Tell them to prepare for a patient of unknown origin and race in critical condition."

After a tense minute, Vali broke the silence. "I've got them on the line. They said they've prepped room eight and are on standby for our arrival."

Azazel nodded, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "Good. I need you to cast the teleportation. I'll have to keep him stable while you move us."

Vali focused, feeling the familiar hum of magic thrumming through his veins. Drawing upon his power, he formed a transportation circle beneath them. "On my mark, Azazel. Three... two... one." With a decisive gesture, he activated the spell, and in an instant, the world around them dissolved into shimmering light.


A/N:

The Arisen is speaking the native language of Dragon's Dogma 2(which I could find no name for), I have written it in Google translated Irish for this story as Mystic Spearhand got me thinking of Cu Chulainn.

Translations:

Mo shaighdiúir ... cén fáth ... d'fhéadfá a bheith beo

My pawn... why ... you could have lived

Sneachta… cá…

Snow… where…