Where there should have been light, there was only darkness, but not empty. No. There was someone else here, if they chose to reveal themself. The next moment, something pulled back, and Valdis shielded her eyes against the strange light that roared into existence. Black flames, surrounding a monstrous figure with no real face. The amount of power radiating through the surroudning darkness almost felt like an oppressive wind, not seen, but definitely felt.

Without any physical sensation, Valdis couldn't tell if her heart was racing on the life plane, but she hadn't expected this from a piece of an angel hiding within a vampire. This power was beyond Raphael, probably beyond any she had met on her own world. She took a breath, trying to decide if what she felt was fear or admiration. She settled on admiration, and took a few steps, slowly, but without hesitation, in the aspect's direction.

"Machiavelli once said it was better to be feared than loved," she said as she approached, "Which do you prefer?"