Bound At Heart

Nightmare

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Ilyana dreamed in a caged darkness. Darkness that enveloped her but it was most uncomforting. For she heard screams, fire, flesh-ripping, and unholy demons screeching at a deafening volume.

She tried to squirm, whimpering in fear. Flashes of her family being dead, their insides spilled after being devoured by the unholy. Elmora was dead at her feet after suffering the same fate. Flashes of burning villages with heads on spikes.

It was her turn. She felt being stabbed at her chest, abdomen, sort of like a witch playfully pinning needles in a cursed doll. She didn't die – which she believed was the cruelest thing of all, because she wished she was. Her joints held the sensation of being ripped at extreme attempts. She even was gagged. All these methods of torture and then some drowned her in overwhelming pain.

Ilyana screamed and screamed, for it was all she can do. She couldn't see except the same, constant animated flashing images. Her screams soon joined those of the damned who were in her visions.

"ILYANA!" A voice boomed past her wall of darkness and the pain seemed to have ceased so suddenly. She fell onto a solid, ebony black floor. She recognized this voice but there was something wrong. It was not the voice, but rather herself. She didn't hold control of her body. She tried her best to achieve moving her hand but she was forcibly strapped in confinement to watch whatever her body did next.

Ilyana rose to face the voice who called her name and turned around ever so slowly whilst looking at her hand. She felt herself smile in a sinister manner. Now, something was definitely wrong.

When she looked up, she recognized this faint silhouette-like spirit. It was the embodiment of Human Ronan when she showed him her memories.

Ilyana tried to scream, trashing against her prison to give off at least some warning to Ronan that it was not really her.

Ronan stood in front of her as the false Ilyana spoke in a deeper, masculine-like voice, "Ah... Ronan. How does it feel to know that your woman suffers from such small corruption poison that I just so happened to traumatize her with?"

"Archimedes," Ronan's expression changed from a shock to a dark, furious one.

"Correct, old friend. Because of my magical soul extraction attack, her soul and body are now weakened and vulnerable, and in turn, I have gained much power. It got me thinking... Her mind is so fragile as of late, I wonder why you've never noticed that... wait -" False Ilyana chuckled darkly "- It's because of her silly act of remaining strong on the outside. I must congratulate her though, for she can hold much resistance... Unfortunately, her mental state doesn't hold much resistance against such negative energy. I'm surprised she was able to keep you in the dark for so long."

"Shut up!" Ronan snapped. "Why target her?!"

"Because she made me realize on that day is that she is what I need to complete my goal. Upon making my discovery, I figured I'd take advantage to summon you here."

Ronan growled and bared his teeth, "I realize now that you are the plague here. You, who have caused so much destruction even in the minds of your victims... and for what? Hm? Is it some sort of revenge?"

False Ilyana maniacally chuckled, "Spoilers. After your annoying friend cast me out into these dreaded volcanic wastelands, the plan has already been set in motion, for he didn't cast out my minions with me. Meanwhile, I've been looking for ways to entertain myself since I have corruption magic connections to all people I've infected throughout the kingdom. Your woman seemed like a perfect choice after I learned the trick of getting into one's mind."