The Hellhound's Demon

Ghost of a Chance, Part III

The first thing Kali noticed when her word brightened again was that it wasn't a light from a natural source, like the sun or moon, but it also wasn't fluorescent, like that from a light bulb. This light was unstable. It flickered and cast shadows around the room. It was then, when her eyes adjusted, that she realised it was flames. Flames that licked their way up and down the walls and ceiling, encasing her in a box.

A firebox.

The second thing she noticed was the thick rope around her wrist. Her breathing hitched and she looked from the rope to the sword in her hand, and then the walls. It was all piecing together inside her head, like a puzzle that was being completed in superspeed. She released the breath she was holding and closed her eyes as her shoulders sagged under the reality of her biggest fear.

"Hello again, Maeve," said a voice. One that Kali hadn't heard in over four years. She inhaled deeply and exhaled as she opened her eyes, her gaze locking onto his across the room.

Imperious.

"I thought I was done with you," Kali grumbled, her hand tightening around the hilt of her sword. "What is this? Why are we back here?"

Imperious smiled. His bandaging fluttering in the non-existent breeze. "You tell me," he said. "You're the one that created this place."

"Why would I trap myself here with you, of all people?" Kali asked. "This arena was destroyed the first time we fought in it."

Imperious laughed. "This place isn't real, little one, it's inside your head," he said. "It will always exist as long as you continue to come back here. So, tell me, why are we here?"

"If I knew the answer, and I don't, why would I tell you?" Kali asked. "Why would I even think of you? You're dead."

"Only in body. In spirit, I'm still with you," said Imperious. "I mean, we are the same blood, aren't we?"

"That's all we have in common," said Kali, shaking her head.

"Are you sure?"

Kali grit her teeth. The pressure on her sword hilt increased, and she felt the fabric of the sword pressing roughly against her palm. "We've been over this!" she snapped. "I am nothing like you. You're evil, I'm not. You lied to your fiancé, I -"

She broke off, her eyes widening. Now she understood why she had thought of this place, why she was stuck here with Imperious of all people.

Imperious grinned. "Go on, little one," he encouraged. "Finish what you were going to say. I lied to my fiancé, and you - what? You don't lie? You've never lied in your life? Not to you adoptive family? Your friends? What about your team-mates?" His eyes glinted maliciously.

Kali swallowed.

Imperious laughed.

This wasn't fair. Yes, she had lied to all those people, but she hadn't done it to hurt them. She had done it because she had to, because she needed to protect herself. Right?

"Say it, little one, say it with me - I am just like my father," said Imperious.

Kali felt her heart drop and tears appeared in her eyes. "No," she whispered. "No. I'm not like you."

"Are you sure?" Imperious asked. He was now less than a foot away and pressing in with every word he spoke. She could feel the cold air circling around him, the cause for his fluttering bandages, seeing as there was no air in the room itself.

But, wait, there had to be room for the fire to continue burning, right? Fire couldn't burn without a continued source of fuel. Fire liked to eat oxygen, so where was the oxygen coming from?