Alethea is a kind-hearted girl carrying the weight of the Magic Dimension on her shoulders. Read as she tries to find her place in a world full of chaos, while she herself is anything but. Adjusting to a life filled with danger when all she wants is...
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Alethea's POV:
I was back in my cell, and it felt like my world had collapsed in on itself.
I didn't know if he had taken the Water Dragon, but whatever had happened, it left me feeling hollow. Completely drained, like a part of me was gone. The connection I once had with Ghidorah, my Water Dragon, was so faint now, I could barely feel it.
I didn't have the energy to cry anymore. The tears had long since dried, leaving behind only this numbness, this aching void that swallowed every thought and feeling.
The bruises had spread, covering my skin in dark patches. Every movement hurt, but I barely noticed the physical pain anymore. I was too wrapped up in the mental fog that Shadow Haunt had cast over me. The constant drip of water echoed in the background, mixing with the low hum of dark magic that seemed to permeate every stone of this cursed place. I didn't know how long I had been here. Hours? Days? It all blurred together.
I just wanted the world to go away.
It had become routine. It was always the same—Darkar's monstrous servant would come for me, dragging me down the endless, twisting corridors to face Lord Darkar himself. Each time, I would feel the same cold dread sinking into my chest as I was brought before him. His dark magic would wrap around me like claws, tearing through my body and soul, trying to pull Ghidorah from me. Every time, I would fight with everything I had, clinging to what little connection remained with my Dragon. But every session left me weaker, my strength slipping away as Darkar's power chipped away at me bit by bit.
The door to my cell creaked open again, and I didn't even need to look to know it was time for another round. The creature—hulking and twisted, its glowing red eyes filled with malice—grabbed me roughly by the arm. Its grip was cold and unyielding as it dragged me down the familiar path, the stones beneath my feet rough and jagged. My body screamed in protest, but I couldn't even bring myself to fight back.
I was too tired. Too broken.
As we entered Darkar's chamber, the overwhelming darkness wrapped around me like a suffocating blanket. The chamber was just as it had always been—cold, foreboding, with jagged black stone walls that pulsed with dark energy. And at the center of it all was Lord Darkar, his towering form cloaked in shadow, his eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure as he turned to face me.
"Ah, Alethea," Darkar's voice slithered through the air like poison, filled with mockery. "Still holding on, I see. But for how much longer, I wonder?"
I stayed silent, my legs trembling beneath me as I tried to stand. I could feel the oppressive weight of his presence pressing down on me, making it hard to breathe.
"I have to admit," Darkar continued, taking slow, deliberate steps toward me, "I'm impressed. Most would have broken by now. But you..." He tilted his head, studying me with those cruel, calculating eyes. "You're different. There's something in you that makes you stronger. The Water Dragon, perhaps?"
I flinched at the mention of Ghidorah. My mind immediately reached out, trying to feel that familiar presence. But it was so distant, like a whisper I could barely hear. The connection was slipping away, and the thought terrified me.
"Let's see if we can change that, shall we?" Darkar's voice turned cold as he raised his hand.
A wave of dark energy slammed into me, sending me crashing to the floor. Pain exploded through my body, sharp and agonizing, like being ripped apart from the inside out. I screamed, clutching at my chest as his magic tried to tear Ghidorah from me. It felt like my very soul was being shredded, and I could feel the connection to my dragon weakening with each passing second.
I gasped, trying to hold on, trying to fight back the darkness. "Ghidorah..." I whispered, my voice barely audible through the pain. "Please..."
But there was no response. Only silence.
Darkar's laugh echoed through the chamber, low and cruel. "Still clinging to hope? How adorable. But it's useless. You're growing weaker, and soon, the Water Dragon will be mine."
I wanted to scream at him, to tell him he was wrong, but I didn't have the strength. The pain was overwhelming, and I could feel myself slipping further and further into the darkness.
But then... something shifted.
At first, I thought it was just my blurred vision playing tricks on me, but when I forced myself to look up, my heart nearly stopped. The table where Bloom had once been strapped down was empty.
Instead, standing in the shadows was a figure that sent chills down my spine.
It was Bloom, but not the Bloom I knew. Her eyes now the same sickly yellow just like when she was under a spell and took the Codex. There was something twisted about her, something... wrong.
Darkar's twisted smile widened as he saw the look on my face. "Ah, yes. My little pet," he said, gesturing toward Bloom's dark form. "Bloom possesses the Dragon Flame—the most powerful source of magic in all the realms alongside the Water Dragon. And now, thanks to my magic, she is under my control. Together, we will rule all dimensions."
"No..." I whispered, horror washing over me. This couldn't be real. Not Bloom. Not my friend.
But it was.
"And soon," Darkar continued, his voice dripping with satisfaction, "I'll have the Water Dragon as well. Then there will be no force in the universe that can stop me."
I clenched my fists, trying to muster any scrap of strength I had left. I couldn't let this happen. Not to Bloom. Not to me. I reached deep within myself, searching for Ghidorah, for that spark of magic that had always been with me.
"Ghidorah..." I called out again, my voice stronger this time. "I need you..."
For a moment, nothing happened. And then, faintly, I felt it—a flicker of warmth, of power, deep within me. It wasn't much, but it was enough to remind me that I wasn't alone. Ghidorah was still with me, even if our connection was weak.
I closed my eyes, focusing on that flicker, letting it grow. I had to hold on. I had to fight. Not just for me, but for Bloom. For all of us.
But Darkar wasn't done. He stepped closer, his eyes gleaming with dark magic. "Let's see how much more you can take," he whispered, raising his hand once again.
Another wave of excruciating pain tore through me, but this time, I didn't scream. I gritted my teeth, holding on to that spark of magic inside me, refusing to let him break me. I wouldn't give up. Not now.
And in the shadows, I could see Bloom's dark form watching, her eyes glowing with an unsettling intensity.
But I couldn't think about that now. I had to survive this. I had to fight.
