Taking Control. (a Ninjago fanfic)

Chapter 65- Nightmares

J A Y

The chains burned, wrapping tighter, dragging me towards him. I saw the outline of his figure above me— huge and monstrous, his eyes alight with cruel amusement.

"Look at you," he whispered, tilting his head. "Still so weak. Still so afraid."

He was right.

I was afraid.

I was fucking terrified.

But then—

Something flickered at the edges of my mind.

This had happened before.

Yes.

Yes, I had lived this before. The torment, the pain. The feeling of hopelessness, of powerlessness.

I remembered it.

Vividly.

And I had survived it.

I wasn't there anymore.

I wasn't there anymore.

This wasn't real.

My breath hitched. My heart slammed against my ribs. My entire body was trembling, wracked with pain, but I forced myself to move.

The chains rattled, holding firm, but I didn't let them. I wouldn't let them.

Couldn't.

I dug my fingers into the wooden wall, pushed against the crushing weight, forced my limbs to obey.

Nadakhan's smirk faltered. Just slightly.

I clenched my jaw. "You're not real," I whispered.

His expression darkened. "Oh, I am. And I always will be."

I shook my head, forcing my voice to be steady. "No. You're just a memory. A nightmare."

The chains tightened, but I barely felt them now.

The fear was still there, coiled in my chest, but I was done letting it control me.

I faced Nadakhan.

I looked him in the eyes, felt his presence looming over me, and stood my ground.

I stood there, chains still wrapped around my limbs, body still in agony, but I faced him.

And for the first time, I really saw him.

He was just as terrifying as I remembered. His towering frame, the way the dim light gleamed off his copper skin, the wicked curve of his grin. His eyes burned with that same twisted delight, like he knew something I didn't— and that goddamn hook that he used to stab me with just for his amusement.

This had already happened.

I'd faced him before.

It isn't possible that he's back. It's not real.

It's not real.

It not real

It's not real.

He can't hurt me.

Yes. Yep. Mhm. This isn't real.

And the moment I believed those words, something shifted.

The chains loosened.

He recoiled.

Nadakhan's face twisted, his form flickering like a candle in the wind.

I took a step forward. He took a glide back.