Ianite - Cursed Blessing

Mirrored

Ianite opened her eyes to darkness. A cold wind swept toward her and chilled her to the bone. Run, her instincts screamed. They're here. They're coming for you.

Who? she wondered in a panic. Her feet moved of their own accord and she felt icy stone brick beneath her. Her hands reached out for something, anything to grasp, to ground herself with, but they met only freezing air. She felt her hair tumble out of its bun and fly behind her as her feet moved faster. Her breath came in short gasps that barely brought any air and she felt her head spin.

She blinked desperately, hoping that eventually she would be able to see, but it was to no avail. Tears began to stream down her face as she half sobbed, half panted down whatever path she was taking. The air was suddenly warmer, and she felt a trickle of what could only be described as lightness touch her skin. She flung herself forward and up in a blind reach for that brightness.

Hands gripped her face suddenly.

"Look at me," a voice snarled, and her vision flooded with color and texture once again.

Absolute terror gripped her heart.

Burning white eyes that seared with hate were staring into hers. Dianite was staring into her soul. Abruptly she became aware of her surroundings. Her arms were chained behind her and high onto a pillar. Her feet were cuffed together and her knees on rough, burning coals. She cried out in pain and tried to flinch back. He stared in shock for a split second, before anger filled his gaze and his eyes narrowed. A calloused hand slapped her across the face and her head jerked violently to one side. Dianite let go and kicked at her.

"You were dreaming weren't you?" he asked in a sickeningly sweet tone.

He bent down to her ear in a swift movement.

"But that's all you'll get," he whispered, and she felt him grin against the side of her face. "It's only a dream. You can never escape me."

She closed her eyes and let herself fall limply and hang from her chains. He chuckled, and that chuckle turned into a laugh that grew louder and louder, and she heard it resonate in her very being.

With a gasp, two Ianites woke at once, in different worlds.

A small hand tugged on Ianite's clothes and she looked down at the face of her new daughter. Worried violet eyes gazed back at her and two arms stretched up in a clear gesture. She sat up and reached down for Ianita. With a slight grunt, she hoisted her up onto the bed. The small girl cuddled into her side and let out a tiny puff of air. She wrapped her arms around the child and rested her chin on Ianita's head.

The purple haired angel had fallen back asleep in seconds, but Ianite stayed awake. Thoughts whirled throughout her head as she pondered her dream.

But had it truly been a dream? What if it had been a vision? A premonition? Something that was to come? She nearly trembled at the thought of her sweet yet mischievous brother imprisoning her in such a way. He was a trickster, but by no means cruel...

It struck her with the force of a falling anvil. Had she been dreaming of her alternate self? Of Jordan's Ianite? But why would I dream of her? she asked herself. Gods did not dream for absolutely no reason at all. It was rare for her to dream, and when she did it was something important to remember.

Unbeknownst to her, across dimensions, in another world, she had dreamt of loneliness and confinement, and of deep loss and guilt.

Sparkanite~IsLove~IsLife

Ianite's lip curled as she watched Spark sit by the grave of Capsize. She remembered when he had first arrived. He and his friends had fallen from the sky a few months after her Sparklez had left. The memory came surging back.

She had seen four bodies plummet from the heavens. Without a second thought she extended her power, caught them, and lowered them gently to the ground. Shock ran through her as she recognized the faces. There was an older Sparklez, an older Syndicate, an older Jericho, and a much younger Sonja. What had happened to them? But as she looked closer she began to see the differences. These were not her people.

It seemed that they had all fallen unconscious, but as she began to snap her fingers to move them to a safer location, her fake Sparklez opened his eyes. They glanced around groggily, before landing on her. She saw them widen with an emotion that she knew all too well: guilt. He scrambled up into an unsteady bow and dropped onto one knee.

"My-my Lady," he stuttered, and then looked up. "Ianite, it's-it's so good to see you."

She raised an eyebrow at him. Her Sparklez had never referred to her as Ianite before.

"And who might you be?" she asked, although her tone was not unkind.

Confusion clouded his face.

"Don't you remember us Ianite?" he asked. "It's me, Spark. Remember Mot, Jeriah, and Alyssa?"

He gestured to each of his companions in turn. Ianite looked away as his eyes bored into her. She remembered his eyes well. They had always been kind and bright, not sharp like these. They had never hurt to look at.

"You are not from this world," she said. "You fell from another realm, just as my Heroes jumped into yours. You are their alternates."

Bitterness filled her heart as she jerked out of one memory and fell into another.

She had just returned to the overworld island of champions. Just as she was about to round a corner she heard voices. With a jolt she realized that it was Spark and Jeriah.

"...but she's not the same. She's, well, she's so distant. She's nice, but she's not affectionate. Not as-well I hate to say it but not quite as-as good as our Ianite, if you know what I mean..."

"Um, well," stuttered Jeriah. "I don't really know...yeah she's not as close but isn't that also a good thing? And why are you worrying about her anyway? You left her for Capsize didn't you?"

"Capsize is dead in this realm," Spark responded in a broken voice. "I didn't even get to meet her alternate. And Ianite, she killed her."

The words were spat with venom and Ianite felt an icy fist clench her heart. Her Sparklez had never spoken with such hate in his voice. Then guilt came crashing down upon her. She had killed Capsize. She had killed her champion's love. And now she realized that his alternate had left her for the alternate Capsize. Had she messed up in the other realm as well?

"But I didn't!" she head Spark exclaim. "I didn't love Ianite. I thought I did...and then I met Capsize..."

Her heart withered right there and then and she fled from the realm.

A small, grim laugh escaped her lips as she returned to the present. What had happened? What had gone horribly wrong to take away the once balanced world? Why had they jumped? Why hadn't she changed her mind? She had lost her one and only love and had him replaced by one who hated her.

She let out a tired sigh. Everything was confusing. She didn't know what was what...

Sparkanite~IsLove~IsLife

And thus begins the intro to the worlds colliding...yeah it was a little bit choppy. I apologize for that and I also apologize for the shortness and the lateness. I wasn't sure how I was going to begin the merging and I think this was my seventh try...anyway, please enjoy!