The Realm of Alagir

Nightmare

Through many dark and forbidden spells, Thalia Ventris became a goddess in all but name and power. She was immortal, but she still desired more control. During one such spell, she damaged her physical form by infusing it with Void energy. Because of this ritual, she lost all physical sensation except for sight, and her form became unstable. She used her newfound Void powers and abilities to great advantage in her war. Due to her anomalistic nature, the gods dubbed her "Anomaly"
-Excerpt from the fifth chapter of 'The Origins'

(Braxton's POV)

I floated through darkness, feeling nothing but fear. Nightmarish figures danced near the edge of my vision, and scenes of horror and cruelty demanded my focus. A strange woman in a black cloak was the subject of many of these apparitions. She tortured people, using them in dark rituals, and killed them in graphic and cruel ways. She seemed to be an expert at causing pain and how to almost kill you, keeping you alive for the longest possible time. Finally, the vision dissipated. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't stop myself from watching and I couldn't move to help them.
Worst of all were the visions with people I knew. One particular time, Ianite knelt, fear in her eyes, but she still held herself defiantly.

The sadistic woman raised her weapon, smiling maniacally and screamed, "Let true Justice be served!" As the deadly scythe curved towards my mother, someone shouted and a flash of purple flame slammed into the massive blade. Case stood behind Ianite, one hand holding purple flames, the other drawing his rapier.

"That wasn't very smart." The black-clad lady pouted.
With a roar, Case flung himself at the woman. He fought like a lion, holding his own for almost a minute, somehow blocking the lighting-fast strikes of his opponent. The woman screamed in pain as the purple flames were tossed into her eyes, and with a quick motion, the scythe flashed low and sliced Case's knees open. He fell with a surprised grunt and Ianite was once again fixed with the woman's crazed glare. She raised her weapon again and swung down, but once again it was blocked by purple. This time, Case had somehow managed to throw himself between Ianite and the cruel blade. Everything went black as the scythe slashed through him......
I woke with a scream and bolted upright, startling Tyler, who was sitting next to where I was laying.

"Woah! Dude, you gave me a heart attack!" Tyler shouted. I took some deep breaths to calm my racing heart. Every time I closed my eyes, the nightmarish visions flashed across my mind.

"Y-yeah... Sorry Tyler." I said. He shook his head.

"That must've been some nightmare." He remarked.
Before I could respond, Sylvia dashed in.

"I heard a scre-" she froze, looking at me as if in a trance.

"Brother... I-I mean... Braxton. You're awake." I grinned.

"Heya sis, nice to officially meet you."
"He's kinda cute." Sylvia said.

"Uh?" I said, shocked.

"I said not to do that!" Sylvia shouted to herself, turning bright red. "I'm sorry! That was Kate. She's stuck in my head." Sylvia apologized.

"Fascinating." A voice behind Sylvia said. She stepped aside and I saw Case leaning against the stone wall. His face was unnaturally pale and he looked exhausted. His eyes, however, were alive with curiosity.
"Uh, what is?" Sylvia asked.

"The fake persona of Kate developed sentience," Case mused. "But how?" He circled Sylvia, who was beginning to look very uncomfortable. I cleared my throat. He jumped back and began apologizing.

"Sorry! What was I thinking, that's no way to introduce myself to Ianite's daughter! Must still be slightly asleep."
Sylvia, clearly relieved, replied with, "S'okay." Case and Sylvia went through the usual formalities, and we watched. As they were finishing, a strange buzzing sound began.

"What is that?" Case asked I shrugged, but he ran outside. We followed him, passing by two pirates who were near their ship.

"Aha!" Case shouted, pointing to the sky. The Rupture was reopening, but this time it was being forced open. The fabric of reality and the bedrock were resisting who- or whatever, was coming.

"Get back!" Case shouted once he realized the Rupture was about to expel whatever was coming through. We ran back as a bolt of pure darkness and Void shot from the Rupture.
My ears were ringing as I struggled to my feet. As my hearing improved again, my blood ran cold at the sound of maniacal, crazed laughing filling the air. I looked up fearfully into the face of the Nightmare Lady. She looked spitefully down at me. Only then did I realize she was holding Sylvia off the ground, clutching her neck. Sylvia struggled, clawing at the white hands that trapped her as her face began to turn blue.

"I warned you that I was coming." The evil form taunted Sylvia. I rose from my crouching position and threw myself at the woman with a roar of defiance.

"Tsk. Looks like my nightmares were pretty intense. What a shame." I passed through her form and fell again behind her. As I turned, ready to pounce again, I watched as she threw Sylvia, who had now passed out, toward me. Time seemed to slow down as Sylvia's limp body flew against the rocky ground, and her head slammed into the ground with a sickening crack.
I rushed to Sylvia, who had a nasty head wound that was bleeding a fair amount. I quickly placed my hands over the gash and applied pressure to stifle the bleeding.

"Cute." The devilish woman said. I heard chanting and looked up at Case, who was trying to use his magic. The black-clad figure didn't even move as a flash of fire flew at her and fizzled out. Case collapsed with a scream.

"Stupid boy. You don't have enough energy to do magic. Maybe I should just put you out if your misery." She materialized a scythe and stepped forward. Something blue and purple fell from the sky, directly between Case and the strange woman. Hazel brandished her sword defensively.

"Back off, Anomaly." The Anomaly's face turned to a disgusted grimace at the nickname.

"As much as I'd LOVE to kill you, I've gotta go. Either way, none of you are worth my time." She stepped back and her scythe disappeared. She looked at me.

"Have lovely nightmares, Sweetie!" With that, she leapt into the Rupture again.
A roar echoed through the Rupture as something began to come through.....