Welcome to a Nightmare

Elsewhere Part 8: Chapter 33: Blank Void

Elsewhere Part 8

Chapter 33: Blank Void

Darkness, that's all he can remember... darkness and pain.

When he awoke from some sort of blinded slumber, all he could see was darkness and nothing more. His body was in infinite pain when he realized that he was underground, with no sense of feeling or any memories what has happened to him. He knew nothing of where he was or what he had done to be imprisoned here. When he finally regained feeling in his body, he knows he is some kind of prisoner. Cold manacles are firmly wrapped around his wrists and ankles and no matter how hard he tried to break free from them, they remained firm. He also learns through feeling and unequitable awareness of his body of being in pain, that he's missing his left hand, yet the manacle tightly holds his wrists above his head. Whatever the chains were attached to, kept his body sprawled out in an extremely painful position consistently.

At first, when he'd awoken, he'd tried calling out for help, but the only answer was his own echo in this deep and underground prison. Rattling his chains did nothing to attract help from someone and all he could do was scream out as he was unable to move. He'd screamed until his voice was raw and his joints were sore.

He'd shake his head in despair and let the tears fall from his eyes, the salty drops the only form of warmth he had in the cold underground... cave if he can assume this based on the echo. As he looked down, he notices something around his neck. It appeared to be a necklace of some kind, made of some type of crystal, and glowed a faint blue, flickering consistently with his movement as he struggled to become free. It could barely illuminate his own chest, but the glimpses he had, he was wearing dark and uncomfortable clothing.

Despite the pain in his body and the agony of screaming for help, he never became hungry or thirsty. He would expect such things of a human after a long period of time, but he had no sense of time in the dark and massive void he was in. He suspected that perhaps some sort of spell or enchantment kept him alive and it could even include the crystal that seemed to glow in response to how he moved, preventing him from dying.

However, despite being a prisoner in this cold place, the worst pain and distress he felt was that he had no memory of who he was. His mind is completely blank, it was so agonizing that he could not even recall his own name... if he even had one. He didn't know how he came to be here, who did it for him, why they had done, where he was born, why did he not have a left hand, had he ever felt such pain before or all the other essential questions one would consider important to their identity. Even as he struggles to the point of absolute exhaustion, he fights in his head, trying to unlock anything that could give him an identity. His entire body shudders from the coldness from the cavern, but also the intense agony of not being able to recall anything about himself. The only release he had from this torturous suffering was when he'd exhausted himself into complete unconsciousness. When he awoke, the cycle repeats itself again.

At this moment, he had tried his usual routine of shouting for help and rattling his chains, holding onto the hope that there might be someone out there that could hear him, who could help him and give him the answers her so desperately needs. Sadly, he'd heard nothing but the sound of his own voice, fading into the vast and distant underground structure. Sighing heavily, he wonders if he is dead that this could possible hell. It would make sense, endless suffering, the cold, the darkness that has numbed his senses, no one ever coming to save him. Part of him wishes that if he truly is alive, that death would take him. Anything would be better than remaining trapped in chains for eternity.

However, for the first time, something extraordinary happens that makes him question everything.

There is suddenly a loud rumbling within the cave, giving him the first sensation of anything outside the own pain of his body. It seems to start at the end of the underground labyrinth and move its way towards him. It shakes the walls and his chains to the point where his body almost feels weightless and free from the throbbing and aching sensations of his muscles and joints.

At that moment, when this rumbling reaches his body, he feels a surge of energy enter his entire being, blood rushing through his veins and immense power coursing through his body. The crystal around his neck glows extremely brightly with this newfound energy, practically illuminating everything around him. With this brief light, he can see that he is chained to heavy rocks and several tiny stones fall on and around him due to the magnitude of this strange tremor. The power enters his head and his mind suddenly becomes a flow of what he thinks are memories.

He sees a young boy with dark hair and bright blue eyes waking up from a nightmare, only to be comforted by a man who must be his father. Then, in an instant, he is clinging to his brother as they are forced to serve an evil looking man on a boat out at sea. Both of them endure great abuse until a great storm swept both of them onto the beach with a glowing blue stone. The two are suddenly sailors, travelling the many lands of the sea and exploring with the sheer freedom that came with this position. He sees his brother being cut by some strange plant on a strange island and a young boy warning him about the consequences. Suddenly, he is holding his brother in his arm as he dies in great pain and him taking over the boat like a pirate. How he suddenly knows this word is unknown to him. He spends many years in pleasure and violence before meeting a dark-haired woman with gray eyes whom the two run off together, even after her meek husband begs for her back. The two men encounter each other once again, but the man is now more demonic and rips out the heart of the woman he loves and kills her before cutting off his left hand? Is this how he lost it? He attaches a long silver hook to the end as a replacement and vows revenge on this reptile. He eventually meets another dark-haired woman who forces him to kill his own father and then venture into a bizarre world where a wicked woman of hearts persuades him to work for her. He remembers seeing dark purple clouds descend above them as a dome of protection protects him and the wicked woman of hearts. He pretends to be a victim of mass murder, encountering a beautiful woman with blonde hair and vivid green eyes. The two "flirt" with one another while climbing a beanstalk, him claiming he can read her like a book, and he feels great betrayal when she leaves him and the two battle out their anger in a dried lake bed.

He remembers stabbing the wretched reptile monster in the heart and then being held hostage by two very dark people who promised his revenge. He feels a slow shift in himself as he helps the blonde woman rescue a boy trapped on the same island that had claimed his brother. He remembers willing to trade everything to get her back and out sailing another flock of dark clouds to get back to her. He encounters her in a strange land and falls through a portal of light to save her. He and the woman grow close, kissing passionately and him feeling love for the first time in a long time. He battles to prevent himself from becoming a puppet to the reptile again and owning up to his past in order to prepare for the future. He feels absolute agony at watching the woman he loves step into a cloud of swirling darkness to protect everyone. He tries to convince her to trust in herself and nearly dies before being reborn into that same darkness. He betrays her out of spite, crushes a man's heart and summons demons from the Underworld to come and exact his revenge. He then sees the pain of the woman he loves and willingly is stabbed with a sword to end the darkness. He endures endless pain and torment in the underground red world, only for the blonde woman to come to his aid. He makes peace with his brother and learns of his true love with her. He feels heartbreak having to let her go and then be reunited with her in a bright flash of white light. He begins a new life with the woman, planning to propose with a beautiful diamond ring, only for a terrible deed in his past to force them apart again and him being sent on a great journey under the water, the desert, the same wretched island again, and nearly being burnt at the stake before the woman saves him. He sees her walking down an aisle in a white dress like a floating angel and kissing her, sealing their love before everything goes black.

He gasps out in horror as the energy suddenly leaves his body and he feels the pain coming back. He struggles to scream out for help again, but this time there is something new. All those images are fading quickly and he tries desperately to keep them there. He needs them to know who he was and is. He screams out in pain, begging for the images to stay.

As he screams out, he hears two very important identities.

"EMMA! IT'S ME, KILLIAN! HELP ME!"

A/N: This is the last chapter of Elsewhere, now we're all caught up and the story is going to begin picking up again. Thank you to everyone who was patient, but I think it was also good to see how the curse has affected all our favourite characters. Special thanks to aliceofspades, it's so awesome that this is one of your favourite fics, it means a lot to me and Samii16, you've always had my back and I can't thank you enough for the support.