Malion: Up In Flames

Banished

I glared at her as she grinned at me with jovially shining orange eyes. She stepped forward and leered into mine.

"It looks like we only have one here with a true form... what was your name?" She asked as that dark halo glowed up.

"Alexandrite... that's right. That fits you, you know. For a long time, The Beneath was looking for an Alexandrite. I'd imagine that isn't all too much of a common name on Gaia. Is it?" She said dryly. Alex glared at her.

"How did you do that?" She growled only to recieve a sly grin from Orin.

"This is only a taste of my power, darling." I caught her whisper, "Now come along!" She announced, bouncing off. The terrain was strange.

"Wait- Hold it! Where are you taking us?" Alex demanded.

"I'm taking you to what I call "The chambers" for some research. No need to worry your pretty little heads off. It won't hurt... at least not in the beginning." She taunted.

"Listen. I came here to get Elliott back you wanted my compass in return. I brought it. Now you better be bringing me to Elliott." I growled.

She let out an echoing chuckle, now amplified by this strange realm.

"Oh darling... please don't worry your pretty blonde head off. I suppose the jokes are right. You're not all to bright, are you?" She answered with another laugh. She lead us on towards more barren land. I examined the ground... it seemed normal yet completely colourless, only shadows contributed to form. It was like a realistic drawing. What I'dthought would have been the sand of the desert wasn't moving under our feet. The uneven ground made it a difficult treck for all of us but Orin. Michelle and Orin were the only two things with colour. Alex was nearly colourless, her skin white and the tips of her hair were grey. Her eyes were pink. I giggled a bit. It was a good look for her. She looked at me and I gave her a smile. She gave me a fanged one and I chuckled.

"You really don't look all too bad all pale like that." I told her.

"What? Is it that hot?" She laughed and I joined her.

"Nah, I think it's just your eyes. They're pink and just as pretty as before." I explained. She snorted.

"Come on, Princess. My eyes ain't that nice, are they? I kinda miss them brown." She said with a bitter undertone.

"Come on, Alex. I think they're gorgeous. They have the same flecks of brightnesd to them, like you had hints of gold in your grown eyes, and now it's hints of white instead of bright crimson. No matter what colour they are, they are really nice, because I see the real you in them. It's... it's breathtaking." I told her quietly. Her face took on a bright pink. I grinned at her and she laughed.

"Thanks, Princess. Eyes tell a whole lot about a person. I'd say yours are prettier than mine, though. They're a window to your kindness." She said.

"Hey, uhm... Miss Magic Lady? Where are yeh takin' us? You seem like the type o' gal that would want to skin us alive, so what's the deal?" Michelle piped up. Orin whirled around and grinned at her

"Somewhere you won't like." she sang, happily. It sickened me to the core.

She continued on towards a large black rectangular.... Mark? Doorway? Portal? She turned to look at us with an anticipating grin then tapped the mark in a pattern I couldn't remember. Suddenly colour poured into my eyes and Alex gained her colour again. We headed through maze-like corridors lead by a giggling and happily mumbling Orin. Once we made it to what seemed like a lobby of some sort, I made another disturbing realisation... this was The Beneathean Castle... it was mirrored. Every banner that hung on the walls were flipped upside down and refversed. It was strange to see them that way at practically every doorwat and turn. The symbol was carved into every door we passed. Once we'd made it to where I'd expected the throne room to be, she stopped and turned to us.

"I hope you're ready! I'd love for you all to meet my friends." She sang with that sickening tone again. She turned to face the two massive doors behind her. They were wooden and looked fortified and heavy. Orin opened the huge doors with surprising ease.

"Look what I found!" Orin sang, happily, excitement beaming from her. Counless dark beings similar to Endoran covered the room. Their eyes and empty mouths were hollow, frozen in painful screams. There were hundreds of them and they covered every surface. The room was filled with a constant clicking that roared like an applause. She snapped her fingers and shackles formed around our wrists. Mine were incredibly tight. As I tried to move my hands, they cut into my skin, making me supress a yell. Instead, I growled deeply, baring my teeth and warning Orin. Every small creature started to crawl towards us, the roar of clicking getting louder. Dread built up inside me quickly.

"What in The Beneath did you just do?" Alex yelled at Orin. She laughed, turning towards her. She floated majestically towards Alex and stopped centimetres away from her sweating face.

"Well, aren't you a little bitch. You're trapped here, just like that other slimeball. You'll do good as my mindless slaves, now shut your mouth and rot." Orin growled, showing a seemingly rare seething anger. For this, she received a horrible scratch along her cheek. Orin bent over sideways.

"Gah! You little shit!" She yelled out, furiously.

"You will pay!" she said as she snapped her fingers again. Black magic started to swirl around both Alex and I. I gasped and transformed, flying into the air. Orin's eyes widened in horror as she watched the fire circle around my body. I emerged with grey skin, black hair and long claws. I unfolded my wings and launched myself at her.

"What- I thought you were Gaian! What in the nine realms-" she gasped and snapped her fingers again and every dark creature crawled towards us and too many to count lept onto my wings and clawed them up, bringing me down with a foreful thud. I screamed as they sank their long black claws into my skin and raked it open with hundreds of cuts.

Alex yelled out and wraithed towards Orin, clambering down her throat forcefully. Orin yelled out loudly with distress. Suddenly, everything went black as dark claws raked horizontally across my face.