"Oh, Crescent, that mouth will certainly be your downfall." Nightmare forced his thumb into my soul and twisted. It felt like I was burning from the inside out. I heard myself cry out in pain and felt tears stream down my cheeks. "Now to mark you just like I did your mother."
I felt Nightmare's slimy tongue slide across my injured soul. A shiver made its way up my spine and I knew that I didn't want this. "Please," I whimpered out. "Don't do this."
"Your mother said the same thing to me," Nightmare smirked at me, "but I still had her screaming." The thought of my mother in my position terrified me. She never told me about any of this. Did she even tell Aunt Raven about this? Or did she suffer alone? I know I have friends that'll support me but what about her? From what I understand, Aunt Raven was Mom's only constant. Nightmare continued to do as he pleased to my soul but I hated it. I hated the tentacles that groped at my body. I hated that I my mother had to suffer through this very same thing.
My mother's necklace, which was tucked into my shirt and away from sight, started warming against my skin. I closed my eyes and tilted my head towards the ceiling, letting the comforting warmth mix with the pain and ease my fear. Behind my eyelids, I noticed a light and heard my assaulter cry out in pain. I still didn't open my eyes. "If you're listening PaperJam, come get me soon. I miss you and I need you here. I'm sorry about running away. Please, PJ, I love you.." My voice carried out throughout the room and even though I knew he wasn't here, I also knew that PaperJam heard me. Error must have a transmitting device attached to him.
When I did open my eyes, my soul was glowing bright pink. Many words ran through my head. Tenderness, vulnerability, hope, optimism, love. "Love, huh? Not LOVE." I looked at Nightmare, who was cradling his hand. "That's something you'll never understand, something you'll never gain. You see, you can't force someone to love you. Their emotions are theirs for a reason. As long as you let this corruption hold you, you'll never be happy."
"Heh... ha ha... hahahaha!! You think I want to be happy!? Don't lump me in with my PATHETIC brother!!" Several tentacles burst from Nightmare's back, his eye glowed bright blue and his smile stretched from metaphorical ear to metaphorical ear. The thing that looked strange was that his smile was pure white, in direct contrast to his corruption.
Error quickly pulled me out of the way of Nightmare's tentacles, which had struck the floor with a loud bang! Error started rapidly talking into his thumb. I could barely catch what he was saying. Nightmare continued to strike at us but I used what magick I could summon to create a barrier. It was weak but it held him off long enough for Error to create a large portal. "So what's the plan, you damn puppetmaster!?" I grunted as my shield was barraged with another set of attacks.
As soon as I asked that, the Star Sanses and my skele-friends and family came through the portal. PaperJam rushed to me instantly and took my face in his hands. "Cora! I thought I'd never see you again! I'm so sorry! I got upset and made you run away." Nightmare sent dozens of bones underneath our feet and at my shield, causing us to jump apart.
"Fight now! Confess later," Ink called out to us, trying to take the offensive from our opponent.
"Brother! Stop this madness!" A skeleton that looked like Uncle Dream called out to the corrupted attacker.
"You don't understand, Dream." Nightmare spit out the name as if it burned his tongue. "You never did. Not even when I was normal. Cross, Dust, Killer, get your boney asses in the throne room." His backup arrived soon after.
"Error, stitch up her wound. PaperJam and Raven, protect Coraline as best you can." Blueberry stood in front of us and twirled a sharp bone between his fingers like a baton. "We can handle the bad sanses for awhile." Cil, Palette, Gradient, Coach Error, Mr. Ink, Dad, Uncle Dream, Incubux and Moonlight stood next to Blueberry and the Creator with various weapons. Let's just say that they didn't look very happy with the king of darkness.
Aunt Raven and PaperJam helped me behind a large pillar as the large group headed into battle. With each step, there was a stomach churning drip, drip, drip as my liquid determination hit the floor. Error did as Blue asked and stitched up the quarter sized wound. "I-i-It's ReAlLy DeEp So I cAn OnLy PaTcH iT fOr NoW."
I nodded, "Thanks for patching it, nonetheless. You know, after everything you've done I didn't expect this change."
Soul... My eyes widened and I looked around. Raven's soul...
"Aunt Raven? Could I see your soul please?" I ignored the looks of confusion I got from PaperJam and Error. Raven summoned her soul. It was half blue and half purple. "INTEGRITY and PERSEVERANCE."
"Yes, it seems mine and Dove's souls melded together long ago." The sounds of battle neared us. "Why did you want to see it?" I didn't answer the question. Instead, I took off the dragon necklace and pressed it against my soul. The liquid determination that lingered on my soul was absorbed by the pendent. Honestly, I was only following my instincts so I didn't know what I was doing.
"Let's hope my this is what I need to do." I whispered softly before pressing the determination filled pendent between the two colors of Raven's soul. My aunt took my hand and squeezed it as the soul colors separated. My magick surged throughout my body and with a flash of bright light and slight explosion, I was flung across the room and found myself completely drained of magick.
"Well, I guess it's about time we get this party started. Isn't that right, Nightmare?"
YOU ARE READING
The Divide Between Us | Book Two of The Judgement series
Hayran Kurgu"New school, new life but this time, I'm not with my parents. No, they're gone and nothing can bring them back." Cora Hadley has been orphaned and forced to move in with her Aunt Raven, who lived overseas. The school she was enrolled in was not like...
