When I finally awoke, I could only smile.
This is where I die, isn't it? It's back to the graveyard... I would rather be in the there. The graveyard is warm and pleasant... I get to see myself in so many interesting ways! I wonder if the female Mizik will go out with me!?
"D-darling!? Please! Are you okay!?" Cassandra cried.
"Hahahah... This is fun, isn't it!? The Abyss has so many cool things! LOOK AT THAT ABOMINATION!!! THAT ISN'T NATURAL!!!" I shouted.
"N-nooo... Please nooo... Mizik! Please compose yourself!!!" Cassandra said fearfully.
"Be...quiet..." Valtheim said.
"I never thought...in all my life...THAT I WOULD GET SASS FROM VALTHEIM!!! LADY OF NOTHINGNESS, YOU ARE SO PRETTY!!! I LOVE YOUR EYES! LET ME SEE THE VOID!!! CAN YOU SMILE LIKE THE ABYSSAL ONES!?" I shouted as I stood up straight.
I clutched my head and couldn't control my laughter.
"THIS ONE HAS LOST HIS MIND, IT SEEMS... REGARDLESS, HE WILL STILL BE DELICIOUS. BUT I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO DEVOURING THE FEMALE MORE! FEMALE HUMANS ALWAYS SCREAM BETTER WHEN YOU TEAR THEM TO PIECES!!!" The Devourer said.
I immediately readied Vengeance.
"That's my wife, you sick fuck. YOU CAN'T EAT HER! ONLY I CAN EAT HER!!!" I roared.
"ARE YOU A CANNIBAL? WHAT A WASTE... HUMANS EATING OTHER HUMANS! WHY NOT LET ME EAT YOU BOTH!?"
"Why don't you eat yourself!? You're more than capable. Wouldn't you taste good grilled over a fire? You smell like old corpses. Why do you see us? WHY DO THEY ALL SEE US!? AHHHHH!!! IT'S MADDENING!!!" I managed to say.
"WHY? DO YOU NOT MEAN HOW? LADY VALTHIEM DROPPED HER BARRIER FOR AN INSTANT WHEN SHE DEVOURED MY ALLY, THE INSANITY. HE WENT TO CHECK ON THINGS BECAUSE HE FELT THE NOTHINGNESS!"
"STOP YELLING!!! YOU'RE MAKING MY HEAD HURT!!! YOU'RE SO DAMN UGLY IT MAKES ME WANT TO SCREAM AND PUKE IN REVERSE!!!" I shouted.
"VERY WELL. I SHALL ENJOY CONSUMING THE FEMALE BEFORE YOUR EYES. YOU WILL WATCH AS I TEAR HER TO PIECES! THANK YOU FOR THE MEAL, LADY VALTHIEM!"
"Misconception... Not a tribute..." She said.
Then she created a Void eye that expanded and opened beside her.
Difar stepped out.
"IT'S HIM!!! THE ONE WHO SUFFERS FROM MY TIME LOOP!!! THE MADMAN THAT KILLED MY BELOVED SO MANY TIMES!!! DIDN'T YOU FIGURE OUT THAT KILLING HER WAS BAD!? YOU HAD A THOUSAND ATTEMPTS, RETARD!!!" I shouted.
"...Okay. I see now that sending you here was a terrible idea. You might be insane, but you raise a good point. I had a lot of things going on and I'll admit to having several lapses in judgement. Not just recently, but during the reset loops. Our deal is still on...but I don't expect you to kill anything like that," Difar said.
I felt my eye twitch and decided it might be a good idea to kill Difar.
Just to get it over with. After all, I could probably kill the Oracle by beating her to death with Difar's corpse.
I stepped forward and Cassandra immediately restrained me.
"LET GO, TORTURER! HE HAS TO DIE!!!" I screamed.
"NO!!! PLEASE NO!!! YOU'LL DIE IF YOU ATTACK HIM!!!" Cassandra screamed.
"THE SWEET EMBRACE OF DEATH CALLS FOR ME AND HIM BOTH!!!" I screamed.
"Valtheim, lock him in the Abyssal Prison. I'll kill The Devourer, myself... Also, you might as well put Cassandra in there to keep him stable. Ugh...I hate working with humans..." Difar said angrily.
"I...obey..." Valtheim said.
Immediately, Cassandra and I were transported to a dark cell where she pinned me to the ground.
"Please forgive me, but this is for your own good, darling!" Cassandra said.
"NO!!! I WANT TO BE ON TOP THIS TIME!!!" I shouted.
She hit me with the pommel of her dagger and my consciousness faded.
* * *
When I awoke, I was in chains...
I was kneeling before Difar's throne and my mind felt like it was in a haze.
I felt like I couldn't speak. I couldn't move, either...
Cassandra was standing close by and holding onto my chains.
"What happened, Kyriel? Tell me everything. Valtheim is terrible at giving explanations," Difar said.
"My name is Cassandra!"
"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!!! TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED, KYRIEL!!!" Difar roared.
"Fine...you monster... We went into the Deep Abyss just like you told us to. But the further down we went, even before reaching it, Mizik seemed to suffer from mental attacks..." Cassandra said.
"Valtheim kept me informed about this. She said that madness was setting in for Mizik. At one point, I decided that actually killing The Devourer might be impossible for you."
"Yes. But...when we reached the Deep Abyss...Mizik lost his mind. I did everything I could to keep him stable, but my power doesn't last forever. Uzakaath, the place where The Insanity lives, moved somehow. They unsealed it because they detected Valtheim approaching. We met The Insanity and Mizik...went mad..." Cassandra said.
Then she began silently whimpering.
"It's...all my fault... If I had only been stronger...more aware...none of this would have happened!" She said.
"Stop your crying, Kyriel! Ugh...you're such a pain in the ass! Mizik is useless like this. He'll only be a hindrance if he's insane. Actually if he's got Abyssal Madness, he's lucky to be alive in the first place... Can you fix him?" Difar said.
"I...think so... This kind of madness is new to me. Much different than anything I've seen before. Although, I'm not really an expert..." Cassandra said.
"Abyssal Madness runs deeper than most kinds. There's a reason that even entities of the Abyss stay away from the deep regions. They're also susceptible to it. I thought Mizik would be able to handle it, but I overestimated him...AGAIN! How the hell were you able to withstand it?"
"My Illusionist Aspect makes me immune to mental tampering. Even if it isn't active all the time, when I use channeled power, it fixes me immediately."
"Hmm. No. Maybe it's because you're already insane, Kyriel?" Difar said.
"Will you please stop that!? This is serious! My darling Mizik could be in trouble!" Cassandra said.
"Ugh...fine. What would you suggest? You know him better than I do. I don't actually care what his mental state is, but I would prefer him to help us in the fight against the Oracle. Mainly to kill your stupid sister."
"I think he needs a vacation, of sorts. Away from the Abyss. And yes, I know that might put him in harms way due to Rose being the Oracle's slave, but-"
"FORGET IT! I am not going to risk being put back in Lorelei."
"If you could just listen to me, I can fix this! I've already had time to look around in his mind using The Illusionist. He needs to get away from the Abyss! Now...how powerful is Valtheim?" Cassandra said.
"Why do you need to know that?" Difar asked.
"Because I want to know if she can cloak an entire world in her Void barrier or not. I have an idea..." Cassandra said.
"Fine. Valtheim is actually only slightly weaker than I am. But, that is only speaking of her true body, which is located in the Void. Her remote form theoretically has no limits, but can only attack by sending things into the Void."
"So that means..."
"Yes. Valtheim is capable of cloaking an entire world and hiding it from the Oracle. That is ALL I'm willing to tell you."
"May I borrow Valtheim, then?" Cassandra asked.
"You're not really borrowing her, but sure. Do whatever you need to. Now get the hell out of here," Difar said.
Cassandra crouched down and looked at me.
"..."
"Don't worry, darling. We're going somewhere so you can heal. It'll be wonderful! Like...a honeymoon!" Cassandra said happily.
"..."
After that, she helped me up and we walked together.
I stood by in a daze as she did her best to explain the situation to everyone. My family and allies were...less than happy about the situation.
Vakra recommended plenty of rest and relaxation. And also that Cassandra should repeatedly try to fix my broken mind with her Illusionist Aspect.
It was the strangest thing... I could comprehend everything around me, but nothing would respond the way I wanted it to.
Finally, as Cassandra made the preparations, I managed to speak.
"Cass...andra..." I said.
"Yes, darling? How are you feeling?"
"Help...me..."
"No worries, Mizik. I'll do my best to repair you. In the meantime, you'll have some much needed rest. You've been working hard for far too long. Everyone needs a break every now and then okay?" She said.
Suddenly, she used her channeled power and hugged me tightly.
"I'll fix you. I'll continue to atone for what I did before. You're safe with me, darling," she said softly.
Immediately after, I felt that same haze come over my mind.
Then my consciousness faded once again.
* * *
Everything around me felt bright... Like I was in an area with actual light.
I opened my eyes and found myself lying in a bed. The walls around me were made of gray stone and I could see white curtains fluttering in front of a window.
I couldn't speak anymore.
My body felt like it wouldn't move either.
I was alone in this room, currently.
When I focused, I could swear that I heard the faint sound of yelling...or was it screaming?
I couldn't tell. My mind felt too messed up to make out what was going on.
Eventually, the screaming stopped and a few minutes later, a familiar woman with long pink hair entered the room.
I didn't recognize her at all, but I felt like it was a trick of the mind. Eventually, she started to look like Cassandra again.
Somehow...I could have sworn I saw other things.
Not illusions...I could tell when those appeared, now.
She approached me, and I saw that she had blood stains all over her clothes.
The touched my head and frowned.
"Hmm...darn it... It looks like you're getting hallucinations now, too. Gah...Abyssal Madness is so random... Hmm...let me just fix that..." She said.
Suddenly, the hallucinations went away.
Ah...I can think again. I need to remember to reward you once this is all over. But...I don't know if I have anything else left to give...
I felt tears come from my eyes as she smiled at me.
Cassandra lovingly wiped them away and began cleaning the blood off of herself.
"No need to cry, darling. Cassandra is here for you. The locals weren't happy about me occupying this part of their castle, so I got rid of them. I already disposed of the bodies, too. We should be safe here."
I'm not the only one that's insane...but I don't care anymore.
"...ah..."
"Hmm...I don't think your speech has fully returned, yet. You spoke before we left the Abyss, but it seems like that part of you broke shortly after. I can fix that too. Although, there's a lot more in your mind that needs fixing other than the Abyssal Madness..." She said.
"..."
Suddenly, I heard a faint sound of marching in the distance.
"Oh dear... The military force in Daser is quite persistent. Just like the last time... Looks like it's starting to rain as well. I don't want to get wet right now... I have my darling to tend to."
Moments later, several more Cassandras appeared. They all looked adoringly at me.
"No, you can't have him yet. First, we have to deal with the army. Then we can all tend to him. For now, I'll be fixing his mind. Go and deal with the army, please," Cassandra said.
They looked sad, but nodded.
The clones left immediately and a few minutes later, I heard chaos outside.
Cassandra changed her clothes and laid down next to me.
"I wish you weren't suffering, darling... But once you're better, we can spend some time relaxing. Is that okay?"
I can't respond. My body won't work. But that does sound nice...
[I will communicate to Intelligence for you. My advisor will speak to your beloved.]
Moments later, Cassandra sat straight up and smiled.
"Darling! You can think again! This is wonderful! It's been almost a month since you lost your self awareness... But now you can think! I'm so happy! You're healing!" She said.
Thank you, Vengeance. Tell her that I'll make sure she's properly rewarded for her service to me.
Shortly after that, Cassandra began silently weeping.
"Darling...I don't need a reward... I already have everything I could ever want. But if you insist, I'll think of something."
As the screaming and chaos continued outside, I felt Cassandra's illusion haze overcome my mind again.
"I don't want to interrupt this, but... You'll need to sleep for me to fully repair your mind. Please rest well, darling. I'll tend to your every need."
My consciousness once again faded as I closed my eyes.