Music recommendation: Bury a friend by Billie Eilish
Zarafea fell back into the Nightmare Dimension as soon as the moon crested the horizon in Asher's kingdom. It had become a pattern she couldn't escape, no matter how hard she tried to delay the inevitable. The air here was different—thicker, oppressive, with shadows that crawled across the ground like living creatures. Her father, Helios, had made sure this place reflected her deepest fears, twisting them into torment.
Zarafea landed hard on the jagged black ground, her knees scraping against the rough surface. For a moment, she remained still, her body aching from the encounter with Asher. His cold, unreadable expression haunted her thoughts, the way his grey eyes had flickered, just once, with something she couldn't quite grasp. Was it pain? Was it longing? She shook her head, trying to push him from her mind.
But here, in the Nightmare Dimension, there was no escape from her thoughts. The prison fed on them.
The landscape shifted around her, as it always did, warping from a desolate wasteland to a twisted forest of gnarled trees, their branches dripping with venomous black sap. She stood, dusting off her tattered gown, and gazed into the murky distance. There was no time here, no day or night—only a constant, suffocating haze.
Her breath caught as she heard the whispers again. They slithered through the air like serpents, curling around her mind, soft at first but growing louder, each voice more insidious than the last.
"He'll never love you."
"You're nothing but a pawn, Zarafea. You always were."
"Helios was right to imprison you. You're weak, powerless."
Zarafea clenched her fists, the warmth of her divine magic sparking at her fingertips. She knew better than to listen to the voices, but in moments like these, when Asher's coldness gnawed at her, they seemed too real. Too true.
She pushed forward through the forest, her steps quickening as the trees began to close in. The Nightmare Dimension was like a living creature, reacting to her every emotion, twisting her fears into tangible horrors. The ground beneath her feet cracked open, revealing a chasm of darkness that seemed to pulse with her heartbeat.
Zarafea stopped at the edge, staring into the abyss. She had created entire worlds, filled them with life and beauty. She had shaped the very fabric of the Enchanted Dimension with her hands. And yet here, in this forsaken prison, she felt powerless.
Her mind flickered back to Asher. The weight of his presence lingered on her skin, like the imprint of a flame that refused to fade. He was so guarded, so consumed by his own pain that it made her want to reach out, to break through the walls he had built. But every time she tried, he only pushed her further away.
He's not the one, the whispers continued, their voices cruel and mocking. You'll fail, just as you've failed before.
"I won't fail," she whispered back, though the words felt hollow.
Suddenly, the ground beneath her gave way entirely, and Zarafea plummeted into the chasm, the air around her turning colder and heavier the further she fell. She didn't scream; she had been through this countless times. She knew what awaited her at the bottom.
Darkness enveloped her, swallowing her whole, until she landed in a vast hall of mirrors. She stood, her reflection surrounding her on all sides, each one twisted, distorted. Her glass-blue eyes stared back at her, but in some mirrors, her face was twisted with agony. In others, she wore the expression of the goddess she once was—calm, serene, unbothered by mortal concerns. And in others, she was something else entirely—a monster, her power unleashed without control.
She hated this part of the Nightmare Dimension the most. The mirrors forced her to confront every doubt, every fear she tried to bury deep within her. And now, after her latest encounter with Asher, her doubts were only stronger.
"You're wasting time," one of her reflections sneered, stepping forward from the glass like a living being. "You think he'll fall for you? He's lost. He's broken."
Zarafea backed away, her heartbeat quickening as the reflection approached, mocking her with every step.
"You can't save him, Zarafea. You'll be trapped here forever."
"No," Zarafea said, her voice firmer this time. She summoned her power, feeling it surge through her veins like a flood of light. The reflection smiled, unbothered, as her magic crackled in the air.
"You created the Enchanted Dimension, yes. But here, in this place, you are nothing. Helios made sure of that."
Zarafea's magic faltered, her hands trembling as doubt crept in. Was it true? Was this prison meant to drain her of everything she was, until even her divine power crumbled?
The reflection laughed, a cruel, echoing sound, and Zarafea felt the weight of her father's presence pressing down on her like a physical force. Even though Helios wasn't here, his influence always was. He had built this prison to torment her, to remind her of the power he still held over her, despite everything.
Zarafea's knees buckled, and she fell to the cold, unyielding ground, surrounded by the endless maze of mirrors. Asher's face flashed in her mind again—his grey eyes filled with the same loneliness that had gripped her for so long. She had chosen him for a reason. He was the key to her freedom. But what if she was too late? What if the sorcerer's curse on him was too strong, even for her?
She closed her eyes, letting the darkness wash over her. The Nightmare Dimension was relentless, but so was she. And as long as she had breath in her body, she would fight—for herself, for Asher, and for the world she had created.
"I will not fail," Zarafea whispered again, this time with renewed determination.
The mirrors around her shattered, the sound of breaking glass filling the air, and the landscape shifted once more. She stood, her power returning to her in a rush of light, and began the long journey back to the waking world.