Leriya's mind floated in the murky depths of unconsciousness. The world around her seemed so quiet, it was as though she was cast away in a little pocket in reality, while the real world existed without her, it felt distant and far away, like a song heard through thick fog. Then, suddenly, the veil lifted, and she felt an overwhelming urge—one she couldn't ignore. Her stomach churned, twisting painfully, and the acidic taste of bile rose in her throat. She fought against the burning sensation, but it surged higher, threatening to choke her. Her body responded without her consent, jerking violently as the wretching began. The sensation was all-encompassing. Her vision blurred as her body convulsed, yet she couldn't move. She couldn't even shift her head to the side.
But it wasn't just the physical discomfort. There was something far more terrifying—a deep, instinctual knowledge that something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
She tried to focus, to make sense of her surroundings, but the world around her was a blanket of darkness. Every fiber of her being screamed for clarity, for answers. Where was this? What was happening? Her mind raced, desperate for an explanation, but the more she tried to concentrate, the more the fog thickened. Her thoughts were a mess—fragments of images, sounds, and feelings that meant nothing.
She couldn't feel her body. Not really. She could sense it in a detached way, as though it was a distant part of someone else. The sensation of cold metal against her skin, the roughness of something cutting into her wrists and ankles—those feelings came and went in waves.
And then—something sharp, a discomfort. It wasn't physical pain, but something much more insidious. It began in her throat, the raw sensation like fire spreading downward, consuming her insides until it reached her stomach, and then something deeper still, spreading like a dark infection through her bowels. She knew this pain. It was shock. It was the aftermath of whatever had happened to her. Her mind recoiled, unwilling to confront the event that had led her here.
Panic surged in her chest, hot and uncontrollable. She tried to scream, to call out for help, but her voice was a figment of her imagination, all in her head. The words hovered at the back of her throat, choking on the air, unwilling to break free. Desperation clawed at her chest, urging her to move, to act, but her limbs were stiff, bound, trapped in place. The sensation of floating in mid-air was unmistakable now. She was hanging, suspended, her arms stretched out wide, held by some invisible force.
Her breath came in shallow gasps as her heart pounded. What happened to me? Where am I? Who did this to me?
With an effort, she closed her eyes, focusing harder. The darkness behind her eyelids was thick, pressing against her. Yet, amidst the turmoil, a strange calm settled in. She could feel the coldness of the distant floor beneath her—icy, unyielding—yet it seemed so far away, as though she was floating above it, tethered to the cold metal that kept her prisoner.
She tried again, reaching for anything familiar. But there was nothing. No sound. No movement. Just silence, except for the sickening rhythm of her own breath and her hammering heartbeat that pulsed like thunder in her ears.
Then, the silence shattered. A door creaked open, and the sound sliced through the stillness. For the briefest moment, she thought she was imagining it, but no—the sound was real. The door, heavy and old, groaned as it opened, letting in a sharp shaft of light that pierced through the dark, flooding the room.
Leriya squinted, trying to make out her surroundings. At first, it was impossible—the light was too bright, and her eyes were too weak to adjust. But gradually, as the light spread across the space, shapes began to form. The room was cold, barren, with stark, unyielding shadows. Bars. Iron bars.
Her arms were stretched wide, fastened to something—chains? Metal hooks?—and her legs were splayed open, suspended from some invisible thread. She could feel the air against her skin, the rawness of it, but the reality of her situation didn't fully sink in. It was like she was caught in some horrible dream. She wanted to scream, but all that came was a strangled gasp.
And then she heard it. A soft sigh, heavy with meaning, that cut through the tension like a whisper in the dark.
"Oh dear, look at the state you're in."
Leriya's heart skipped a beat. The voice was unmistakable, yet unfamiliar in its new tone. It sent a ripple of unease through her. She couldn't place it—yet she knew, deep down it was somebody dear to her.
A figure stepped forward, drawing closer. Her heart pounded in her chest as she strained to focus, to make out the details. The door was the only source of light now, casting long shadows on the floor, and through that darkness, a shape moved.
Lyse.
Leriya's breath caught in her throat, but no words came. Lyse—her sister, her lover, her friend, her confidante, the one she had trusted more than anyone else. What was she doing here? What was happening?
"Help," Leriya thought. The word echoed in her mind, but her lips remained sealed. She couldn't say it aloud. She couldn't even move. The terror grew, suffocating her.
Lyse stepped into the light fully now, her face illuminated, her eyes gleaming with something that Leriya couldn't quite understand. A smirk tugged at Lyse's lips, a cruel twist of emotion that made Leriya's stomach turn.
"I bet you have so many questions," Lyse purred, her voice laced with sympathy.
Leriya's eyes widened. She could feel the shift in the air—the weight of Lyse's presence pressing down on her, heavy and suffocating. What was happening? Why was Lyse here?
"She must be here to save me". A small smile of relief appeared on Leriya's face. "Lyse hurry!" Her eyeballs widen and her emerald balls dance with worry for Lyse and herself. "Hurry!" She tried to urge with her eyes.
However Lyse, all but started humming her favourite song in the world, happily, calmly. She stood in front of Leriya, long legs casted by the shadow. Leriya instinctively knew. There was no sense of urgency at all in her Lyse's actions. "But, why was she doing this?"
Lyse circled the bars that trapped Leriya, her footsteps slow and deliberate. Every movement felt like a silent threat. "Look at you," she whispered, her voice loving. "Samol will be so worried. He'll come for you, won't he?"
The mention of Samol was like a jolt of electricity. Her mind snapped back into focus. Samol. Leriya's heart twisted. Samol would come for her. He had to. But why was Lyse talking like this? Why was she tormenting her?
Lyse's smirk grew. She leaned closer, her breath warm against Leriya's ear. "Don't worry. I'll fill in for you. I'll take your place by your mother's side, your father's side, Samol's side." Her voice danced anxiously and happily.
Leriya felt a wave of nausea. Her stomach churned violently, her body threatening to betray her once again.
"You—" she tried to whisper, but the words came out heavy, thick and bitter and splashed over Lyse's face. The remnants of the words come out as a choking retch. She had to say something.
"Ugh!" Lyse screeches, her face contorting in disgust before she disappears into the darkness. Another wave of nausea hits Leriya. Could be the fear of heights... or the remnants of yesterday's dinner.
"What was yesterday's dinner?" Her thoughts scatter. "What's happening? Why is Lyse doing this" But the thudding sound of heels on the rough floor drowns out her questions. Lyse is back, standing before her once again. And the question "Why?" echoes in Leriya's mind.
"Why, Lyse? You were the best thing that happened to me. My parents loved you. I loved you. Why…?" her thoughts run in a cycle.
Lyse stands before her, her body still damp from the shower, wearing a familiar silk gown—Leriya's own. Leriya watches her, helpless. Lyse dries her hair with a towel, her movements slow and deliberate.
"Why?" Leriya thinks, struggling to meet her eyes.
Lyse's hands drop, and she nods, her voice barely audible. "I love you so much," she murmurs. "That's why. I love you… and Samol." She takes a step closer, her face hardening. "But you wouldn't understand. You were going to run off with Samol. What about me? What about us?"
Leriya's chest tightened, her breath quickening. The words hit her like a physical blow. No. No, it couldn't be. Lyse—her best friend, the one she had trusted—had planned this? Had betrayed her like this?
"I love you," Lyse continued, her voice breaking with emotion. "I love you both. But you wouldn't understand."
Before Leriya could process it, Lyse stepped closer, her hands reaching for her, unfastening the chains that held Leriya's limbs in place. One by one, Leriya's legs were released, and then her arms. She collapsed to the floor with a thud, a strangled cry escaping her lips.
Lyse crouched beside her, her breath steady. "I'm sorry, Leriya," she whispered, almost tenderly, as she prepared the syringe. "But I have to be you."
And with that, she plunged the needle into Leriya's face..
Darkness claimed her once again.