TWO
When Crysta came to, she found herself in blackness. Smoke enveloped her in waves. Blinded by the smolder, she coughed. As she always did in these fantasies, she felt trapped and humiliated.
A cold laughter washed over her. Now familiar with the mad cackling, she awkwardly rose to her feet, which were swallowed by the blackness that lurked beneath her.
"Ah, you come to me yet again, my sweet, delicate, little flower." The deep, seductive voice emanated from every direction. Crysta shuddered.
"Where are you?" She frenetically careened her head. Hexxus continued to laugh.
"I'm not far," he teased. Crysta toppled over backwards when the face of destruction abruptly appeared within the folds of the ominous shadows. Winking one of his bottomless eye sockets at her, he rumbled, "What brings you here today?"
Chilly, Crysta hunched her thin arms about her tiny waist. Wishing she wore a less-revealing outfit, she huffed, "What do you think? I bashed my head and everything's out of whack. Why are you doing this to me?"
Humming contently to himself, Hexxus emerged from the shadowy realm. His colossal frame towered over Crysta. "I'm doing this out of love, dear," he replied. His rich, smoothing accent sent a wave of cascading shivers all over Crysta's body.
"But…I can't love you…I'm not supposed to love you. Why are you doing this to me?" She was desperate. She hated being desperate.
"It's not me dear, its you. You actually feel guilty for finishing me off! I'm your conscience," Hexxus revealed. He was greatly enjoying himself.
Crysta screeched, "You're lying! I wouldn't feel guiltily for finishing you off! You died fair and square!"
Hexxus shook his head. "I'm sorry, dear. I was unfairly finished off. Twice, I might add. You're Magi locked me away first. Remember that?" He extended a smoky finger toward her face. Crysta shivered when he trailed the digit down her bewildered expression.
"It was your fault, though. If you hadn't tried to kill off my kind, Magi would've have had a reason to lock you away," she reminded him, smiling unexpectedly. His soft touch was actually starting to feel pretty fine.
"Oh, no, dear. That's not what happened. The fairies changed the course of nature. I warned them. They didn't listen." He sighed mournfully. "It was their fault entirely." He hung his head.
"I don't believe that –" Crysta began. Her sentence was cut off by Hexxus. Without warning, he had scooped her up in one of his enormous hands. He caressed her wings gently.
Crysta was loosing herself in his touch when she finally decided to put an end to it all. "Stop it. I love Pips, not you. I don't feel guilty. Just leave me alone!" She struggled to free herself from his crushing grip, but her futile attempts to escape only enticed him further.
"Crysta, my darling, you worry too much," the demon muttered. He swallowed her.