Cat's Cradle (An Illyana's Passage Story)
Part 10: Words
Katherine was leaning back against one side of the little hot spring, although it was more like a really large hot tub then a spring. The walls were smooth stone with an underwater shelf, of varying height, that ran along the edge of the pond. The floor of the pond was more of the same smooth round pebbles that were in the outflow into the main pond. The hot water bubbled up between the stones.
Katherine was on one side of the small pond, Illyana was on the other side of the pond, roughly fifteen feet away.
The water felt good. Soothing. Katherine's head, shoulders and breasts were above the water, her nipples above water level showing about half an under boob. Illyana was tucked in the water, beasts submerged with just the top of her shoulders above water. She wouldn't meet Katherine's eyes, instead she kept staring at the water.
Katherine was... less afraid. She still was terrified of so many things, but the fear no longer controlled her, it had... receded. When she looked at Illyana she still felt a rush of terror, but now there were other feeling, overtones of power, of satisfaction, of vengeance, of... darker things. Things that made her feel... well no longer helpless. Plus, there were other feelings as well. Shame was one. Self loathing was another. She'd... she'd done things to Illyana. Things she was far from coming to grips with.
Katherine sniffed the air again. The smell of Belasco was gone from Illyana. Yet a trace of his stench was still in the air and she knew it's source, it came from Katherine now and that really terrified her. What did that mean? What did that imply? What did that make her?
Illyana was hunched over, eyes downcast and the smell of terror from her was so delicious, so intoxicating, so tempting. All she had to do was reach out and...
No!
No.
Not That again. Never that again. The scent was also so... shaming. It hurt something in Katherine.
Katherine had a small epiphany about Belasco. He'd been much less then an all powerful devil. He'd been petty and cruel in ways to enhance his own sense of power. Yes, he had had vast power, but he lorded it over those unable to resist. He was... a small man inside. Forever hurting others so he could feel big. He had told many lies. And so many of his victims believed all of those lies.
Katherine now knew why Ororo had never left Limbo. Cat had been unknowingly bound to Belasco and never would have departed Limbo on her own and would have forever fought to return. Ororo had stayed, stayed and learned magic; likely in part in an attempt to free Cat. She had stayed for Cat and had ultimately died in Limbo. Died in an attempt to save Illyana and likely Cat as well.
Katherine eyed Illyana. She seem... diminished. Smaller somehow. She froze or flinched ever time Katherine made a sudden movement. And she had a look in her eyes that... that was odd. Like she was confused. The look of a wounded animal that didn't know how to stop the pain from an injury it couldn't under stand.
Katherine's shivering had finally passed, but now she noticed Illyana was beginning to shiver. Well, time to talk I guess and it look's like it's up to me to start the conversation Katherine thought.
"Am I ever going to be able to die? Kill myself? End all of this"?
Illyana still would not meet Katherine's eyes, she spoke to the surface of the pond.
"Yes... I think. Once the spell is done. Once... once it is a real choice and not just you trying to run away".
"Tell me... tell me about yourself Illyana. Who are you? What did you become? What is your story? Start from... from when I died. Tell me all of it this time".
Illyana shifted herself slightly, then began to speak. She spoke of:
Killing Ororo to prevent Ororo from being sacrificed to the Elder gods.
Of her times in the frozen wilderness that Belasco had exiled her to as punishment for defying him.
Of finally going mad with grief and rage at the death of Oak and the forging of the soul sword.
Of the blaze of power as all the bindings were shredded.
The battle and defeat of Belasco, where she let him live, thereby escaping a greater trap set by the Elder gods.
Of her return from Limbo and reuniting with the X-Men, how only moments had passed for them but seven years for her.
Of their concerns and fears about her. If only they had know just how valid those fears were.
Of the professor's inability to read her mind, she had so much to hid.
Her friendship with Kitty, how she could lay the word at her feet and it would not begin to repay what Kitty's friendship meant to her.
Lockheed and the dragon games that they had played.
Reawaked sorcery and remembering all that had truly happened to her in Limbo.
Of realizing she was Limbo's Magnus, its new ruler.
Of hate and suspicion and hypocrisy from the New Mutants. And yet friendships as well.
Adventures and misadventures with the New Mutants.
Of death at the hands of the Beyonder; death, resurrection, and slavery.
Of betrayal by the Professor, forced to take up her evil against her will.
Peter's death and Kitty's inability to unphase.
Loneness and growing despair, everything going wrong, slowly going mad.
Inferno and meeting a reborn Peter and the resulting shame. The utter self loathing of what she had become.
Her suicide to end Inferno, erasing herself from existence.
Resurrection at the hands of Belasco. Now she was trapped in a demon form.
Of... of... of... THAT. Her mind and body in tatters.
Madness and fear and hiding in the far fringes of limbo were time ran so fast.
Of... of Cat and how Cat had been all that she had.
Realizing that she had killed Cat and that she must be in hell because she deserved it.
Rage and pain and madness; the void of soul loss driving her.
Of harming Megan to create a blood stone and a soul dagger.
Killing Belasco.
Of being called snowflake and remembering that Peter yet lived and now stood before her. Again the shame, the shame of her deeds and what she was.
Banishing them all from Limbo, running away from what she now was.
Regaining her soul sword and human form.
Of her attempt to remain with the X-men.
Hate and rejection and black despair.
Of finding Kitty gone, presumed dead, the final trigger to a massive panic attack.
Golden Gate bridge and what happened there.
Her journey in search of her bloodstones and Witchfire.
Strange events and bizarre worlds.
The Endless and the return of Cat.
Of.. something now forgotten. Choices. Choices made.
Illyana's shivering had gotten much worse by the time her story was done. Her teeth sometimes clattering.
"You don't appear to be soulless". All of Katherine's experiences with Illyana did not show an unfeeling person, just the opposite in fact.
"Fake, it's all fake" was Illyana's reply, her tone empty. "The enchantment allows me to be... what is needed; but only for the duration of the enchantment. I'm not... Nott... NN..NO.O..TT...T...".
Illyana stopped talking, her teeth clattering. Her body shaking with the shivering and causing small ripples in the pond.
Katherine eyed Illyana. She looked... sick? Katherine realized suddenly that Illyana wasn't shivering, she was... convulsing and the convulsions were getting stronger. Illyana's eyes rolled back and she went into full body spasms as she slipped beneath the water.
"Illyana"! Cried Katherine as she lunged across the pond to pull the flailing and writhing Illyana from the water. Blood was pouring from Illyana's mouth. Her tongue was trapped between her teeth and the convulsions were causing her to chew it off.
Katherine pried open Illyana's mouth. Stick, I need a stick! Something to shove in her mouth. Nothing! Nothing in sight! In desperation Katherine shoved the back of her hand between Illyana's jaws and screamed in pain as Illyana's teeth tore into her flesh.
Katherine dragged Illyana' flailing body from the pond and clutched Illyana's body to her until the convulsions finally ended; leaving her with an unconscious Illyana.
Her body's icy cold thought Katherine, like something's stolen all the life.