Marcy was confused at first. She felt grass beneath her. It felt...strange to her for some reason. When she helped herself off of the ground, she opened her eyes to see a peaceful green meadow with flowers blooming all around her.
Her head felt fuzzy and couldn't quite remember what had happened to lead her to this place.
In the distance she could make out a tree at the top of the hill. Someone looked as if they were waiting for her underneath the shade of the tree. She quickly recognized who it could possibly be.
"Anne!" she shouted as she ran up the hill to meet her.
Marcy could feel a warm feeling in her chest, but ignored it. All she cared about was making it up the hill to see Ann.
I have to, I've got to make things right again.
When she got to the top, she was surprised just how exhausted she was. Sure she wasn't as athletic as Ann or Sasha, but it felt like she hadn't ran for a long time. "Ann, I'm here," she managed to say as she reached to touch Ann's shoulder, "I don't know where Sasha is, but we can find her".
There was a pause of silence, making Marcy feel uncomfortable. "Ann?"
"Marcy, why did you lie to us," Ann said as she turned to face Marcy with a heartbroken look upon her face.
"Anne please, I didn't mean to hurt you," Marcy said, desperately trying to keep her cool, "I'm here, I want to make things right again, I don't want to lose you again".
Anne wiped away her tears. "But you already have".
Before Marcy could say anything, Anne flickered out of existence, as if she had never existed at all.
As if on cue, the bright landscape around her disappeared. Leaving only a dark void. With nothing to stand on, she fell. Marcy wanted to scream, but no voice escaped her lips. Instead she fell straight into a pool of water, the only thing to cushion her fall.
At first Marcy expected a icy cold feeling to wash over her, but the pain in her chest flared up, making it feel like she had landed into a pit of fire. She struggled to swim to the surface, knowing she couldn't stay here much longer.
Marcy gasped for air when he finally reached the surface of the pool. She took deep, hevey breaths. It finally eased the pain that was throbbing in her chest. But still a warm feeling in her chest remained.
She swam towards the edge of the pool and managed to hoist herself out. Marcy coughed up the water that had managed to seep into lungs.
Perhaps that's why I was in pain, I was drowning.
Although free of the pool of water that had trapped her briefly underwater, her feet were still submerged in water. Or at least that's what she thought it could be. Looking around her, she could only see an inky, black darkness. There was no sign of light anywhere.
Where am I?
"Ah, a good question indeed," a chilling voice answered, "No matter where you try to hide, I will always find you".
Marcy froze and turned around to see in her horror that she was face to face with some kind of multi-eyed eldritch monster. No matter how hard she wanted to scream in terror, she had no idea how to react to such a monstrous thing.
"I knew it would only be a matter of time before I got to meet you, Champion Of Wit".
"Who are you!?" Marcy finally asked, a bit panicked.
"I am but all that remains of being that once ruled everything. I am one without a true name, I am but The Night," the creature answered, "Ah, but you must be wondering why you are here. Isn't that right, human? Why don't I show you?"
Before Marcy could decline what they had to offer, she was forced into a chair made from the black void. Black, slimy tentacles wrapped around her arms or legs preventing her from trying to escape.
From the black void, illusion versions of those she loved were created. Further away a illusion of Andrias was made. All of the doppelgängers looked so real, but the immersion could be broken if one were to notice the faint sight of flickering.
The illusions came to life and began to play out a scene. Somehow she felt that this fragmented memory was going to hurt her once she had the whole picture of what went down the night that King Andrias betrayed her to her friends.
"Hurry everyone into the portal!" she heard her Illusion self call to Ann and the planters.
Briefly, her Illusion looked at Sasha who was trying to fend off an Illusion version of Andrias before she returned to look at the box as she was attempting to carefully take all three of the crystals out of the box.
"THE BOX!" Andrias yelled, his voice booming in anger.
"Marcy, hurry!" the Illusion of Anne shouted at her Illusion, Marcy could hear the thumping footsteps of Andrias get louder and louder.
Something bad was about to happen.
"I just need to-"
The Illusion of Marcy looked in complete shock as her chest, she had been impaled by Andrias's flaming blade.
The sizzling sound of the blade was enough to silence everyone.
Marcy could only stare in horror as her Illusion gasped for air and used the last of her strength to look at the Illusion of Anne.
"I'm sorry for everything".
Just as her Illusion self fell and Anne cried out to her, the Illusions were swallowed by the void. Disappearing as if it was all a bad dream. But Marcy knew that this hadn't been a nightmare, it had happened. She had died by the hands of the person she had once trusted.
Andrias killed me...
Breaking the silence was The Night's cruel laugher, the only one who would likely be amused by her demise.
"Ah, I always love that part. What a tragic end for a fallen hero. Ultimately betrayed by those she thought she cared about," The Night said, mockingly. They sounded pleased with their performance of their Illusions.
Marcy didn't make eye contact. "So I really am dead," she whispered, on the verge of crying. She fell onto her knees as soon as she was free from The Night's restraints on her movement.
"You were for a time, but I have decided to give you for a new purpose," The Night replied, eyes narrowing in glee.
Marcy didn't like the sound of that, not at all. "What purpose could that possibly be?"
"Child, you will have the honor of becoming my perfect little muse, with your body and knowledge, I will conquer your world and others who have yet to fear my power".
Marcy looked horrified, she got up and started to back away. "You can't do that, it's my body!"
The Night laughed again, it echoed throughout the void. "Oh sweet child, You don't have a choice in this matter, you sacrificed yourself to me as soon as you dropped dead. It's only a matter of time before our mind and soul are combined".
In vain, Marcy tried ran away in the opposite direction of The Night. She was desperate to find a way out. But the void looked endless, there was no sign of an exit anywhere. She ran faster, but eventually tripped on something and fell to the wet ground.
When she looked up again, The Night was already close. The eldritch being approached her in a more humanoid form. Their body still as black as the ooze of the void, but had all of their monstrous eyes featured on their face.
They wore a crown similar to Andrias and a dark purple cape.
"You really are a foolish child, did you really think you could ever get away from me?" they said, gently lifting Marcy's head, "It's pointless trying to run from me. You're always running away from your problems, never to fully solve them. Maybe this is why your friends left you".
"Stop it!" Marcy shouted, trying to pull her face away from The Nights grip on her.
"No matter how much you want me to stop talking about it, you know it to be true. In the end they won't save you, but you won't have to worry any longer".
Just as The Night released his grip on Marcy, she felt a cold chill on her leg, sending shivers down her spine. When she looked, she saw her legs were beginning to be entangled by the black ooze of the void.
Panicked, she tried ripping away the slimy tentacles that had grabbed onto her legs. But they kept on coming and growing faster as it latched onto her.
She tried reaching out towards The Night, but already they were walking away. Ignoring the terror in her eyes as her body and mind were starting to go numb.
"Don't worry my little muse. My time for your world is coming. You may not see your friends again, but you'll always have me".