Elara had to run for her life the way she forever had. Her dread upon entering this nightmare was neverending, as it was the most sinister one she had experienced. If she were captured, instinctually, she knew there was a possibility she might never wake up again. For the past 10 years, she had outrun the mismatched eyes every time she found herself abruptly hurled onto the Moon's broken floor.
When her hands and knees impacted the hard stone, she inhaled thoroughly, preparing her lungs for the direct mission ahead. Her chestnut hues diverted upwards, visualizing the path she must take to outrun him. Intuition was fundamental here– it had kept her safe for this long. Her nails scraped the ground lightly as she clenched her hands into fists. She suppressed the hysteria that was thrashing through her veins, her body already shaking from her consuming fear.
The man with mismatched eyes would locate her if she didn't move.
She had to go.
Now.
She shoved herself to stand, detecting her usual white gown swimming around her legs. The woman glimpsed over the existence of the Earth for one moment, witnessing how stunning it was from afar. If she didn't have to run, she could spend hours looking at the blue marble, brilliant with bright aqua oceans and rich verdant landscapes.
A threatening shiver ran down her spine, and hair arose on her arms. It was the exact sensation prey encountered when they knew their predator was baiting them, ready to strike. Elara's lips drew into a tight line, her hands gripped the top of her dress, and her feet started to move.
Faster. She had to go faster.
Her blood hammered in her ears as she bolted through the broken ruins of the Moon Kingdom. Her hair swished behind her, her breathing quick. Her fingers held her skirt securely, lifting the hem off the ground so she did not trip. If she fell, she'd get caught by him.
"Run faster, Princess." The wind seemed to ridicule her. Her heart was sporadic.
The faint whisper in the breeze spurred a trickle of fear to march down her neck and curdle in her belly; she had to sprint faster.
Elara's lungs were forcing as much air into them as possible, her thighs burning from the quickness she moved through the ruins of the Moon.
She was nearly hyperventilating with how frantic her respires had become, her cheeks flushing from the absurd exertion of energy. Her ivory dress was billowing in the wind behind her, whipping about from the gust of her pace. Her feet kept up vigorously as she flew down the stone pathway and into the garden. The garden was a graveyard, complete with the aura of death and despair. She hated running here, but it was the only place she could go.
Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her shoes clinked on the jagged pathway, the sounds reverberating loudly in her ear. Her chest rose and plunged rapidly when she unexpectedly sensed him.
A coldness brushed her ankle.
"No," Elara exhaled, her eyes broadening, panic overflowing in her chest.
Her heart was racing with dread— did he finally catch her after all these years?
She attempted to jerk the icy feeling away but found herself tumbling forward. The coldness materialized into a black shadow, contorting around her ankle and yanking her back. Elara yelped as her body slammed down to the pavement below, her bones splintering against the floor. She winced as her elbows and knees clashed with the uneven ground, scraping with beads of blood bubbling upon impact. Her forehead nastily smacked the floor upon collision as well, crimson now seeping at her hairline.
She didn't even have a second to think. The fog developed hands, clawing at her body and seizing her wrists and ankles. Elara violently thrashed as the shadow's icy grip roughly squeezed her soft limbs. Elara grit her teeth, struggling as she wrestled to escape.
The blackness flipped her onto her back, the back of her skull snapping against the stone pavement beneath her. Time slowed down in this single moment, her screams becoming mute. She only heard the wind of her exasperated inhale, straining to refill her lungs. Her eyes instantly misted from a jabbing ache at the back of her head, her sight affixed on the mocking night sky.
The faraway stars danced in her suffering and sang brightly to her screams.
Her gaze was swimming as the little lights ridiculed her from overhead, laughing at her inescapable misery. And in a wink, time resumed, throwing Elara back into the trench of her horror.
With her body restrained, she started to quake with apprehension.
The terror ascended into her throat.
She was trapped.
She had to get out.
Nothing was working.
As much as she strained to shake off the dark shadow that bound her, the more they grew and tightened. The blackness swept up her body, encircling her on the ground. She flinched as the sensation of talons grazed her form, lightly dusting along her skin with its sharp tips. Within an instant, the soft caress became cruel incisions along her body. Blood oozed through her white bodice, the skirt of her gown now in shreds. Red long lacerations ran up and down her stomach, legs, and arms as the shadowed claws cut more profoundly and recklessly. Each pull of the invisible talons tore deeper into her pearl skin, causing her to scream profusely in response.
Regardless of the fiery pain, she was still pushing to free herself as she tugged against the ominous fog.
The blackness crept behind her in a sheet of darkness as if she were laying on an ebony blanket. The darkness then hardened into an aged wall and the shadows that secured her hands and ankles materialized into cold, heavy metal binds. Elara yanked at her bound limbs when the black wall behind her raised her body into the air.
It shifted so that Elara was standing upright, the metal shackles maintaining her dangling her form in place. She pulled at her arms viciously, only to find that every time her skin kissed the metal, it sliced into her bones. Elara's expression widened at the sharp pang as blood bloomed at her wrists.
A howl ripped through her throat as the horrid sensation traveled down her limbs, blood gushing in tiny rivers from her strapped binds. The ruby liquid shimmered, twisting and turning as the streams raced down her pale arms.
Her body shook, and the restraints seemed to love her fear. The binds on her wrists and ankles constricted tighter every time she shifted, drawing more raw, glistening blood.
Her head pounded, and thick ruby fluid bloomed on her temple from her earlier fall. Her throat was raw and dry, making it harder to respire. Light perspiration sprouted along her face and neck. Her body was preparing for the worst, and her breathing was labored and forced.
How could she break free?
"You'll never break free," A growl hissed ahead of her.
Elara froze, the piercing sound of the antagonistic voice stunning her into silence. She swallowed painfully as she stared into the space before her. All she could see was the long stone pathway that boarded the garden and the empty castle. Gradually, her worst fear emerged, ready and waiting to strike.
Looming in the air, a pair of mismatched eyes flashed in front of her. Elara's hues enlarged as they hovered in space as if analyzing her. The glowing orbs then gradually drifted closer to her, approaching her bound body.
Her heart pounded ferociously as fear germinated in her stomach, tensing her entire body.
The orbs floated closer and closer, and the wickedness projected off of them and further warped the insides of her gut. When they were only a centimeter away, Elara cringed in horrifying anticipation. Her lids squeezed shut, willing the mismatched pair to go away.
Elara could feel its hot breath on her neck despite simply being a pair of eyes. She vigorously shook as a final scream ripped through her throat. This part of her nightmare she had never experienced before, and despite how much she attempted to restrain her cries, they tore through her.
Her fear was piloting her control.
The toxic dread within her implored her to break free, compounding and evolving. Her instinct roared within her to get out, or else she would meet her end, but her chains were solid.
When her lids opened, the mismatched pair were gone. Elara gasped with relief, despite still being bound.
But this nightmare was only just beginning.
There was a bang of thunder overhead. Elara craned her neck towards the night sky, only to find sinister clouds churning above. The clap of thunder sounded through once more as a flashing bolt of light initiated to meet it. Elara's lips parted, the luminance reflecting in her chestnut hues as the two elements harmonized above.
Suddenly, the lightning struck downwards toward her.
Her pupils dilated in dread as the golden light instantly hit the black wall holding her shackles. Upon impact, her entire being ignited in pain as the bolt's power seared through her body.
Elara assumed she had died at that moment.
The lightning collapsed her lungs within her, bashing the wind out, and unable to inhale more air. Her eyeballs nearly bulged out of her head, her muscles continuously spasming with excruciatingly blinding pain. Her entire body seized up as the lightning charred her veins, its energy pulsating destructively within her. Her organs nearly burst inside her, blood sputtering out of her mouth and trailing down her chin.
When the lightning ceased, she could not move.
Her lids dropped closed, her head hanging limp. The remnants of the lightning rattled in her bones, spurting more blood to dribble from her mouth. Blood was everywhere as it also fled freely from her nose and ears.
Elara could scarcely think through her pain. She simply wanted it to end. In the darkness, her mind pieced together a few wilted images as if begging her to clasp onto the remembrances that kept her alive.
She thought of her Mom, Dad, and best friends, who were as dear to her as her sisters. She was thankful she had such a loving childhood full of laughter and happy moments. She mourned for her future that she would never have and for her children, she'd never get to meet. She strained frantically to hold onto these images of her life and dreams, but the pictures dissipated into complete blackness as exhaustion plagued her.
Her body prayed to die and escape the pain while her mind stormed to fight another day, clinging to hope. Sweat, mixed with blood, ran in rivers down her arms, legs, torso, and face. She was a mangled mess of limbs and flesh.
When two warm hands caressed her face, she barely had the means to react.
"Elara, Elara can you hear me."
That voice. That voice was never in this nightmare before. In Elara's blackness, she almost choked with solace, but her lips were motionless. Her heart heated familiarly as she dragged her spirit inwards.
Morpheus.
She pleaded for her lids to open and respond to his soft hands cradling her face, his thumbs sweeping her tired cheekbones. Her heart outstretched towards him, her essence imploring to him to hear her, to know she was still in her mind. Morpheus would rescue her. He'd break her free and save her from this endless torture as the ache caromed through her bones.
For a fleeting moment, she was safe. He always said he would protect her.
His warm fingers held her head in his hands. She willed her limbs to have some energy to react to him, but she was so fragile. If only she had the strength to open her lids.
"I will get you out of this."
At the sound of his promise, Elara admitted she would do anything for Morpheus. His words winded into her heart, offering her resilience she didn't know she still had. Elara could cry from happiness, knowing she trusted him more than anyone else in her life. Morpheus would rescue her from her most damaging nightmare and save her from her sorrow. She was desperate for his help.
Elara would give the Endless everything the second she broke free. When his lips brushed her forehead, she mentally shivered at the contact.
But then, his warmth was gone. Her body went cold.
Where did he go?
She needed him.
The absence of his touch forced an icy sensation to hover around her neck and down her spine.
She was alone.
"He's gone, Elara."
Elara's frail neck rocked to its side, her first movement after the lightning strike. Slowly, with all her might, her lids delicately fluttered open. Her teeth were coated with the disgusting flavor of blood.
"He's abandoned you."
"No," Elara exasperated, her vision focusing on the mismatched eyes materializing in front of her. They loomed in the air as they shifted. Around the orbs, a black shadow formed as if it were wearing a cloak of darkness. It obscured the actual figure from sight, swirling around the now posturing creature.
"He doesn't care about you." The voice was menacing, every word bitten into the air.
"You…" Elara gasped, her voice hurling as much venom into her words, "don't know anything."
She trusted Morpheus. She cared about him more than she ever thought she would.
"I don't?"
A sharp ray of disorder bit into her chest at his taunt. What could this thing possibly know? Elara knew her heart and that Morpheus had to feel something real for her, and she would not listen to its lies. The black fog crept up from under the platform, slowly wrapping her around her ankles.
Despite not having a mouth, she saw the figure smirk in front of her. "He only pays attention to you because you share the face of his dead lover."
What?
Elara's eyesight was barely able to concentrate on the mismatched. She sneered through bared teeth, "Liar."
The maniacal voice chuckled from within the shadows. "Alena was his true love. You were always the replacement, an identical replacement. There was never anything special about you other than how you look ."
Who was Alena?
Doubt immediately crept into her soul, sowing seeds of discord.
The darkness was enclosing her legs as it trailed up her waist. Its coldness sickly kissed her burning skin, whisking around her thighs.
The voice persisted, enjoying its tease. "Dream only lusts to restore Alena's life. You are simply a catalyst for his pleasure."
The air was sucked out of her lungs, her brows creasing as she used her depleting strength to lift her head. What the shadows were saying to her didn't make sense. Who was Alena? Did they look alike? When was Dream with Alena?
Her heart spiked in despair, and her feelings instantly battered down. Love was a fool's emotion.
"You think he cares about your soul? Your heart? Do you even think your dreams are your own or reflections of her life? Do you know if you are who you are?" The mismatched eyes growled as the breeze started to pick up momentum. The wind flailed her hair wildly around her, the remaining shreds of her dress lifting into the air.
"Let's put it to the test, shall we? Let's see if the King of Dreams comes to save you."
With great force, the black fog that encircled her moments ago spread outwards from her body. The clouds now revolved around the entire platform, transforming into a substantial tornado with damaging speeds, and she was in the eye of it. The mismatched eyes became one with the storm, erupting within the cyclone. The eyes spun around with the wind, reappearing before her with each rotation.
Elara gritted her teeth as the lightning formed to dance above her again. Her legs once more trembled, knowing how death-inducing the pain was from those bolts.
Morpheus would come to her– he would save her. He promised he would get her out. Elara shoved down the doubt twisting through her, but her suspicion unfailingly bubbled back up and latched into her throat.
She didn't have the strength to battle down the venomous thoughts from spurring her heart. Elara had fought with her sanity for days, thinking that she wasn't good enough to keep the attention of Dream of The Endless. She always assumed that it was too good to be true for Morpheus to have actual feelings for her. She never believed she was worth it.
Her heart was breaking.
"Call for him. See if he comes."
Elara wept helplessly, anger in her vehement glare at the mismatched eyes. With a wavering voice, she hissed, "He will come for me."
The lightning paraded down and impacted her with its full power. As it struck her body, her voice shrieked in pain as she cried out into the air. Her screams blended in with the howling of the tornado as thunder clapped above. Her body was ripped apart by the strength of the voltage, her muscles savagely pulsing within her. It felt like they would tear through her skin as she burned with never-ending agony. The immense pressure behind her sockets made her think they were displaced.
Fresh blood pooled from her mouth, running down her chin. Her shackles jerked violently from her tremors, and her body vibrated hatefully as the lightning spasms continued their torment. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. With glassy eyes, she lifted her head to the sky to see another trickle of lightning project right at her. She braced herself, but she knew this was it.
Upon impact, Elara called out the name of the man who would protect her, "DREAM!"
The pain was too much. Her lungs were about to explode as every nerve in her body burned up in stifling agony. However, just as she begged for death, it did not come. All that came was the endless onslaught of the white lightning.
Over.
And over.
And over again.
The lightning did not cease its tirade on her body for a single instant.
And still, she was alone.
With every strike, her body was scorched and irrevocably damaged beyond repair. She prayed for her life to end to eradicate the agony. She needed it to be over.
But she was alone.
Morpheus did not come, and his oath to protect her was shattered.
She was alone.
He lied to her. He didn't care about her– he cared about Alena. He was never going to save her.
She was alone.
Her heart drowned in a sea of misery, unable to surface for air.
Elara had no energy to cry anymore. Her bleary expression panned upwards to the sky as her body exhaustively gave out. She had no more strength, and she could not fight. Her lids fell closed one final time.
The lightning struck.
Morpheus stood silently in Elara's bedroom. Her words knocked the breath from him.
The thickness of the air was asphyxiating, the heaviness unbearable as it bore down on his shoulders. He couldn't accept the words from Elara's trembling lips as her stare was complete with pure loathing.
Who is Alena?
"What?" The Endless whispered in disbelief. He had to stop himself from recoiling backward. His entire body became rigid, his mouth parting in bewilderment. Elara had a stream of salty droplets running down her cheeks like an ocean was pouring out of her. Her nose scrunched, the moisture dripping from her jaw and sprinkling onto her hands.
She had such sorrow in her eyes but deep venom in her voice.
"Tell me. I want to hear it from you," Elara hissed, her fingers balling into fists in her lap.
Morpheus unknowingly shook his head, realizing that a critical bit of knowledge he intended to keep from Elara was out in the open. His heart shattered as she glared at him with bitterness, disgust, and betrayal.
The Dream Lord inwardly curled; his eyes slipped shut for a moment as he gathered himself. When he blinked open to scan Elara's face, her vivid pain launched inside of him and stabbed his ribs.
His mouth opened, conceding to tell her what she needed to hear. He would tell her the truth in hopes it'd be healing. "Alena and I were lovers eons ago."
Elara visibly shook as she processed his words, and her face was colorless as she strained to regulate her sobs.
"You and Alena share very similar features," Morpheus continued, his guard rising instinctually to protect himself. He felt like he was putting up a wall against a tsunami, and every time he put a plank in place, another one burst through the barrier. His emotions were fluctuating out of control.
Elara's reddened hues were complete with heartache as she sharply corrected, "I look identical to her."
She hastily rubbed away the wetness as if her tears burned her. It was as if she hated the fact that she was crying, but another untamed tear skated down her chin. Morpheus gaped at her with his despair welling up, his heart hammering. He sensed himself start to crack, and his jaw set with regret.
His silence was confirmation of her statement. Elara and Alena were identical, sans their eyes.
Elara bobbed her head, her wrist reaching up again to wipe her face and nose. "I should've trusted my instincts. That's why you found me after Marcus raped me. You didn't care if I was okay– you cared about finding Alena. You never meant to help me."
The Endless was unsure what to say, moisture collecting in his seafoam hues. Her words wounded his heart, each phrase like a knife stab because everything she uttered was a rationalized lie after another lie. He genuinely desired to see if she was alright and to help her nightly torment. He grew to care for her, to need her…
Morpheus thought of that black tornado within her nightmare, cultivating untruths in her head, fury evolving within him. He knew Elara was persuaded against him, and he had no actions to prove otherwise. He had left her in her nightmare when he could've set her free.
Elara scowled greatly. "I'm not a replacement."
"I do care about you, Elara," Morpheus steadily pleaded, taking a tentative step closer, to which Elara bit back cruelly, "Liar."
He stopped in his tracks. His heart was stunned with hurt.
Elara attempted to inhale a steadying breath, but her chest hiccuped as she tried to take in the air. "I was dying in my nightmare. I believed you when you said you were going to get me out of there, and when I called for you, you didn't come."
"I did not know your nightmare could harm you."
"Did you not hear me scream for you? Was that not enough?" Elara spitefully spat. Her hand came to dust away the sweat that was on her forehead.
The Endless desired to go to her, embrace her, and ease her pain. But he was the origin of it. He was the reason for her despair, and his heart was now wrenching with remorse at his decision. Just like in his old ways, he only considered what he believed to be right. His hubris resulted in Elara's complete physical agony, mental torment, and emotional distress.
Morpheus was infuriated at himself for his wrongful choice.
This was his fault.
He completely failed her.
Why was he always unable to protect the ones he cared for?
Why did his petty needs even play a role in his decision on the Moon?
Why could he not change for the better?
He wanted to change for the better.
He thought he did change for her.
He had failed.
He wasn't sure what words he could say to fix this, as she would dismiss anything he attempted to convey.
Elara's lip quivered as she voiced, "I think you should go."
His visage hardened again, and his throat bobbed as his swimming gaze swept over the weeping woman. He wished to kiss away her tears, to confess to her that he was falling in love with her, but his words would fall on deaf ears.
Actions were more important than words. And his actions were nonexistent. He despised himself at this moment.
Morpheus bounced his head slowly. He gave her one more painful regard as he bitterly articulated, "Sleep well, Elara."
His sand instantly whisked his body away, leaving her alone.
When the immortal left, everything Elara was bearing back came flooding out. Elara doubled over, her hands enveloping her body as her lips parted in an agonizing scream.
She cried about her lack of worth.
She wailed for her idiocy.
She sobbed for the searing physical pain that still lingered in the forefront of her mind and body.
She mourned losing the one person that made her heart feel something, disappointed and betrayed.
She was severely shattered and irreplaceably broken— She might as well have died when the final lightning struck.
Our poor babies.
As a note, I have re-written some parts of Chapter 4/5/6. The meaning of those chapters hasn't changed, but it definitely adds more development. If you'd like to read some fluff in contrast to how sad this chapter was, I recommend giving those a quick re-read and seeing how far we've come!
If you're reading through for the first time, you had the full experience from the get-go :)