Entropy
That voice. Marcy can't believe she's hearing Darcy again. She thought she was freed from The Core when Anne and Sasha saved her during their battle, and that was months ago. She's had some low points in her recovery from trauma, but hearing Darcy's voice horrifies her. It means she's trapped again and has lost control of, not just her body, but her mind.
Marcy tries to think. The last thing she remembers was sitting with Sasha on the bench and seeing Anne come to help. She blacked out after that and can't remember anything else. She knows she's lying in a hospital bed, and was able to hear the doctors say she's in a coma, but wonders how that could bring Darcy back.
Marcy flashes back to being trapped in her own mind. She's stuck in that small room with nothing but her fading memories of her past to help her cope with being alone. Each memory became distant as she lost parts of herself. Anne and Sasha were able to save her in time before all of her memories were lost, but now she's alone again and Darcy's back.
All of the sudden, Marcy's back in that small room. She starts to panic as she looks for a way out, but there's no exit. Just four walls. Nothing but her thoughts to keep her company, which haven't been kind to her lately. Then, she sees Darcy appear out of nowhere, walking towards her with that twisted smile on their face.
"Welcome back Marcy. Are you ready to give up control? Trust me, it will be easier if you just say yes. But, if you want to make things more interesting, just say no and we'll see who makes it out of this alive." Darcy said with a smirk.
"No, I'm not going to let you take over me again. I'm stronger now and not as easily manipulated by selfish people like you. So come on, what's your challenge? I can take you." Marcy replied.
Darcy smiles, a scheming look on their face as they push Marcy to the ground. Marcy gets back up, ready to fight back, but Darcy disappears. Marcy looks around confused. The four walls start to disappear until there's nothing but an empty void of darkness all around her. Then, everything fades to black.
All of the sudden, Marcy wakes up in her warrior crossbow outfit. She looks around and freezes. She's back to where it all started in King Andrias's castle, floating in the sky. The moment where she revealed her truth. The lie she kept up so she could keep exploring new worlds with Anne and Sasha forever. She deeply regrets what she did and knows it was selfish and wrong, but the memory still haunts her.
Marcy watches in desperation as Anne and Sasha back away from her. Her eyes blurring with tears as the weight of the world comes crashing down on her. She falls to her knees and feels the pain of loneliness wash over her. Then, she hears that voice.
"What a sad story. No wonder you became the villain. You had nothing to lose and held on to the only source of control you could find. Me." Darcy said.
"I didn't choose to be stabbed, tortured, and possessed. I did everything in my power to escape from your control. And with Anne and Sasha's support, I was able to break free. They still care about me and that proves I have something to fight for." Marcy replied.
"Seems to me like you haven't changed. Even after everything you've been through, you still cling to escapism and continue to push the people you love away. You were selfish and your actions had consequences. Your fate seems fair to me. Besides, I gave you everything you wanted. You wanted to escape reality, right? Well, I did that for you. And I can do it again, if you just let me take control." Darcy said.
Marcy hesitates, thinking deeply about this for a moment. She believes she's changed for the better, but Darcy makes her doubt this. Her insecurities about her past mistakes come flooding back to her. She wants to escape this pain and can't help but think Darcy's right.
Marcy starts to get tired as she desperately tries to keep her eyes open, fading in and out of consciousness. She feels emotionally drained, like she's losing herself again. Darcy's standing right there with an evil grin on their face, waiting for the right moment to strike.
"I can make the pain go away. Let me help you escape and I can turn your fantasies into reality. All you have to do is let go. Simple as that." Darcy said.
Marcy thinks about this as her mind slowly begins to fade. She remembers the endless fantasy Darcy trapped her in when she was in that small room. Never ending happy memories of her life with Anne and Sasha, a perfect dream that she wanted to stay in. Deep down, she knew it wasn't real, but she kept telling herself there was nothing left for her in the real world. No one left who truly cared about her and that's what kept her trapped.
"I broke free from you before, I can do it again." Marcy said, her voice trembling.
Darcy laughs, disappearing again and then reappearing behind Marcy. Marcy barely has time to turn around before she feels a piercing hot blade cut through her chest. She looks down in horror at the same fire sword she was stabbed with before. Darcy holding the sword and laughing in that cold robotic tone.
"You should have learned by now. Holding on to past memories and friendship makes you weak. It's time to let go of your heart, and let your powerful mind take control." Darcy said.
Marcy blacks out, she falls to the ground and lands in the same position she was in the past. This time, no one is there with her. No Anne crying and calling out her name in fear. No Sasha to reach out her hand and protect her. She's truly alone with her demon and she's lost the battle.
Suddenly, Marcy wakes up in the basement of the castle. She's back in the chair she was tortured and possessed in, held down by metal restraints binding her hands and feet so she can't move. Her body's weak, but she still fights to break free, running on pure adrenaline. She's back in the metal suit with the eye on her chest plate, right where she got stabbed. She looks around the dark room, waiting for Darcy to appear. She can feel their ominous presence.
"I know you're in here with me, come out and face me." Marcy said.
Darcy steps out of the darkness and into the ring of light surrounding Marcy. Marcy looks at her with anger and she smiles back with that menacing smirk on her face. Darcy's clearly deriving pleasure from all of the pain Marcy's going through, but Marcy can't help but feel sorry for herself. Whether she likes it or not, Darcy's a part of her now, and that means she's hurting herself by fighting her or giving up control.
Marcy takes a moment to think about this, but she knows she needs to think fast before Darcy decides to hurt her again. Then, she hears a horrifying mechanical sound. The helmet slowly lowers from down above her. She knows what comes next and looks up horrified as she screams in fear.
"Are these the memories you want to keep reliving? Endless torture and trauma. I can make that a reality for you. Or you can give up control and I can make your fantasy dreams a reality. It's your choice Marcy. And you better decide quickly." Darcy said.
Marcy takes a deep breath as tears stream down her face, looking at Darcy with sadness. She accepts her fate and closes her eyes, letting the helmet cover her. Everything goes dark. Then suddenly she feels the intense pain of the electric shock coursing through her head and body. Convulsing back and forth as she screams in pain.
It stops. Everything goes silent as Marcy blacks out, falling over limp in the chair. Darcy walks up to her and snaps their fingers. The helmet starts to rise off of Marcy's head to reveal her tired glassy eyes. She's awake and still alive, but just barely. It's a fate worse than death, being a prisoner in her own body and tortured in her own mind.
Darcy pins Marcy against the back of the chair and looks her straight in her eyes. Marcy looks back in tears, but desperately tries to stay strong.
"That was fun! Want to do it again?" Darcy asked with a smirk.
"You can torture me all you want. I'm not giving up on myself. Not when Anne and Sasha are in the real world, hoping I make it through this." Marcy replied.
"Anne and Sasha, interesting. You really think they still care about you? Well, why don't we test that theory out?" Darcy said.
Marcy panics. She knows this is all in her mind and Darcy can't hurt Anne and Sasha, but she's terrified they might be able to use her to do it. Marcy uses the little strength she has to try and escape. She knows it's no use, but she's not going to let Darcy hurt Anne and Sasha, so she keeps fighting.
"No! You can torture me all you want, just don't hurt Anne and Sasha." Marcy said.
Darcy smirks and starts to laugh maniacally. They know they have Marcy now and can't help but revel in this victory.
"You bleeding heart types are so predictable. You know how much easier it would be to just let go of those useless emotions and connections? You know what, why don't I just show you." Darcy said.
Darcy punches the eye on Marcy's chest plate. The glass breaks and Marcy tries to stay awake, but loses consciousness almost immediately. The small orange light fades as everything around her disappears.
"Alright, I'm in control for now. Let's have some fun!" Darcy said.
