The Core of Everyone's Suffering
"...And that is how the BATTs succeeded in helping wild witches that night from the raids," Raine finished their story, them and the human walking side-by-side.
"Wow! I almost wished I ended up on the Boiling Isles!" Marcy gushed, practically bouncing on her heels. "Hero rebels fighting against a corrupt government is such a terrific trope! Plus, this Owl Lady sounds like someone special~!"
Raine averted their gaze from Marcy's knowing look, a slight blush on their cheeks. "The Owl Lady is just an old friend of mine."
"Uh-huh~" Marcy smirked teasily, poking Raine's arm repeatedly with two index fingers.
The human and witch have been walking for a long time together now, possibly hours or days. Time was really weird here. Whatever the case, the two have been conversing all that time, telling each other stories and getting to know each other. It made Marcy feel a bit better, gaining a new friend, and judging by the small smile on their face, it made Raine feel better as well.
Raine let out a chuckle, giving Marcy's hair a quick tousle. "I find your story incredible as well. Chief Ranger for a royal guard at thirteen is impressive."
Marcy smiled modestly. "Yeah, my smarts and love of epic fantasy games really came in handy during my time in Newtopia. Although…" her mouth changed into a sad frown, "I wonder if it was just all a trick to gain my trust."
I would of said anything if it meant you delivered the box fully charged. Hate to break it to you kiddo, but you've been duped.
Marcy groaned in frustration, covering her closed eyes with balled up fists. "I just feel so stupid for trusting Andrias!"
Raine patted her back, sympathetic. "Hey now, don't keep beating yourself over it. This King Andrias is hundreds of years old and ruler of an amphibian society of high intellectual minds. From what you told me, he was able to dupe everyone into thinking he was a fun-loving guy."
Marcy dropped her hands from her face, pouting despondently. "Good point, but it doesn't make me feel any better."
Raine moved their hand to Marcy's shoulder. "If we find a way out that leads us to this Amphibia, I got some experience starting rebel groups," Raine offered, giving Marcy a slight grin.
Marcy hummed thoughtfully, tilting her head slightly. "Not to mention, my friend Sasha almost took over Newtopia and imprisoned the king. The two of you might make an unstoppable force."
Raine chuckled. "I almost want to see what she and Eda together could do against Belos."
Marcy started to smile when something glittery caught the corner of her eye.
She stops, blocking Raine's path with an outstretched arm so they would follow suit. "Something wrong?" The witch asked.
Marcy's eyes squinted into the haze. "There's something...glittery up ahead."
Through the fog, in the center of a small clearing up ahead, a frozen pond shimmered.
Marcy tilted her head. "A frozen pond? That's weird…"
Curious, Marcy gravitates toward the strange landmark, Raine hesitantly following her to the edge of the pond. For a moment, the human's and witch's faces were reflected in the ice. Then a whirlpool of colours replaced their reflections, forming into a moving image, like a video. Distorting voices echoed all around the two as a scene played before their eyes.
It was Raine. Running away from something before turning around and being taken by surprise.
"Leaving so soon?" A red demon asked from her perch on a humanoid, sludge-like creature.
Beside Marcy, she heard Raine gasp as they watched themselves get captured and bought face-to-face with the red demon.
"Emperor Belos was rather upset to learn that you had a hand in the recent raid incidents," she said, Raine glaring at the demon defiantly.
"Guess I can look forward to my own petrification, huh?" Raine retorted, slightly smirking.
However, the red demon just let out a laugh. "No. It'd be too much of a hassle to find a replacement," she replied, one finger that served as her hair lifting and casting off a magic glow. A harp tattoo on Raine's wrist glows briefly before red vine-like binds encase them in a cocoon of sorts. "The emperor needs you alive and well for the Day of Unity. But until then, night night."
The pond's surface goes dark.
Marcy stares in stunned silence, only to be snapped out of it when Raine starts to lean their weight into her. Marcy grabs their elbows and tries to steady them, keeping them from sinking to their knees. Raine in turn grips her arms. "Raine?"
"I-I remember everything," Raine stammers out. "I even know what they're doing to me right now."
"Right now? What do you mean by-" Marcy started to ask, but then a new voice spoke up.
"Leaving so soon? But we have so much to discuss."
Marcy and Raine turned their attention back to the pond's surface, the terrible scene of King Andrias looming over Marcy, Yunan, and Olivia on display. Marcy gasped sharply. As she watched, it all came back to her in one horrifying swoop. The basement, the eye in the king's crown, the mechanical monster dropping down from the ceiling, being strapped to that throne-like chair.
"No, no, no, no," Marcy murmured frantically, hugging onto Raine's arm, terrified. Raine watched with equal horror, face stunned by the scene before them, the Marcy in the reflection straining against her bonds.
"Let me go!"
"I wish I could, but my lord craves a host. And it wanted the best, the smartest, the only one who could beat me at Flipwart." Andrias cast a dark glare in Marcy's direction.
Raine gasps alongside the trapped Marcy.
Andrias turned back to Marcy, grinning at her apologetically like it was more of an inconvenience than the horrible situation that it was. "Honestly, Marcy, I like you. Always have. I begged the core to consider an alternative host, but…alas."
Raine couldn't look away as tubes were attached to Marcy's arms and legs, as a sinister-looking helmet was descending toward her. Marcy beside them tightened her grip as she watched herself struggle before the helmet was placed on her head. Then the screaming started.
Marcy buried her face into Raine's chest, her tears soaking their shirt as she let out hyperventilated sobs. Raine kept watching.
"The time has finally come for the Core to lead us to our destiny," Andrias said to the two newts as he stood in front of the throne. "But what destiny, you ask? Well, I suppose I should let it speak for itself." With a hand gesturing to his lord, King Andrias stepped away, no longer obscuring the unconscious human from view.
The slumped girl slowly straightened up, bones cracking in a sickening way. Multiple eyes on the helmet opened, glowing a burning red as what was once Marcy grinned.
"Why, hello there," it said with an overlapping voice.
However, the voice came from right behind the witch and human.
Stiffened with fear, a shaken Marcy slowly detaches her face from Raine's side and looks behind her. Raine swiveled around as well to see a copy of Marcy, wearing that dark armor and antlered helmet, a red cape adorning their shoulders.
"About time you show up," Dark Marcy continued in that distorted voice, speaking directly to Marcy before giving Raine a glance. "And you bought a friend I see, not that that will help you."
Raine stood protectively in front of Marcy, glaring defiantly at this sinister copy. "Who are you? What do you want?"
"I suppose you could call me Darcy, but I think you'll remember me better as the Core. Marcy certainly does."
Raine spared a glance at Marcy, the poor girl terrified and slightly trembling. They reached back and placed a comforting hand on hers.
"As for what I want," Darcy continued, "is to keep Marcy from wandering around. Can't have her getting ideas on escaping. Not that she really could escape."
"You keep away from her," Raine demanded, raising their other hand, preparing to cast a spell circle.
Darcy let out an amused chuckle. "You can't do anything here. Not with your own predicament." Darcy reached out their palm, as if ready to receive something. "So step aside and let me take Marcy from here."
Raine felt Marcy's grip on their hand tightened.
"No," Raine replied firmly to Darcy. The witch attempted to draw a spell circle, trying to summon their violin and prepare to do battle. However, the coven mark on their wrist flared up like red-hot iron. Raine cried out in pain, letting go of Marcy as they fell to their knees, clutching their arm from the searing pain.
"Raine!" Marcy moved to kneel by their side, but then the ground beneath her feet shook, the girl wobbling around in an attempt to keep her balance. "Whoa!"
Raine opened their scrunched up eyes to see the ground change into a stone floor, a perfect large circle around them, Marcy, and Darcy. The platform shot into the sky, rising as stone by stone materializes and creates a room around all of them.
Then it stopped.
Raine and Marcy, who had fallen to her knees at the sudden ascension, gazed around the newly built structure. A colorless, circular room with strange symbols etched into the walls. The witch and human shared a look, dread on both their faces as they realized what it was.
A dudgeon in a tower.
Marcy reached for Raine, but an unseen force threw her to the center of the room, dropping her like she was a lifeless doll. Before she could get up, metal chains burst from the floor and clasped cuffs around her wrists and ankles, keeping her in a kneeling position with her arms spread downward at an angle.
"Marcy!" Raine cried out. They started to get up, but another wave of pain stopped them. The witch clutched their wrist with gritted teeth.
Marcy struggled against her bonds before a hand combing through her hair made her freeze up. "I apologize for the hasty arrangements," Darcy said, standing over Marcy's shoulder, "But rest assured it's only temporary, until we've secured you," Darcy's hand stopped its caressing and tapped the side of Marcy's head, "in here."
Cold fear wrapped around the girl's heart as her body trembled.
"Now," Darcy straightened up and directed their attention to Raine, "to deal with you."
"Leave Raine alone!" Marcy shouted, resuming her attempts to free her arms.
Darcy just smiles toothily. "Oh, I won't be doing anything to them. In fact, it's time for them to return to their own prison."
"What?" Raine breathed out, still struggling against the pain.
Darcy just lets out a chuckle. "Don't you get it? Marcy isn't the only one a prisoner in her own mind."
Raine's eyes widen as they let out a gasp, realization hitting them. They lock eyes with Marcy, their fear matching the one in the human's.
A circle of red burned underneath the witch. Red, glowing bindings crawled up Raine's legs to their chest, trapping their arms to their sides. From above, terrible vines unfurled and coiled around them.
"Raine!" Marcy cried out desperately as she was unable to do anything but watch as the witch was slowly lifted into the air.
"Don't give up on your friends, Marcy!" Raine called out as the vines reached their neck, "Don't give in-" Their speech was cut short, mouth now gagged by the vine.
The reflective lens of Raine's glasses was the last Marcy saw of the witch before they disappeared into the shadowed, roofless ceiling above.
"Raine?" Marcy fell forward on her hands, supporting her weight on them. She glared back at the hive of minds that stole her body. "What did you do to them?"
"Like I said, I didn't do anything to them," Darcy replied, fiddling with a twelve-sided dice in one hand, "their Emperor requires them for his little plans." Darcy walked forward a few steps, tossing the dice up in the air before catching it. "The Boiling Isles…what an interesting world. If only we conquered it sooner before the box was taken from us."
Darcy closed their hand over the dice, letting out a huff. "Oh well. We'll just go there after we take care of Earth."
"Why are you doing this!" Marcy demanded.
"I think you already know why, or at least you have a good idea why. Remember, we share the same mind now." They tapped the side of their head.
A chill spread out like wildfire up Marcy's spine, but she did her best to not show her fear. "You…you won't win! I'll get out of this somehow, save Raine, and stop you!"
Darcy threw their head back, laughing like it was the funniest thing they ever heard.
"Oh, you won't be going anywhere," Darcy replied, all those glowing eyes on the trapped child. "Even if by some miracle you manage to escape this place, you'll forget all about that witch. Save for ours, a sole mind cannot retain memories of this place."
Marcy's defiant expression melted away. "But if that's true-"
"Yes," Darcy confirmed, "Raine will not be able to recall meeting you at all. And sooner or later, you won't have any memories of them either."
Marcy's gaze fell to the floor, her vision beginning to blur. Raine, a kind-hearted witch that consoled her and was willing to fight to protect her, who became her friend in such a short amount of time, won't remember her?
Marcy distinctively heard footsteps approaching, but didn't move from her position. A hand ruffled through her hair.
"We'll return for you later," Darcy said, talking to her in a more casual manner. "The proper arrangements will be complete and you'll no longer have to be in this in-between realm. You shall rise to glory with us in the new order. Until then, enjoy the 'Raine-y' memories."
Marcy tearfully blinked, and the Core was gone. Vanished as if they were never there to begin with. There was no one else in this newly constructed tower with her anymore.
Chained and imprisoned, Marcy cried. Alone once more.
What were you expecting, a happy ending? No, rather this is a prequel to Haze Between Realities. This is how Marcy got chained in that tower. If you've seen Follies at the Coven Day Parade, you know what happens to Raine. Boy, I really hope Marcy and Raine are saved and are not too traumatized from these horrific experiences. These two deserved better.
Okay, I hope you've found my writing to be good and that you all will leave feedback or comments or share your agony with me. Stay weirds, nerds:)
