Chapter 11: Nightmare

"Unnnnngh" I groaned as I regained consciousness. I wearily opened my eyes as I looked up to what seemed to be a clear starry night. 'Stars? What are stars doing here?' I asked myself as I layed where I had awakened. I looked around to see that was lying in a clearing of some kind, surrounded by trees. My heart began to race as I struggled to remember how I got here, only to draw a big blank for an answer. I sat up quickly, only to get paralyzed with sharp jolt of pain.

"Nnngh" I grunted as I held my side. 'I guess I got up to fast... but what is this?' I thought to myself as I peered into the tree line from where I sat. From all sides, I just saw deep forest and no signs of a path or anything. 'Just where in elrios am I anyways?' I asked myself as worry soon began to creep onto my face. I slowly rose to my feet as I wearily stood up and surveyed my surroundings.

'Nope...nothing's familiar at all...' I frowned at the thought. 'Just what am I doing out here anyways? Wasn't I in school earlier?' I thought as I searched around again for any clues to my whereabouts. All I saw was trees and a dark but empty forest as I searched around until my eyes landed on a small path.

'Yes! A way out.' I thought to myself as I made my way to the newly discovered path. 'I don't know how exactly I got here... but something tells me I shouldn't stick around to find out.'
I winced in pain from my prior injuries as I continued down the small path; with only a full blue moon and a clear night sky to light my way, I continued eagerly in hopes of finding salvation...or at the very least some more clues as to how I landed in this predicament in the first place.

"Teeheehee." I heard a girl giggle out of nowhere.

"Whaaa!?" I yelped and jumped when I heard the random giggle out of nowhere. "W-who's there?" I stammered as I scanned the area around me.

'...nothing?' I said mentally as I grit my teeth. I kept moving forward as I continued to scan my surroundings. With each step, I couldn't shake the feeling of eyes staring a hole at my back as I continued forward.

"Teeheehee." went the voice as its volume elevated. 'Uh oh... that sounded closer than before...' I thought as I turned around again only to find me, myself, and I by our lonesome in the same mysterious forest.

"Heeheehee. Teeheehaha." laughed the owner of the voice.

"W-w-well it seems that you're closer now...who ever you are..." I said as I backed up slowly. "By anychance do you know where we are? I s-seem to be lost and can't find the way out of this place... D-do you know how to get out of here?" I waited for a few seconds to give whoever it was who was giggling the chance to respond. Unfortunately, I was rewarded with more creepy laughter.

"U-ummm.. ok?" I responded in uncertainty to the laughter. "Is that a yes or a no?"

"Hehehehe." chuckled the mysterious voice in response to my question. "Ok..." I replied as I walked forward slowly, hoping to distance myself from this eerie voice. I said to myself mentally as I trekked onward looking around for any sign for anyone who could belong to that voice.

"Sorry to say whoever you are..." I said out loud. "But it looks like you can't help me so... I'm going to leave now...ok? Quite frankly, I don't know how I got here, but you're not helping with all of that creepy laughter."

"Hehehehe, I'm sorry..." responded the voice. "It's just that... I'm so happy."

"Eh?" I responded; bewildered from the weird statement. I don't know what possessed me to ask the dumbest question you could ask a phantom voice whom you've never met, but like a dumb- dumb, I proceeded to ask "Why are you so happy?"

"Well..." the voice said before I felt a hand latch onto my shoulder.

"Eeeeeyaaaaah!" I screamed at the top of my lungs before jumping forward and out of their grasp. My face turned white with fear as I turned to face the owner of the hand; a dark robed figure stood before me with its arm outstretched. The hood was so thick and dark that it was almost as if there wasn't anyone inside the robe at all.

"Aww, don't be like that..." complained the cloaked figure. "I was afraid I'd never see you again." It said as it crept towards me.

"S-stay away! I'm warning you!" I yelled at their advancement. I held out my hand as I tried to summon my staff. "I'm a magician, and I won't hesitate to burn you to cinders if you… Hey wait a minute..." I said as I looked at my hand and my absent staff.

'What the hell...' I said to myself as I stared at my hand and wondered why my staff wasn't appearing. I kept backing up while still trying to summon my staff, only to be taunted by the cloaked figures laughter as they took their time walking towards me.

"Rrrraagh, why isn't this working!?" I yelled as I continued to keep my distance. 'This is bad... I can't even feel my mana either...what's going on!?' I said to myself in a panic.

"Hehehe, that's not going to work, just so you know." chuckled the figure as it continued to get closer.

"And why is that huh?" I barked back at her.

"Because..." she said before completely disappearing from where she was in a puff of smoke. "You're in my territory..." I heard her say again before reappearing in front of me again in a puff of black smoke. I could only gasp at the site before me as my face turned white with terror. I was staring face to face inside the hood of the, so called little girl, except this girls face was absent; all that was there was her head, outlined by her purple bangs.

"Everything in my territory belongs to me..." she said as she held her palm open to me and produced one of my void spheres effortlessly. I then watched in horror as she flashed a crooked, demented grin, brandishing two rows of pointy teeth. "That includes your magic Aisha!"

"Aaaaaaaaaah!" I screamed as I turned tail and fled for my life. Halfway into the run, my injuries from earlier made themselves known, impeding on my getaway. I slowed down slightly and peered back just in time to see a void sphere speeding toward me. "Eyaaah!" I screamed as I just barely managed to dodge the attack.

"Aww, how could you run away from me Aisha?"asked the phantom chasing me with my own magic. I panted heavily as I pushed my legs to carry me as far away as I can get from her.

'Great! Just great! I'm lost in a forest I've never been in. I've no recollection of how I even got here, and the first person I meet turns out to be-' "Aaaagh!" I grunted mid thought as a fireball collided with my back and sent me tumbling to the floor. 'Ugh… Some kind of thing who somehow stole my magic and is using it against me?!' I said mentally as I used all of my strength to pick my tired and battered self off the floor. I would've just layed there, but I didn't want to find out what that thing has in store for me is she catches me.

"You know Aisha, I wouldn't have to do this if you would stop being mean to me." complained the phantom no face girl as she walked towards me.

"Mean!? Just who the hell are you anyway!?" I screamed as I began to run for my life again. I managed to hear her sigh as I barely dodged another fireball that landed near my feet. "How do you even know my name?! I've never met you before!"

"There you go again being mean..." said the girl as she launched more of my spells at wanton, just barely missing me as if she was just toying around with me. "And after I saved your life a few hours ago too."

"Whaaaaaa!" I cried as another void sphere exploded off of a nearby tree; the force from it causing me to stumble forward as I tried my best not to fall down. "So you save my life, only to try and take it now!?" I shouted out in between gasps for air. "What sense does that make huh!? And I've already told you, I've never met you so how could you save my life!?"

"Wow... your stupidity knows no bounds does it?" taunted the phantom girl. "What a dumb candidate... did you really forget about everything today?" She said she threw more fireballs at my direction. They didn't seem to have a fixed target as the collided in every which way; breaking branches, igniting trees, everything. "Did you forget gym class... Ronan... How you almost died? Come on Aisha, think!"

I kept on dodging the fireballs being launched at me, unaware of slope I was running towards as I dodged another void sphere. "Whaahaah!" I cried as I lost my balance when I came across the change in elevation, tumbling down the path. I landed with a thud as a large tree at the bottom of the path broke my fall.

"Nnnnngh" I groaned as I propped myself up on my elbows. I almost wanted to pass out with how much pain I was in. I grit my teeth and decided to low crawl behind the large tree; the sound of maniacal laugher echoed from the top of the hill.

"You know I can see you right?" She shouted from the top of the hill. "Are you really going to give the same lack luster performance you gave earlier today again?" I groaned in pain as I rested my back against the tree and closed my eyes, gasping for air. 'What the hell is she talking abo-' I stopped mid-thought as some images flashed quickly inside my mind. 'The gym...Ronan...Elsword and...!' I gasped as I opened my eyes in shock.

"The mysterious voice?! So it's you!? The one who took over my body at the gym!?" I yelled from behind the tree.

"Ding ding ding!" She said as she mocked a bell. "Looks like you're not so dumb after all. Judges, tell the lady what she has won.

"What I've won!?" I asked angrily. I was flabbergasted at the whole event. "First you take over my body, and now you kidnap me!? What do you want from me?" I cried as I shut my eyes.

"I already told you..." the phantom said softly. I shot open my eyes as I was petrified with fear to hear her so close. I turned around slowly to stare at the faceless phantom dead in her face, her eerie grin plastered over what should be her face. I opened my mouth to scream but nothing would come out. I watched in horror as a purple glow emanated from my staff in her hand as she poofed away and in her place was a huge Hell Stone.

'What the hell...' I barely got off mentally before the giant stone rotated swiftly, knocking the large tree on its side effortlessly while also batting me away like a ragdoll.

"Whaaaaa- kyaaack! I screamed as I flew and collided back-first into a tree; the impact taking all the wind out of my sails as I coughed up a little blood. It took everything I had, not to pass out, as gravity took over and peeled my body off of the tree as I somehow managed to land on my elbows and knees. I opened my eyes weakly as I tried to push my body up off the floor, only for my arms to give out under my own weight as I tumbled and rolled onto my back.

"Its...no use..." I muttered as I looked up into the night sky, my vision was beginning to blur from all of the pain as I took deep breaths as I tried to keep from fainting. "Man... I guess I hit that tree too hard..." I muttered again as I closed my eyes. "Must be bleeding a lot... the ground's all wet…"

"Actually you're more durable than I gave you credit for..." a voice I wish I didn't recognize spoke up from right above me. I opened my eyes to see the phantom grinning smugly at me. "And no surprisingly, you're not bleeding. You're actually lying in quicksand."

"Quicksand...QUICKSAND!" I shrieked as I barely managed to sit up to see that she was right. "Aaaaaah! What is this!?" I cried out as I suddenly felt my lower body sink into the muck. I somehow managed to find the strength to pump my legs in an attempt to escape the muck, but it was useless. The quicksand held onto me firmly as I tried to fight against its hold on me. The terror really sank in when my feet noticed that there wasn't a bottom to this thing. Almost instantly I felt my body being pulled in by the suction of the muck as now it was up to my chest. My arms were outstretched in an attempt to stay afloat but even that failed as the muck swallowed my left arm.

"N-nooo!" I cried as I struggled. "It can't end like this!?" Amiss my struggling, I didn't notice the phantom as she began to float and make her way over to me. I had tears in my eyes at this point; up to my neck in quicksand, staring my pursuer in the face... I felt completely and utterly defeated.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I wailed at her. She remained unperturbed as I then watched her get closer to me, literally floating in mid air until she was right up in my face. I shivered as I was staring straight into a blank face.

"I already told you once before..." she said eerily. I trembled in terror as she reached forward and grabbed the back of my head, pulling me closer to her.

"Wait! Wait!" I cried. "What are you doi-mmmmph!?" I was petrified at the act being played out before me. The phantom had pulled me close and was now kissing me, deeply I might add.

Mmrrmm! Mmpggh! Mmmph!" I tried to protest against her, only to fail miserably. With my head in her grasp and most of my body already trapped, I wasn't going anywhere. I felt another tear roll down my face as the phantom's tongue explored my mouth deeply as she was kissing me. And then, as if this wasn't enough, my eyes widened in terror as the phantoms face had to slits emerge for eyes while she was kissing me. As the slits opened up slowly, my mind was speechless at the sight of two purple irises, just like mines, staring back at me, each full of content as she stopped kissing me to lick her lips.

"Mmm, that was tasty... though you're not quite ripe yet..." said the phantom as she moved back a bit to remove her hood, exposing the horrifying sight to see, myself looking back down at me.

"How, how, how?" I stammered; my face racked with fear and confusion as I tried to fathom what my eyes were witnessing.

"How come I look exactly like you?" She said, finishing off the question I struggled to get out. "Well, it's quite simple really. You see, the reason why I look like you, is because I am you. Or at least I will be once I consume your essence and take over your body that is. I told you before that id see you again, and here I am~"

"N-no, you can't do this!" I pleaded with her.

"I can and I will..." replied the phantom "But not just yet." She said as she smiled at me coyly as she grabbed and pinched my cheek. I winced in defiance as she shook my head around playful by my cheek. "You are not yet ripe...but soon...you will be."

"W-what do you mean by t-that?" I stammered as I somehow managed to shake my face loose of her grasp.

"What I mean is you're not quite mature enough to eat. It's so much tastier to take a mage's essence once they're fully mature. And since you're sharing power with the dark lord Angkor himself, your already unusually high level of mana will be that much sweeter to consume." Said the phantom as she licked her lips some more. I cringed ever time she did that since was wearing my face and all; it was rather disgusting to watch myself in such a perverse manner.

"Do you think Angkor would just sit by and let some phantom spirit take me over?" I said as I begin to get angry at her perverse plan to obtain more power. "Don't you think he'll notice something's wrong with me and stop you?!"

"No stupid." She responded with a disgusted look. "He won't even notice because I don't have a presence, or rather, I'm taking yours. "

'Damn...' I thought to myself while trying to keep myself from bursting into tears. I stared up into the phantoms condescending face as she smiled back at me. 'And I was hoping that maybe Angkor could tell the difference and save me in the end... but even I have to say, she is a pretty good copy...but I need to know...'

"Just...who are you anyways?" I asked in a defeated tone. "Id at least like to know the name of who's going to take my body."

I was suddenly baffled by what I saw happened next after that question. The phantom, whose face was full of contempt a mere seconds ago, was now full of bewilderment a puzzled child would have when you ask them to answer a question they didn't know.

"You know... I've been in the void for so long that I've never really thought of it." She said as she looked up in the air as if she were picking her brain for an answer. The whole sight perplexed me but at least it gave me a few more seconds before I had to meet my fate. "But I guess if I had to have a name, I suppose Void would suffice, don't you think?" She asked me in my voice as she wore one of my cutest smiles.

"Y-yeah... given the circumstances..." I chuckled lightly as I tried to crack a smile. Honestly, the whole situation freaked me the fuck out but I'd rather not ruin any slim chance I may have gained to escape by freaking out again.

"Well, I guess I'll be leaving now..."said Void with a smile as she let go of my head. I began to panic as the only thing keeping me afloat had just let me go.

"W-Wait!" I called out in a panic. You're just gonna leave me here!?"

"Well yeah" Void said with a giggle "You're not ripe enough to eat yet, plus I figured I'd let you get your feet wet in the void a couple of times instead of just leaving you there all at once. Isn't that nice off me?"

I completely ignored her foolhardy statement as panic set in once gravity took hold of me again. The quicksand wasted no time as it eagerly pulled my body down further. "Wait! No! Help!" I cried as I spit some watery sand out of my mouth. I leaned my head back to suck in some air before the muck rose up to my bottom lip. Both of my shoulders were beneath the sand; only a bit of my forearm broke the quicksand's surface, not that it did any good as there was nothing to grab onto. I could feel the quicksand tug on my body as it was ready to finish its meal.

'No...not like this!' I shouted mentally as I struggled in the thick muck to wade out my arms out to somehow push myself upwards and out of the muck. I flapped my arms downward with all my strength to miraculously push my chin about the quicksand. I gasped deeply as grabbed a deep breath. But my victory was short lived as I felt a pressure as the quicksand pulled on me full force. "N-Nooooo-mmmpphhgggggg!" I screamed as the quicksand rose above my mouth.

"Bye bye now Aisha... I'll be seeing you again.~ I heard Void say. The last thing I saw was her with her eyes closed, wearing an sinister smile before I went under and everything faded to black...

"WHAAAAAAH!" I screamed out as panted and gasped as my lungs hungered for air. *pant, pant* 'Where am I?' I thought to myself as I surveyed my surroundings. I was lying on a small bed with a large curtain on my left and a window on my right.

The shades were down and it looked like the sun was beginning to set. 'Sundown... but wasn't it just night a few seconds ago?' I asked myself as I sat there, perplexed at the situation. I noticed my toes felt lighter as I wiggled them and noticed that boots were sitting by the window. Pain began to shoot across my back as I struggled to sit up.

"Ow..." I said softly as I checked my back with my back. 'Why does it feel like my back was burn-' I stopped mid thought as the events that just took place flashed rapidly through my head. How I was chased threw a mysterious forest with my own magic, how I was launched back first into a tree, all of it came back to me. My heart began to race as I slowly pulled my knees up to my chest and hugged them close. I slowly began to shiver as I felt myself get teary eyed.

"So it wasn't a dream after all..." I said slowly as one long tear drop descended down the side of my face as it crashed on the bed sheet I was wrapped in. "She's real... Void... is real."

End of Chapter~

Digi: And there you have it folks, chapter 11 all ready and done. Perfect for while you wait on the grill come Monday.

Chung: Mmm grill.

Digi: Yeah. Though this month kind of sucked to be honest with you.

Chung: and why do you say that?

Digi: Well, I had hell of a lot of bills eat up my meager savings, and I was sick most of the month. I recently got better a few days ago but I kind of feel like its coming back now.

Raven: Well you better attack it now. Preemptive strike!

Chung: Yeah. You don't wanna be out again for another 3 days of work.

Digi: Yeah, no kidding.

Aisha: -Sniff-

Eve and Rena: -Grabs Digi by the collar- WHY DO YOU KEEP TORTURING AISHA!?

Digi: T~T I didn't mean to…its for the story

Aisha: -Sniff- I don't think I can sleep again ;-; Everytime I close my eyes now I see V-

Void: Heya Aisha-chan –slaps Aisha's back- How's It going~?

Aisha: WHAAAH! –faints-

Void: Whahahahahaha

Eve: -chokes digi- Digi… what is she doing here?

Digi: -Gags- she just wanted… to do… ack, some shopping… -coughs- with me x-x

Void: Yeah, and I just wanted to say hi as one of the new antagonists in the story as well.

Rena: But don't we have enough villains to deal with?

Void: My dear Rena, you can never have enough villains, just like panty shots~.

Digi: -slowly raises his finger to the sky- Ex-Exactly~ Guuurck!

Eve: -Chokes out Digi- Baka…

Digi: -faints-

Void: Oh Poo. Well. how did everyone like the new systems for Eve and Aisha. Hehe Digi said that Aisha's system reminded him of the battle chips system in the Megaman battle network series. Now he calls his Dimension Witch

Raven: -Facepalms- Are we doomed to only be commentary?

Chung: Its ok Raven. I don't have many lines either. –smiles with a bead of sweat on the side of his face- Anyhow everyone. Read, Review, and Enjoy. Feel free to drop us a line~