Hi! For those that don't know, Neruman is a villain from the Winx Club comic series who has his own arc in the season four comics, namely freeing the Wizards of the Black Circle from Omega and having them serve him. (He has a page on the Winx Club Wiki, if you're interested.) I really like the arc, but I always feel that it doesn't focus enough on the wizards, and what they actually think of everything that's going on, and what's going on when the Winx aren't fighting them. So, I'm writing this series of short stories focusing on the wizards through the Neruman arc. So far I only have this first one, but I'll be writing more. Please review if you like it!
Ogron had no idea how long he'd been trapped. How long he'd been frozen solid, unable to move, speak, even breathe, but yet still horribly, inexplicably, torturously aware. Aware of the freezing pain that wracked his body from the ice surrounding him. Aware that Gantlos and Anagan were surely suffering this same torment. Aware of how completely he'd failed them. Aware that he was to be subjected to an eternity of this torture. Aware there was nothing he could do about it. Sometimes he wondered how long it would take for his mind to slip into insanity from his confinement. Sometimes he wondered if it already had. If he had the capacity to do anything more than feel his slow, agonising descent into madness, he would have ended it all a long time ago.
As they often did, his eyes gradually focused on the darkness beyond his claustrophobia-inducing prison, staring blankly out into the void he'd been gazing at for who knew how long. Endless…dark…lonely. Except…no. His mind struggled to drag itself into clarity as he made out…light. What? There was no light down here. There was nothing. Just cold and darkness. His heart twisted as he realised that madness must certainly be setting in. He'd hoped he'd cease to be aware when he finally lost his mind, but he knew that he was hallucinating. And, even worse, despite that knowledge, he couldn't help staring desperately out at the small spark he could discern. He missed light. He hungered for it. For light. For warmth. Oh God, to be warm again…
He watched as the spark drew nearer, nearer, nearer, until it was close enough that he could manage to make out a figure bathed in its flickering glow. His vision was blurred, and trying to focus was actually painful, but he had to see. Even if it was only a cruel trick by his broken mind, he had to see. The figure was wrapped in a dark cloak, the hood pulled low over its face, so he could discern no features. They almost seemed to be a part of the shadows themselves.
They drew nearer, until they were standing only a foot away from Ogron. Finally, he could catch a glimpse under their hood, and he was startled to see a flash of red as they lifted the light. Now that it was closer, Ogron could see that the light was from a lantern. With how close it was to the the figure's face, he should be able to see features, but all he could see were two slits of red amid a void of shadow. By the way they were moving, they seemed to be talking. Were they talking to him? He wished he knew. He wanted to believe this was real. He wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe, his sentence was over. That maybe the Fortress of Light had taken pity on him and his friends and decided to free them. If he were freed, he'd do anything to keep from being sent back here. Anything. He'd rot in a dungeon for the rest of his life if it would only mean having the freedom to die.
The figure stared into his eyes, and he felt nerves prickling across his skin even through the pain of the cold. The gaze held darkness far deeper than any he'd ever known, even in his own gaze reflected back at him.
As he watched, confusion building, the figure lifted a hand to touch the ice encasing him. What was happening? Who was this person? And was he still certain this was just a hallucination? What he felt next told him it most certainly wasn't.
A cold wind bit at his fingertips, shocking him as he felt it. As he felt something. As he realised that his fingers were no longer trapped. He felt the sensation slowly spread to his palms, then his wrists, his arms, until at last the ice fell away and he collapsed to the floor, his knees buckling under him as he suddenly found himself standing on his own for the first time in an age, his lungs drawing in a great gasp; the freezing air burned his lungs, but he didn't care. He was breathing. He was breathing. He gulped in more air, his entire body shaking as an icy wind snapped at his skin, every inch of his body numb from the cold all around.
'Stand up.' The command was so harsh and unexpected that he jolted with surprise, the voice as cold as the ice he was collapsed on. He opened his eyes, unaware that he'd closed them, though he wanted nothing more than to close them again, to curl up and fall asleep, to maybe leave this icy pain behind.
'I said stand up. Do not make me ask you again.' The voice brokered no room for argument, and there was no patience, only a cold insistence. Limbs stiff and aching, Ogron forced himself up and onto his knees, and, shaking more with every passing second, he struggled to his feet, finally lifting his gaze to his unknown liberator.
Icy blue met blood red, and he unconsciously stepped back at the chilled malice in the gaze.
'Wh-wh-wh-who…?' he stammered through chattering teeth, wrapping his arms around himself in a futile attempt to combat the frigid temperatures so cold they were impeding his thoughts.
'Who am I?' asked the figure. Ogron nodded weakly, backing away as the person moved slowly and menacingly towards him. They appraised his shivering form, some semblance of satisfaction in their gaze. 'You're afraid of me.' Despite how cold and weak he was, and the truth of the statement, Ogron rankled. He wouldn't fear this…whatever they were.
'N-n-n-no.' Though he could see no mouth on the figure, he somehow knew they were smirking.
'I was under the impression you were a better liar, Ogron.' Ogron tried to scowl, but he was too cold and exhausted to do anything except desperately fight to stay on his feet. 'To answer your question, I am Lord Neruman.' Ogron froze, eyes widening. 'I see you've heard of me.' Neruman's voice was laced with amusement at Ogron's wide-eyed stare. 'And I thought the Council had ensured everyone forgot me.'
'Y-y-y-y-you…you were…'
'Banished?' Neruman finished. 'Why yes, I was. You are quite the knowledgable wizard, Ogron.'
'W-w-w-what do you want?' Ogron stammered, feeling himself swaying on his feet as he asked.
'Chilly?' Neruman asked, his tone cold and mocking.
'I th-th-think it's r-rather obvious,' Ogron snapped back through gritted teeth. 'W-why d-did you f-free me?' he demanded again. Why? Why would a wizard whose name was more or less synonymous with forbidden dark magic free him? Why? Neruman seemed to enjoy his confusion, to enjoy dragging this out, seeming to draw pleasure from watching Ogron trembling from the cold.
'I simply wish to help you.' Ogron could have laughed if he wasn't too busy shivering. He knew a lie when he heard one.
'S-so, w-what, you j-j-just felt l-like g-g-giving m-me a h-hand?' His stuttering was getting worse as he got colder, every word a valiant effort. 'E-excuse m-me i-if I-I'm a b-bit s-s-sk-skeptical.' Neruman chuckled.
'Of course you would be skeptical. But I am offering you the chance to be freed from this hell, Ogron.' Despite his wariness, Ogron's heart skipped at the words. To be free from Omega…to get out of here… 'And all I ask in return is your complete and total obedience.' Ogron stepped back in shock.
'…W-what?'
'I free you, and you serve me as I see fit,' Neruman repeated. 'Does that not seem fair to you?' Ogron looked away, at a loss. What did he do? He wanted to be free from this place more than anything, but…pledging himself to someone he knew nothing of beyond the dark deeds whispered about in legend…anyone could see that was a foolish choice.
'You are struggling with this?' Neruman asked, sounding almost surprised. 'Come now. What possible reason could you have to deny my deal?' Ogron bit his lip. He had a point. Whatever Neruman wanted from him, what reason would he have to refuse it? He'd already been sentenced to Omega. Death would have been a kinder fate. There was nothing he could be condemned to worse than the torture he'd just been freed from. Slowly, he looked up.
'W-what…w-would…would you ask of me?' Neruman smiled.
'I require negative energy. Negative emotions. They will allow me to return to my former power. I had found a perfect source on Earth, but, recently…' He waved a hand, and an image appeared in the air before Ogron. Within the illusion, Ogron could see a familiar girl spreading light magic to humans through a shower of butterflies. Bloom. He felt himself flash back to her powering a convergence against him and his friends. To the moment he'd realised their magic was stronger than his. To feeling the ice spread across his body. He felt himself shaking, only now he wasn't sure if it was from cold or memory.
'The return of magic to Earth has greatly impeded my ability to gather negative energy,' Neruman continued. 'I understand you have some experience with those responsible.' Ogron nodded shakily. 'I believe you may be of use to me in handling these…insects.' Ogron's eyes stayed fixed on the fairies displayed in Neruman's image. He felt anger churn in his stomach, but also cold fear. Neruman scowled at his deliberation. 'Or perhaps you would like to rejoin them in the ice!' he snapped, pointing behind Ogron. Slowly, Ogron turned to see where he was pointing, and his breath caught in his throat. Trapped in blocks of ice just like his own were Gantlos and Anagan, their expressions twisted in frozen terror. 'You can all join me and be freed from here, or I can return you to your torment,' Neruman snarled menacingly. Despite his exhaustion and weakness, Ogron staggered over to where his friends were trapped. He reached out and touched the ice covering Gantlos, his heart twisting at the fear on his friend's face. He couldn't leave them there. Not when he had a chance to save them.
He drew in a deep breath of stinging air, his shoulders sagging.
'…Alright.' He turned to Neruman in defeat. 'I accept your deal.'
'Wise choice.' Neruman reached out and seized Ogron's wrist before he could react. He winced as harsh magic coursed through him, staring at Neruman in confusion. 'A little insurance,' Neruman explained. 'Your magic, while weak now, will return in time. That spell ensures you won't decide to turn it against me. Call it…a kill switch. You will use your magic when, and only when, I permit it.' Ogron rubbed his wrist where Neruman had cast the spell, a bruise already starting to form from the other wizard's harsh grip. So now he was on a leash. He reminded himself that anything was better than going back in the ice; so what if he couldn't use his magic freely? At least he was free.
'Y-you s-said w-we all g-get out o-of here,' he reminded Neruman, gesturing to his friends. Neruman nodded.
'Of course, of course.' He waved his hand and the ice melted away from Gantlos and Anagan, the two wizards crumpling to the ground. Ogron threw himself to kneel down next to them, worried as he saw their closed eyes.
'G-Gantlos! A-Anagan!' Neither responded. He turned to Neruman. 'I-I d-don't u-understand. W-why aren't th-they a-awake?' Neruman waved his concerns off.
'I included a small boost to your energy when I freed you, so we could talk. I saw no reason to do the same for them. They will wake up in time.' Ogron looked back down to his friends. Unlike him, they were still; in temperatures this low, they should be shivering as he was. Unless they were too weak… He touched Anagan's cheek, gasping at the cold of his skin. His pulse was sluggish and weak, his breaths barely whispers. The same was true of Gantlos.
'W-we h-have to g-get th-them w-warm!' he exclaimed, terrified of what would befall his friends if they were left in this cold much longer.
'Yes, yes…' Neruman brushed him off. 'I have what I need, so we'll be leaving now. Shadows! Come to me!' Ogron gasped as demonic shapes formed from the darkness, flitting around him. Neruman pointed to Gantlos and Anagan. 'Bring them.' He beckoned to Ogron. 'Come.' Ogron glanced back down at his friends. 'Now, Ogron.' Ogron slowly got to his feet, stumbling towards Neruman. The shadows descended on Gantlos and Anagan, scooping their unconscious forms into their dark embrace. Neruman looked at them appraisingly. 'Hm. Good. Now, let's get out of here.' He raised his arm, and everything went dark. Ogron felt air rushing past him, and he tried desperately to regain any sight, but all remained pitch black, until he suddenly felt ground under his feet again and blinked against the sudden return of light. He wasn't really aware he was collapsing until he felt himself hit the floor, groaning from the impact.
'Oh, well now this is just pathetic.' Ogron looked up to see Neruman staring down at him with disdain. 'Get off the floor.' As he scrambled to his feet, Ogron slowly registered that he was no longer in Omega. He was in a stone corridor, lit by flickering torches. It was chilled, practically frigid by most people's standards, but having just been freed from ice, to Ogron it was a relief just to no longer feel the cold of Omega biting at his skin.
'W-where are we?' he asked, his teeth still chattering from Omega.
'My castle,' Neruman replied. 'These are your quarters.' He gestured to a wooden door on Ogron's left, and it opened at his movement, but not before Ogron noted the strong padlock affixed to it. 'After you.' It wasn't a courtesy so much as an order, one that Ogron was now bound to obey.
The room was chilled, with stone floors and windowless walls, and three beds pushed against the wall. The shadows unceremoniously deposited Gantlos and Anagan on two of the beds before vanishing from the room.
'I will call for you when I need you,' Neruman informed him. 'Until then, remain here.' Ogron frowned.
'Remain here…as your prisoners.' Neruman shook his head.
'Not prisoners exactly, no.'
'So we can leave this room?'
'That…would not be advisable.' Ogron nodded. So they'd gone from one prison to another. But at least he could move now.
Neruman turned to go.
'I will send shadows with food at some point. I would recommend you attempt to warm yourself. Your hands are turning blue.' Ogron glanced down and saw that Neruman was right; his hands were mottled with blue and white, his fingers so stiff with cold that he couldn't move them. 'It would be rather inconvenient if you were to drop dead of hypothermia,' Neruman added as an afterthought, snapping his fingers. At the movement, a fire roared to life in a hearth Ogron hadn't seen. 'I suggest you make use of that.' With that, Neruman swept from the room, the door swinging shut behind him. Ogron didn't bother to listen for whether he used the padlock, hurling himself across the room and dropping to his knees in front of the fire, holding his hands so close to the flames that the bright orange tongues were practically licking at his fingertips. He felt heat wash over him, and oh! It was euphoric! Warmth! At long last, warmth!
He could stay there forever, finally returning to warmth, but he wasn't the only one who'd been frozen. Reticently, he got to his feet, staggering across the room to where his friends lay prone on the beds. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw them shivering slightly; that was good. Shivering was bad, but ceasing to shiver when still freezing was even worse.
He touched Gantlos's shoulder, hoping for a response, but his friend remained unconscious, his breaths coming in shaky gasps.
'C'mon, Gantlos, wake up,' he murmured. No response. He had to get him warm, and fast. Gritting his teeth, he managed to drag Gantlos across the room to lay him in front of the fire, his weakened muscles trembling with exertion. Despite how much easier it would make his life if Anagan were to wake up, he remained just as unresponsive as Gantlos, and so had to be likewise dragged to the fire, Ogron collapsing down next to him, gasping from the effort of moving them both.
He glanced over to the beds and groaned, getting once more to his feet to gather the blankets and pillows lying on the mattresses, wishing he could just curl up in front of the fire and go to sleep. But he had to make sure his friends were alright before thinking about himself. Not that that knowledge made his shivering ease at all.
'Warm up…' he muttered, placing a pillow under Gantlos's head and covering him with a blanket. 'Please…please…' His friend's skin was still as cold as ice, but he was sure he could feel a slight increase in warmth.
After settling Anagan, he finally sank down between them, wrapping his own blanket around his shoulders and holding his hands out to the fire, sighing with relief as the warmth spread across his skin in a blissful tingle of heat. He wasn't sure how long he sat there, and he didn't care. All he knew was that his shivering was finally easing and feeling was gradually returning to his limbs. He groaned, flexing his aching fingers as the blue receded. He was so tired. He'd been awake for…well, he didn't know how long. He supposed he could have asked Neruman, but he'd had more important things on his mind. Not to mention that he didn't get the feeling Neruman would have been particularly happy with the idea of answering his questions.
God, what had he agreed to? Working for a wizard widely considered a sadistic madman? Was that smart?
'Of course it's not smart, genius,' he muttered to himself. 'It's insane, but what choice did you have?'
'Talking to yourself?' Ogron started at the voice, letting out a yelp of surprise, before turning to see Gantlos looking up at him blearily through half-lidded eyes.
'Gantlos!' He flung his arms around his friend, overwhelmed with relief that he was okay. 'You're alright!'
'…I think so.' Gantlos pulled back, staring at Ogron in confusion. 'Ogron, what happened? Where are we? The last thing I remember is being trapped in that ice, and then everything goes dark.' He glanced around, appearing even more confused. 'What is this place? How did we get here?' Ogron sighed and rubbed his temples, not sure where to start.
'We were freed from the ice by Neruman.' Gantlos's eyes widened.
'…When you say Neruman, you mean…'
'The discredited madman banished from the Council of Light.' Gantlos's mouth dropped open a little.
'…Why?' Ogron took a deep breath. He wasn't looking forward to telling Gantlos that he'd bound all three of them in service to a wizard they didn't know, but he had to.
'He wants our help. He needs negative energy, and he'd been getting it from Earth, but some old acquaintances of ours have made acquiring it from there far harder.' It only took Gantlos a second to put the pieces together.
'The Winx.' Ogron nodded.
'Mhm. He knows we have experience against them, so he freed us from Omega...in exchange for our service.'
'Wait, what? Ogron, tell me you didn't agree to put us in service to this wizard. He's insane. You know that.' Ogron nodded miserably.
'I know. I know. But I didn't have a choice. I couldn't leave you and Anagan in the ice and I…' His voice cracked. 'I can't go back there. I can't, Gantlos.' He looked into Gantlos's eyes, pleading for him to understand his choice. He knew it had been wrong to bind his friends to a debt without their permission, but he hadn't had a choice. He couldn't go back in the ice. He'd rather die.
Gantlos was silent for a moment, before he sighed deeply.
'…I understand. I know why you made the decision.' He stretched out his fingers, evidently relishing the warmth of the fire. 'And this is certainly an improvement on Omega.' He pulled the blanket tighter around him, watching the fire for a moment, drinking in the heat. 'How's Anagan?' Ogron looked over to where Anagan was sleeping on his other side, his eyes closed, but some colour slowly starting to return to his cheeks. He reached over and checked his pulse, feeling it beating far stronger than before.
'He's recovering. Slowly, but he's definitely warming up.' Gantlos sighed with relief.
'That's good.' Silence slowly set in, neither of the two wizards quite sure what to say as they warmed their frozen fingers in the beautiful heat of the fire, the only sounds the crackle of the blaze and Anagan's quiet, steady breathing.
After a while, Ogron knew he had to ask.
'Are you okay?' Gantlos stiffened. Ogron knew it wasn't an easy question for his friend to hear, but he had to ask. 'After…' Gantlos looked away, pulling his knees tighter to his chest.
'…Fine.' The monosyllabic response told Ogron that his friend hadn't been this far from fine in a very, very long time, and he put a hand on his shoulder.
'I'm sorry, Gantlos.' Gantlos shook his hand off.
'Can…can we just not?' His voice was barely a whisper, and, hearing the quiet, pleading tone in it, Ogron let the topic drop. He was aware that Gantlos had been just as conscious in the ice as him, so thoughts of what had happened had no doubt been torturing him for a long time. Ogron knew that his own thoughts had frequently wracked him with guilt over Duman's death; he couldn't imagine how it had been for Gantlos.
A quiet groan broke the thick silence, and both wizards turned to see Anagan shifting, his eyes slowly cracking open to look around in confusion.
'…What…?' he mumbled, blinking sleepily. 'Where…? Ogron? Gantlos?'
'We're here,' Ogron reassured him, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. 'It's okay.' Anagan rubbed his eyes, staring around, trying to make sense of what was going on.
'Ogron? Where are we? What happened? We…we were in Omega…' He looked at the blanket laid over him. '…How'd we get here?'
'We were freed by Neruman,' Ogron explained, and Anagan's eyes widened just as Gantlos's had.
'…Why?' As Ogron explained, Anagan's eyes got wider and wider, until the fog of sleep had completely evaporated from his gaze.
'…I see.' Ogron watched nervously as Anagan rubbed his temples, evidently processing what he'd just been told. '…So we're now indebted to Neruman?' Ogron nodded. 'And we have no idea how long it's going to take to repay our debt.' Ogron nodded again. 'So we might be his slaves for the rest of our lives.' Ogron nodded again, unable to meet Anagan's eyes. What had he got them into? '…Well at least we're out of the ice.' Ogron felt a hand on his arm and looked up to see Anagan giving him a weak smile. 'I get that you didn't really have a choice, Ogron. I know you wouldn't have done this if you had any better options.' He flexed his fingers, wincing at the stiffness. 'I think we all know how hellish Omega was.' Ogron nodded wordlessly, trying with all his considerable stubbornness to block out the memories of his time frozen in the ice. He was free now. Whether he could leave this room or not, he was free from the ice; he could bear whatever Neruman asked of him if it meant having freedom, even this weak imitation of liberty he'd been given.
'So what do we do now?' Gantlos asked quietly. Ogron knew he was meant to have an answer. He was the leader. He was supposed to tell them what their next move was. But he had nothing. Nothing. He struggled to dredge up some vague idea of what to say, but his mind was sluggish and lethargic after so long in ice, still becoming accustomed to once more having control over his body. Fortunately, Anagan came to his rescue.
'I think we just…sit here.' He pulled the blanket tighter around himself. 'Sit here and get warm.' Ogron liked that plan. He could sit and drink up the delicious heat forever, feeling the cold of Omega slowly fall away, watching the blue fade from his skin.
Ogron wasn't sure how many hours had passed. He just knew it had been long enough that his shivering had finally stopped and his skin was back to its usual colour, the stiffness almost completely gone from his body.
Gantlos had fallen asleep a while ago, curled in a ball on his right, his expression peaceful for the first time in a long while.
'You can go to sleep, y'know,' Anagan mumbled, rubbing his eyes from his position leaning into Ogron's side. He'd migrated over there a while ago, but Ogron wasn't complaining. He appreciated the additional warmth, and it wasn't exactly uncomfortable.
'I could say the same to you.'
'I'm not letting you stay up and brood…' Anagan yawned, blinking in a valiant effort to stay awake with Ogron.
'I'm not going to stay awake and brood.'
'Yeah…because that's…believable…' Anagan replied, his words slurring with the effort of staying awake. 'If you're not…gonna brood…why are you still…awake?' He stifled a yawn. 'And don't…try to tell me it's because…you're not tired.' Ogron had to acknowledge he was right; he was exhausted. He wanted to sleep, he'd been desperate to pass out since he'd been freed, but…
'I just…I just don't want to sleep here.'
'Mmf…why?' Anagan shifted to look up at Ogron, his eyelids drooping. Ogron couldn't help feeling grateful to his friend for making such a valiant effort to stay up with him, even though he was clearly exhausted. Gantlos would be doing the same, but he'd exerted far more magic than them before they'd been frozen, and he'd given out a while ago.
'Paranoid, I guess.' He glanced around, fully aware that Neruman's minions were shadows that could appear from anywhere with darkness. They could be there right now. That wasn't a comforting thought; it certainly killed any ideas of plotting escape or betrayal. Who knew if Neruman would be able to hear them?
'You? Paranoid? Never…' Ogron laughed quietly at Anagan's tired attempt at sarcasm.
'Yeah, I know.' He groaned and rubbed his temples, being careful not to disturb Anagan, who seemed to have found a very comfortable position with his head resting on Ogron's shoulder. 'God…I need to sleep.'
'You know…I think that's the first time…I've ever heard you…say that…' Anagan's words trailed off as his breathing evened out; Ogron smiled down at his friend, his resolve to stay awake having finally given out, leaving him snuffling quietly on his shoulder. He knew he should do the same. He just couldn't. Couldn't relax enough to let the fog of exhaustion overwhelm him and take him away from this stone chamber. Cell. Who was he kidding, it was their cell. He brushed the thought aside. He'd told Anagan he wasn't going to brood… Of course, Anagan knew him well enough to know that was untrue…
His head started to loll, his eyes drooping, but just as he started to drift off, his head snapped back up, his mind reminding him that he was somewhere he didn't know, effectively being held prisoner by someone he barely knew anything of, and the things he did know were hardly pleasant. Sleeping here would mean leaving himself vulnerable. Of course…he was already vulnerable…he was weak and exhausted…he could barely keep his eyes open… It wouldn't hurt to close his eyes for just a moment, would it? There was only really one way to find out, wasn't there… His eyes drifted shut as all his worries, fears and paranoia were finally forced to cease their endless clamouring for his anxiety and quiet down for once as his head drooped, falling to the side to rest atop Anagan's as he finally allowed his eyes to fall shut, nothing registering except the fact he was warm and he had his friends again. As his mind left consciousness behind, one final thought drifted through his mind. Even despite everything that had happened, he still had Gantlos and Anagan. They were together. And maybe…just maybe…everything was going to be okay.
I don't actually know what it's like being trapped in Omega, but Valtor said he was awake in the ice, so I'm assuming the wizards would be too. And I'm just assuming that being awake and aware, but unable to do anything, unable to speak, move, breathe...that'd be pretty awful. Hence why Ogron was willing to agree to serve Neruman to get out of there. Also, in the comics Neruman doesn't seem to be very widely-known, but to make him seem more like the imposing villain the comics were clearly going for, I made the wizards have heard of him, and they know he's not a good person to be stuck serving.
And as for why the wizards were so weak when they got out of the ice but Valtor was fine and just started killing snakes? Valtor had the Dragon Flame. That kept him warm. The wizards most definitely did not. That's my theory.