To be honest, not a lot of excitement in this chapter. It's slower, but it basically serves to get us in position for the next chapter. Also, Yllidith cameos as a manifestation of Ogron's subconscious! And he's having fun with it. (Yllidith, not Ogron. Ogron's living through hell.)

Ogron frowned at the stone walls surrounding him. Was he back in his cell? That didn't make sense…Neruman had had him stay in Gardenia.

'Well look who came to visit…'

Ogron froze, his breath catching in his throat. No…no, it was impossible.

Heart racing, he turned, recoiling as he met a familiar cold gaze. 'I'm dreaming,' he said simply, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice.

Yllidith nodded. 'Yes. Just as smart as I remember. Of course, this being a dream doesn't mean you can get out any more easily, or that you're not trembling.'

Ogron looked away. Of course. He'd been through hell with his new master, and now his own mind had stuck him in a dream with the man who'd treated him like dirt for years. His old master. Of course, Yllidith, unlike Neruman, had rather liked deluding himself that he had willing followers, so he'd preferred to be called Ogron's leader, but when you were fifteen and trapped in a castle with a power-crazed sorcerer forcing you to bend to his whims, you mentally adopted the term 'master' pretty quickly.

'So…' Yllidith began, rising from the stone bench he'd been lounging on. 'What brings you to this part of your mind? Which aspect of your trauma beckoned you here tonight?'

'I don't have trauma,' Ogron muttered. 'I have an irritating figment of my imagination that won't shut up.'

Yllidith laughed mockingly. 'Ha! You would have never dreamt of speaking to me that way before, you know.'

'I do. You had me too scared. Which is why you're languishing in a cell just like this one in the real world.'

'And, pray tell, Ogron, where are you in the real world?' Yllidith smirked. 'That's right; lying in a crate like your new puppetmaster's little lapdog.' Ogron recoiled, and Yllidith laughed. 'All that work…striving to fill my shoes and become a leader…only to wind up back in the dirt at someone's feet. Does it sting?' Ogron opened his mouth to snarl back, but Yllidith didn't give him the chance. 'I can answer that; yes. It stings. I must say, it's almost more fun being a figment of your subconscious than it was being real. I know all your dark thoughts, and I get to play with them. Wish I could have done this before.'

'What, psychologically torture me?' Ogron gritted out, glancing around anxiously in search of light breaking through his opening eyes. Wake up wake up wake up… 'Because I'm pretty sure you've done that before.'

'True…true…' Yllidith acknowledged. 'But don't get annoyed with me; remember that I'm just a dream, brought on by your inability to cope with everything that's happening to you.'

'I'm coping just fine!' Ogron snapped, whipping around and searching for the door. If he wasn't going to do himself a favour and wake the bloody hell up, then he was dreaming elsewhere.

'You're not…'

'Why won't you just leave?!' Ogron demanded furiously, incensed by the amusement in this spectre of his awful past's voice. 'I left you here! I left you, and all your mind games and pain behind!'

'You can't leave me behind any more than you can leave your past behind.'

'I've left the past behind!' Ogron snarled. 'It's in the past! That's the whole bloody point!'

'Well don't get testy with me. You chose to come in here.'

'No I didn't! I didn't choose anything that's happening right now!' Ogron facepalmed. 'Fantastic. Just…fantastic. I'm arguing with a manifestation of my subconscious.'

'Talking to yourself…first sign of losing your mind.' Yllidith smirked as Ogron shifted uncomfortably. 'You know, it's very interesting to me that you're still this feisty, after Neruman proved to you how subservient you are now. Forced to kneel? I should be taking notes from this sorcerer; he's got good ideas. I wish I'd done that. Would really have nipped your irritating little rebellious streak in the bud. Though, I suppose my own methods had their merits...'

Ogron's stomach churned, and he turned away, not wanting to think about his time with Yllidith. 'Can you please just get out of my head?'

'For the last time, Ogron, this is your dream. I'm just along for the ride. And the complete and total destruction of whatever sanity you have left, of course. Let's not forget about that.'

Ogron groaned and sunk to the floor, burying his face in his legs. 'Get out.'

'Wake up.'

'I can't.'

'Then I suppose you're stuck here.' Yllidith leered down at him, and Ogron tried to block him out. 'Stuck in the past…stuck as a servant. You're so smart, my child, but you lack the intelligence to understand the fundamental truth that the universe has tried to instil in you twice now.' Yllidith caught Ogron's chin, yanking his head up to look into the eyes that instilled nothing but fear and a crippling sense of helpless inadequacy. 'You are a servant. Not a leader. A servant. You exist only to carry out the whims of others.'

Ogron tried to shake him off, but his grip was as iron-like as he remembered.

'Just look at your attempts to control your own life…look at how they've ended… Powerless…frozen…bereaved… You led one of your little pawns to his own demise.'

'Don't you dare talk about Duman!' Ogron snarled, his voice harsh and dangerous. 'You have no right to speak of him after the way you treated him.'

'I have every right in the world. He was mine. Just as you were mine. And now you are Neruman's.' Yllidith smiled as Ogron writhed in his grip, enjoying the display. 'It's very fitting, actually. After you betrayed me for your freedom, you've ended up as someone's literal puppet.' Yllidith's voice softened, becoming almost fatherly. Somehow, Ogron found the tone even worse. 'Look at yourself…you're trying to cling to autonomy, when all you need to do is accept that you are unworthy of any. You are weak, and endlessly flawed. You lack the qualities of a leader, Ogron, and your determination to disprove that fact have robbed you of the liberty of a free man.'

Ogron finally managed to wrench himself out of Yllidith's grip, shoving his former master away. 'I'll be free again. I'll lead my friends again. This is all just temporary!' he shouted, his voice cracking as he tried to fend off the pain of Yllidith's words.

'Oh, even you know that's not true.' Yllidith, having been pushed across the cell, got right back up and returned to looming over him. Ogron felt as small and weak as when he was a child.

'You know you're stuck in this shadow collar he's trapped you in. You're no more than his plaything, his expendable little slave.' Yllidith's lips twisted into a slimy, sadistic grin. 'It's delicious.' He twirled a strand of Ogron's hair around his finger thoughtfully. Ogron wanted to shake him off, but he couldn't find it in him. 'And your friends don't even know. You're that pathetic. You can't even tell the people you wish to lead that you are broken and enslaved.'

'Leave me alone,' Ogron choked out, hiding his face as though that would make Yllidith go away. 'Just leave me alone.'

'Begging never helped you before, and it won't help you now,' Yllidith said matter-of-factly. 'I had prayed that I had taught you better than that. But apparently everything I ever tried to instil just floated in the ether rather than carving itself into your feeble little mind.'

'Good!' Ogron tried to scream at Yllidith, but all that came out was a pathetically croaked word. 'Good…' he repeated, trying to keep his voice steady. 'Because I don't want to learn anything from you. I just want to forget you existed.'

'Well, if you were capable of that, I don't think I'd be such a regular visitor to your nightmares,' Yllidith remarked conversationally. 'Oh, and, by the by, about the only thing I'm impressed with is that you've finally let go of that irritating little need of yours to put your friends first.'

Ogron's head shot up, his confusion overriding his desire to hide his tears. 'What? What are you talking about?'

'Well, you're the only one Neruman truly enslaved, yes?'

'What…?'

Yllidith rolled his eyes, huffing exasperatedly. 'Honestly, Ogron! I thought you far smarter than this. Your mother would have had it figured out before I even did.' He took on the tone one would use when speaking to a small child. 'Neruman can track you though your shadow. He has put no such spells on Gantlos and Anagan. So, if they ran and hid, how would he find them?'

Ogron froze. Yllidith was right. There was nothing keeping Gantlos and Anagan trapped. The only one truly bound to Neruman was…him.

'There we go. Took you long enough.'

'Why…why would you tell me that?' Ogron asked shakily, his mind reeling. He was the only one trapped. He could tell his friends that. He could set them free. But then they'd have to learn of his humiliation. They'd have to know how powerless he truly was…

'To watch you tear yourself apart trying to decide what to do, of course.' Yllidith sounded a little offended. 'You didn't think I was actually trying to be helpful, did you?'

'No, of course not…' Ogron bit his lip. What…what was he supposed to do with this information? Tell them to run? Leave him behind? Of course that was what he was supposed to do. It shouldn't even be a choice. They could be free from this maniac. He loved them too much to leave them in Neruman's thrall. But…if they left…he'd be alone. Left to face Neruman alone. Forced to suffer this life in solitude. He wanted his friends to be free with every fibre of his being, but…could he survive without them? And would he even want to?

He groaned, rubbing his temples as the stress decided it wanted some company and called up his old friend, a blinding migraine. He was dreaming! How did he have a headache in his dream?!

'Well, looks like I've certainly given you food for thought,' Yllidith mused. 'Ogron!'

Ogron frowned at Yllidith's sharp exclamation. His voice sounded strange. Deep and raspy.

Yllidith looked surprised for a moment too, before shaking his head and laughing softly. 'Ah, reality is fading into this dreamscape. Your master is calling you.'

Ogron realised Yllidith was right. In the real world, Neruman must be trying to rouse him. Suddenly, the idea of staying cocooned in his own mind didn't sound nearly as repulsive as it had when he'd first arrived.

'Ogron! Answer me, slave!' Yllidith seemed to actually rather enjoy being the medium through which Ogron heard Neruman waking him, smirking with amusement as each gravelly syllable made Ogron flinch as though it were a physical blow. 'You should wake up. Not that I don't want to see what he'll do to you if you sleep much longer…' he snickered. 'Oh, look at that, you're waking up.' The cell started to fade around them, and Ogron started to become vaguely aware of a disorienting sensation that made him feel as though he were being throttled.

'Oh, and, Ogron?' Yllidith met his eyes with a cold gaze. 'As I said before, I'm just a figment of your imagination. Which means I don't know anything you don't. So you've known that you could set Gantlos and Anagan free this whole time…' He leaned in close, his breath warm against Ogron's ear. 'You just didn't want to.'

Ogron recoiled, summoning a retort just as Yllidith vanished and he found himself blinking against the onslaught of dim light.

He groaned wearily, wondering why he felt like he was shaking. Then he realised: he was shaking. Himself. He had his hand around his own neck and was throttling himself.

'Gah!' He tried to wrestle back control, but he could feel that same puppet-like control as when he'd been made to kneel. 'I'm up…' he groaned, and his body relaxed, control returning.

'When I tell you to wake up, you wake up,' snapped Neruman, once more using Ogron's shadow as a medium of communication.

'I was dreaming…' Ogron muttered.

'Ogron, do not make me teach you not to give excuses…' Neruman purred. 'Now, get up.'

Exhausted, Ogron swung his legs over the side of the crate he'd been using as a bed, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes. He was still deeply shaken from his dream, and the revelations it had brought, but he was hardly going to let Neruman see that. Under no circumstances could his master so much as suspect what he was considering telling Gantlos and Anagan. That would risk Neruman bespelling their shadows as well, and Ogron…he couldn't let that happen.

'Why did you wake me, my Lord?' Ogron mumbled sleepily, grimacing at the anaemic dawn light trying to edge its way into the warehouse. It had been almost week since they'd been sent down to Gardenia, and by now, Ogron had managed to force himself to address Neruman as his Lord without retching or hesitating.

As horrible as it still was to watch his own shadow leer at him, Ogron was far too tired and distracted to feel nauseous as Neruman stretched out and spoke. 'That irritating little girl who somehow has the greatest force in the universe within her is coming down here with her minions.'

'What?' Ogron muttered, blinking away the fog of sleep. 'Who?' Then it made sense. 'Ah. Bloom.' A moment of blissful lack of understanding. '…Bloom.' His eyes widened with panic. 'Bloom?! And the Winx?! The Winx are coming?! Why? Do they know we're free?! Are they-' He was forced into silence as Neruman slid back into his shadow's natural position and forcibly shut Ogron's mouth.

As Ogron made desperate, muffled sounds, Neruman sighed exasperatedly. 'You're very annoying when you wake up, you know. If I let you retake control, can I trust you to shut up?'

Ogron hesitated, then nodded slightly. He gasped in a breath as Neruman released him, trembling the way he did every time Neruman took control. He'd done it a fair few times in the past week, sometimes as punishment for perceived insubordination, sometimes just because he was bored and enjoyed watching Ogron weak and helpless.

'There is no sound more pleasant than an arrogant little fool finally shutting up…' Neruman sighed contentedly. 'Now, where was I?' Ogron knew full well that Neruman didn't want an answer; that was how he'd wound up almost dislocating his own shoulder. His arm still ached…

'Ah yes, the Winx. My allies within the Council of Light have informed me that, thanks to some unfortunately clairvoyant dreams, the Winx have been alerted to the possibility that you may be free. I left measures in place to hide your breakout, but they're frustrating little fairies, so they're coming to Earth to investigate the terrestrial princess's dreams nonetheless.'

'Wait…' Ogron's interest was piqued now. 'Did you say allies on the Council?'

'Yes; why, were you not listening? Because that would be rather disrespectful…'

'No, I was listening, I'm just…on the Council? I thought they banished you.'

Neruman shook his head disappointedly. 'Oh, Ogron. Does someone who has seen as many of the horrors of the world as you really find it so difficult to believe that a large political organisation is rife with corruption? I have many who are loyal to me on the Council. Either through belief in my ideals, or, more likely, because if I ever get free of the Dark Dimension, I have the power to bring all those fools to their knees and rewrite the world order, and, being human and in possession of deliciously rotten souls, they would prefer to betray their compatriots and ideals for the promise of power rather than slog through honour and glory.' Neruman snickered at Ogron's dumbfounded expression. 'What, it never surprised you that the Fortress of Light didn't see fit to intervene in your little fairy hunt for Roxy? After you showed up at Alfea and attacked the Princess of Domino, that should have been a dimensional crisis. But those responsible for organising and dispatching a response were working with people with…agendas.'

Ogron's mind reeled. Every day, Neruman seemed more and more disturbing… 'Why?' he asked. Normally, questioning Neruman didn't end well, but something told him Neruman, being the narcissist he was, would be pretty happy with a chance to talk about his own victory.

He was right. 'Simple. That spell I used, it was the darkest of magic. After it ravaged my body, I risked fading away into nothing. Now a being of pure darkness, I required the fuel of dark magic to sustain me.'

'Negative energy…' Ogron murmured.

'Correct. But don't interrupt me unless you'd like to break one of your own ribs. Now, my shadows can absorb negative energy from those that are suffering. But, in order for them to do that, people must suffer. And the fewer people the Council of Light saves, the more people suffer, and the stronger I become.' He paused contemplatively for a moment. 'Well, that, and it's a power trip.'

'Of course…' Ogron grumbled. 'So, if the Winx are coming, what do you want us to do?'

'Well, for starters, I'd like you to stop blinking so much. It's very annoying.'

Ogron attempted to stop blinking. It was rather easy once all his focus went into trying not to roll his eyes. Rolling his eyes at Neruman seemed like a truly terrible idea.

'Ah, yes, much better. You look far less tired now.'

Sometimes Ogron got the feeling that Neruman just gave him pointless orders because he enjoyed seeing him submit. As he'd pointed out, he enjoyed a power trip, and being able to order a formerly-mighty wizard to jump through his hoops had to be a pretty decent power trip.

'Right, well, put simply, I would like for you to kill them. And do kill them properly, Ogron. Be sure the light has left their eyes, and wait another few minutes to make sure they won't pop up out of nowhere, returned from the brink to obliterate me. Because then I'd have to ensure the light left your eyes, and then I'd have to find a new lackey, which would be a terrible drag.' Ogron couldn't decide whether to be surprised or terrified by how casually Neruman had just issued both a kill order and a death threat.

'We'll…we'll see that it's done,' he said, bowing his head and starting to rise. But, before he was standing, he felt his shadow snap into control, and he was thrown back down, his head smacking painfully against the wall.

'Up-up-up…' Neruman wagged a finger like a parent scolding a child. 'No need for such a hurry, Ogron! I still have instructions to give. Anyone would think you disliked speaking with me…'

Ogron just groaned, wincing as he felt a warm liquid trickle down his neck where he'd hit the wall.

'Pay attention!' At the vicious edge to Neruman's voice, Ogron dragged himself back up, surreptitiously putting pressure on the new gash he was sporting. Now he had another injury to hide from Gantlos and Anagan. Good thing his hair was red…

'I don't want you to kill them yourselves,' Neruman explained in a manner he probably thought was patient, but just felt like he was considering hitting Ogron. 'If you were capable of that, I assume you would have already done so. Lack of skill or stomach, I can't quite figure it out…'

Ogron flinched at the implication that he lacked the stomach for cold-blooded killing. He'd never directly taken a life, but he could! Yllidith had derided him for his suggestion to imprison the Earth fairies rather than ripping their wings from their corpses, but Ogron had stood firm in his knowledge that they'd gain more power from the living than the dead. And he had killed that magician, Nabu! Of course, he'd been dead already, but he could have twisted the knife, given the chance. Was it healthy to be insecure about having never killed anyone? Well, that question would have to take a number and get in line behind the million other severely broken parts of Ogron, and he'd answer them when he was no longer someone's plaything.

'So, who do you want to kill them?' Ogron asked, confused. 'And why tell me if you don't want me to do anything…' He trailed off as Neruman's eyes narrowed, and he quickly bowed his head, hoping against hope that the show of respect and submission would get him out of having to break one of his own bones.

Thankfully, it worked, and Ogron let out a sigh of relief as Neruman continued. 'I have prepared a trap for these little fairies. We need to lure them someplace to make this simple, so I have procured a large, abandoned building.' That sounded like a terrible opening for a plan. But Ogron could hardly say that out loud. 'I've spread some rumours regarding this building being a new competitor for the Frutti Music Bar. Since the Winx will want to investigate the fire you semi-acceptably started, they will want culprits. They will look to this 'competitor' and when they arrive, they will be lured into the centre of the room, and then they will be cut to pieces by my hordes of monsters. That is who I will have kill them. They have axes and no sense of morality; a far better choice for my assassins than you.'

Ogron hadn't even known Neruman had hordes of monsters. With axes. And no sense of morality. Why did he have a horrible feeling he'd be personally acquainted with them before the day was out…?

He opened his mouth to ask Neruman why he needed them then, since he apparently had his (frankly, rather disappointing) plan all figured out, but he remembered that he'd likely already been toeing the line rather dangerously during this conversation, and shut his mouth, taking deep, calming breaths and cautiously eyeing his temper and snark in case either of them tried anything.

Thankfully, Neruman explained. 'Now, I need you all to get over there and organise things. I've had Balazar bring my hordes through already, so they'll be waiting for you. Try not to be torn to pieces, and if you are, do try and do it at a time I can properly enjoy the spectacle.'

Ignoring the roiling nausea coursing through him, Ogron asked, 'What exactly is it you would like me to do?'

'Make it look like a music bar!' Neruman snapped. 'The Winx are hardly going to investigate an abandoned building, are they?' That was a fair point, but it took Ogron a full minute to truly register that Neruman was effectively asking him, the leader of the Wizards of the Black Circle, to act as his interior decorator. His snark edged dangerously near to making a comment, and his sense of self-preservation graciously tackled it to the ground.

'Alright, I understand.'

'Well I should hope so.'

Ogron heard the sound of approaching footsteps, and his entire body tensed.

Neruman watched with confusion, then raucous amusement. 'Ah, I see. You don't want your friends to know the hold I have on you. Can't handle them finding out that their mighty leader is no more than a shadow puppet now?'

'Please,' Ogron hissed desperately, too afraid of Gantlos or Anagan seeing his shadow separate from him to care about the pathetically pleading tone to his voice. 'Please, I am begging you, just…put my shadow back to normal.'

'Or I could utterly humiliate you in a way that will haunt you until the end of your life…' Neruman mused. 'That does sound fun...'

'Please.'

The footsteps drew closer. 'Ogron?' Anagan called. 'Are you up?'

Ogron turned his beseeching gaze on Neruman, who rolled his eyes and huffed. 'Oh, alright. But only because you begging me like a pathetic child was even more delicious than just about everything I've had you do to yourself.'

Ogron's shoulders sagged as his shadow returned to its rightful position just as Anagan rounded the corner.

'Hey, you are up. I was calling you.' Anagan glanced around. '…Have you seen Gantlos?'

'Huh?' Ogron tried to detach himself from his previous conversation and enter this new, far less horrifying one. 'What?'

'Gantlos.' Anagan frowned at the dark circles under Ogron's eyes. 'Hey…are you okay? You look exhausted.'

Ogron looked away, as though that would erase the image of his sleepless, haggard appearance from Anagan's mind. 'Fine. Just…didn't sleep well.'

Anagan clearly still (rightly) believed something to be seriously wrong, the worried lines on his face only deepening with Ogron's answer, but he didn't push.

'So you haven't seen Gantlos?'

'No, why?'

'I heard voices over here; thought that was him.' Anagan then registered that if it hadn't been Gantlos, then there was the rather concerning question of who Ogron had been speaking with. 'You…you haven't started talking to yourself, have you?'

Technically, Ogron had, yes, but he hadn't been doing that this morning, so he felt safe saying, 'No. That was…' He hated that he had to scramble for a lie. He was so tired… Before, a flawless excuse would have dripped off his tongue in a heartbeat, but of course, before, his shadow hadn't been possessed by a sadistic maniac that had asked him not to get killed at a time he'd risk missing the show. 'That was…Balazar.'

'Balazar?' Anagan repeated, confusion painting itself across his expression. 'Why was he here?'

'New plan. Neruman wants us to kill the Winx. Well, he wants his hordes of monsters to kill the Winx. We just have to magically paint some walls.'

Anagan looked worryingly close to checking Ogron's temperature as he rambled. 'Ogron…'

'The Winx are starting to figure out that we're free, they're coming to Earth, Neruman wants us to create a trap to lure them in and kill them.' Ogron kept his voice as level and sane as possible, giving Anagan a stern look as he started to move towards him with that 'I think you may be getting sick and are slightly manic and delirious' expression Ogron had become very well acquainted with over the years.

'Wait, the Winx know we're free?' Anagan's brow furrowed. 'They'll bring the entire Council of Light down on us.'

'Trust me…' Ogron muttered, rubbing his temples. 'They won't.'

Anagan looked like he wanted to delve into that, but, seeing how evidently exhausted Ogron was, he left yet another part of his friend's emotional breakdown alone.

There was a loud creak, and both men got to their feet as the doors to the warehouse swung open, allowing a wizard even more haggard than Ogron to walk/stagger inside.

'There you are!' Anagan was at Gantlos's side in a heartbeat, his super speed back to a level where he could use it casually again. 'Where were you? I woke up and you weren't here. You know what Balazar said about escape…'

'I wasn't escaping,' Gantlos interjected, rubbing his eyes. They were bloodshot and worn, and Ogron got the feeling his friend's night had been even less restful than his own. 'I just went for a walk. Couldn't sleep.'

'You know you can talk about…'

'Yes, and I really don't want to,' Gantlos cut Anagan off. 'I appreciate the concern, but…just leave it. Please.'

'We have work to do anyway,' Ogron announced, garnering a raised eyebrow. One quick summary of the plan (and a few lies as to how he'd been given this information) later, Gantlos looked mildly incredulous.

'So…he wants us to glamour an abandoned building?'

'Yep. Come on. We're all weak after Omega, so something tells me this is going to be more draining then we'd like.'

Ogron didn't back up for much. He hadn't stepped back when faced with the Winx's convergence spell in Omega. Okay, he'd screamed, but that had been in pain. Whatever. But the slavering horde of animalistic monsters facing him now was enough to make him falter and unconsciously step behind Gantlos a little.

Gantlos raised an eyebrow, and Ogron blushed furiously, shaking it off and acting as though nothing was wrong. 'Right…well…' He glanced to his friends. 'Do you think they can understand us?'

'You are the master's slaves?' hissed a large reptilian beast, making Ogron jump back and answering his question.

'We…' Every fibre of Ogron's being rebelled against agreeing with the statement. Despite everything, at his core he was still nobody's slave. But disagreeing with this…thing seemed like a bad call, so he made himself nod. 'Yes?'

'We are to submit ourselves to your spellcraft to create a trap.'

Ogron was unsure what spells Neruman wished for him to cast. The most obvious was to glamour the monsters. They were supposed to lure the Winx as deep as possible, and, as this was supposed to be a club, the best solution was the disguise the monsters as the patrons. That way, the Winx would be surrounded, and have minimal opportunity to defend themselves. But…

'Keeping up an illusion on so many…' Ogron muttered. 'That's too complicated. It can't be maintained, not by one, or even three people. We'd have to use spells that leave a permanent mark, and they're painful.'

'The master says do it,' the reptile replied. 'We submit ourselves to your spellcraft. To your pain. As Neruman commands.'

Ogron exchanged a glance with Gantlos and Anagan. They both looked uncomfortable, but…well, they couldn't disobey Neruman. And they had the consent to perform the spells, but…was blind obedience consent? Or just indoctrination? And did they even have the freedom to ponder that question?

'…Alright then,' Ogron conceded. 'Gantlos, take the ones on the left, I'll take the right, and Anagan takes the middle. We should have this done in a few hours.'

Light magic was very quick and efficient at summoning illusions. Warm rays would envelop the person, and any semi-permanent glamours left the being with little more than a warm, tingly sensation. Dark magic, on the other hand…it had to twist parts of the person to change their visage. After so many years with the Wizard of (sick and twisted) Illusions as his master, Ogron knew that from personal experience.

He winced as the furry behemoth in front of him tensed and shook as his spell overtook him, his fur charring slightly as his body appeared to twist and warp, replaced by the appearance of that music producer the Winx had attached themselves to. Ogron wasn't sure of his name, but he was quite certain that he'd draw the Winx further into the club in order to talk to him, thus luring them deeper into the trap.

As he left that illusion to solidify, Ogron moved onto the next, deeply, deeply disturbed by how these creatures just…succumbed. Just stood there and underwent painful spellcraft because Neruman ordered it. They had no autonomy, no free will, and it was terrifying. Was this the fate that Neruman expected of him and his friends? Mindlessly obedient servants, bending to his whims without question?

'I think you're already doing that, Ogron…' he muttered irritably.

The wolf-like being he was glamouring looked at him, confused, and he grimaced apologetically. 'Sorry. Talking to myself. Don't tell Anagan, he'll think I'm going crazy. He might have a point, honestly…'

'I swear I shall not disobey your command.' The creature bowed its head, and Ogron blinked with surprise.

'Oh…um, okay. It was really more of a request. You don't even know me, so you don't have to obey me…' After being hurled from grace and landing in the muck of servitude, Ogron knew he should feel a thrill of control at having anyone accept his commands, but…he led people that chose to follow him. Blind, scared obedience didn't make him feel in control; it just made him feel like a dictator. Like Neruman. And he was incredibly uncomfortable with it.

'So…you serve Neruman too?' he started awkwardly, the words a pleasant distraction from the grunts of pain his spell was eliciting.

'We were not ordered to speak.'

'No, but I thought it might be a nice distraction. Besides, I could use a conversation with someone that isn't consumed with worry for my mental health.'

'What is wrong with your mental health?' The words were halting, uncertain, as though they were unused to speaking any sentence other than a blind acceptance of orders.

'Oh, well, a lot of things really…' Ogron concentrated on weaving his spell, trying to ignore the black marks creeping up the creature. 'Being enslaved by a sociopath will do that to you.'

'Eventually, you will cease to struggle against it.'

'I don't want to cease to struggle against it,' Ogron muttered. 'I want my free will. I want my life.'

'We have all lost that…' the creature murmured, its voice surprisingly soft. 'We are all his pawns now, and the easiest way to live through it is to accept it.'

'I've never been good at accepting things.'

'Like your new leash?'

Ogron's head shot upright, and the creature's hand, which was flickering between skin and fur, gestured to his shadow. 'I can see it in your shadow. It's too dark to be natural. Neruman has made you his shadow puppet.' Ogron's cheeks darkened with shame, but the creature (Ogron was starting to feel guilty calling them a creature; it was becoming quite evident that they were a person) just pointed to their own shadow. 'He has done it to all of us. You become accustomed to it.'

Ogron looked at the other creatures in the building, noting that their shadows all shared the same inky black quality as his own. As he watched Gantlos and Anagan casting their own spells, he was able to take in the difference between their shadows and the puppet ones. They were a soft, dusky grey, a simple lack of light. Meanwhile, Ogron and the creatures' shadows were like…black holes adhered to the grimy floor, sucking in any light that dared meander too near. It was a miracle Gantlos and Anagan hadn't noticed the difference. And Ogron was glad of that.

'It's awful,' he whispered, his voice shaking. 'I'm just his plaything.'

'He only plays with those it hurts. Once you are truly subservient, he will have run out of will to break. He'll leave you alone.'

'You know, somehow, that doesn't make me feel much better…' Ogron finally wrapped up his spell, snapping his fingers to activate the illusion. Blonde hair burst from the being's scalp, their eyes narrowed and turned a pale blue, and their fur receded to leave freckled skin.

'You are a rather skilled illusionist,' they remarked, admiring their new appearance. Ogron just felt guilty at having to use such an unpleasant spell.

'Well, that's good…' Ogron muttered, glancing around at the derelict building he had to turn into a convincing club by tonight, or else find himself as Neruman's little toy again. 'Just…go wait? Somewhere?' He snapped his fingers again, letting the illusion fall until he'd need to activate it again later. The less magic this spell was drawing from him, the better.

They nodded, wandering off with the other creatures to go wait…well, Ogron didn't know where. He didn't command them.

The conversation had honestly made him feel worse. Neruman had described his creatures as devoid of morality, but Ogron could see that wasn't the case. Which just further solidified the knowledge that Neruman didn't give a damn about any that served him beyond their usefulness to his plans. Or their purposes for his entertainment…

Ogron shook his head, swallowing hard and moving on. Now wasn't the time to dwell on this. From what the creature had said, perhaps one day he wouldn't dwell at all. Just…accept it. He was already accepting it. Bowing and calling Neruman his Lord, bending to his master's whims. Just a shadow puppet.

'This…' Gantlos panted, leaning against the wall, as drained as Ogron and Anagan were from glamouring the building, 'is truly pathetic.'

Ogron had to agree; they had commanded the might of the Abyss, and now they had to take a break from creating a couple of illusions? Okay, over a hundred illusions. But still! Ogron was sorely tempted to shove himself up and keep going, to prove he wasn't weak, but his head was pounding, and he was pretty sure the room had not been spinning when he'd first arrived.

'How did we fall this far?' he muttered to himself, irritably picking at the paint on the walls. Despite being glamoured to appear smooth and glossy, he could still feel the rotten flakes fall away under his fingernails.

Anagan watched him with tired disapproval. 'Ogron…we worked hard on those illusions. Don't pick at them.'

'Doesn't this all feel like far too elaborate a trap for seven fairies?' Ogron groused, still irritable, but leaving the walls alone. He had a horrible feeling it was this elaborate on purpose. The expression on Neruman's face as Ogron had realised what a demeaning task he had been assigned had been so gleeful, relishing in shoving Ogron further and further in the dirt.

'Probably,' Gantlos grunted. 'But what choice do we have?'

Ogron grimaced as he remembered that Gantlos and Anagan did have a choice. They could leave. All he had to do was tell them about his shadow…tell them they could escape. But every time he got close to speaking the words, he couldn't talk past the lump in his throat that appeared when he thought about losing his friends. About having to face this nightmare alone. Tears pricked at his eyes, and he was forced to let the revelation go time and time again.

Pushing his dilemma aside, he climbed back to his feet. 'Come on. We still have half a building to glamour, and who knows when Neruman wants this place ready. The sooner we're done, the better.' He turned to head towards the other side of the building, but stopped in his tracks when Anagan spoke.

'Ogron…what happened to your head?'

Ogron was confused for a moment, until he reached up and felt the ragged gash on the back of his head from where Neruman had hit him against the wall. He'd applied a weak numbing spell at the time and told himself he'd deal with it later. His heart sank as he realised that meant he was probably still rather evidently hurt.

'I…must have caught it on a crate. There are some very sharp edges in that warehouse.'

Anagan folded his arms, unconvinced. 'That's a bad gash. You'd have noticed when you got it. And you'd have bandaged it, or asked me to help. Why didn't you?' Anagan was still (rightly) convinced that something was seriously wrong, and this was just kindling to the fire of his suspicions. 'Ogron, I've asked you a million times, but I'm asking again: what is going on?'

'I've been enslaved by a psychopath, in case you hadn't noticed!' Ogron snapped, reaching his threshold for having to try and brush Anagan off. Now he just wanted him to shut up. 'Sorry I'm not doing just peachy, but maybe being robbed of my autonomy isn't the most pleasant thing I've ever experienced!'

'Then talk to us!' Anagan shot back. 'Talk to us, and let us help!'

'And what are you going to do?! We're trapped, in case you hadn't noticed!'

'Keeping this inside isn't helping, you need-'

'Don't tell me what I need!' Ogron was breathing hard, his fists clenched as his emotions swung madly between anger, fighting not to cry, and a confused sort of numbness. 'Stop! Just stop! I can't hear 'What's going on?' or 'Are you okay?' one more time! Because I'm not! I'm not okay! And you should know that!'

'Then admit that! Ogron, I'm scared for you…'

Ogron took a deep breath, turning away and biting his lip to keep Anagan from seeing the few tears his defences were actually managing to keep from spilling over. 'Yeah…I'm scared for me too.'

I'm going to get to work on the next chapter right away, I promise! Really, this and the events of the next chapter were planned to be one chapter, but it was too long, so I'm splitting them up.