Chapter Text
Eyes.
Dozens and dozens of green eyes, all just staring. They’re all around me, glowing in through the darkness of this black void like faint fireflies in an inky ocean. I'm not sure where I am. The chains are back, clinging to my ankles and arms, locking me to the floor. At least I can still stand.
The chains are cold.
The metal is so hard.
My breathing quickens, shallow and uneven as the cold, empty eyes approach. Closer and closer…
An arrow shaped purple head emerges out of the darkness.
Before I can react-
Snap!
It shoots forward, biting down into my flesh
Ow-!
I jolt back, my arm stinging. The chains clink, keeping me to one place.
This isn't happening this can't be happening again I was free! I'm free I'm free I'm free
My breathing only becomes faster as I struggle against the vicious thing, scratching and biting back at its strong, massive body at least two times my size.
I can't kick. The chains aren't long enough for that.
They clink and clank against each other, the noise grating against my eardrums and sending me into a further panic.
The snake attacking bursts into liquid, a noise so loud it has me gasping and slamming my hands over my ears
It hurts
I can barely see
Not sure how I can see at all, there's no light… other than their glowing eyes- oh god
They come at me, all at once.
One sinking their teeth into my ankle.
Another wrapping round my neck, squeezing squeezing squeezing and it won't stop
My knees buckle
Hit the stony black floor
Hurts
Nails claw at scaly bodies
The chains go clink
I try summoning my powers but nothing happens
Please…
A cold grip seizes my heart as I try again, my hand cramping as I strain harder, a desperate gasp coming out of my mouth.
This isn't happening again
This CAN'T be happening it can't it can't it can't can't CAN'T PLEASE!
The chains seem to be shrinking, growing shorter and shorter into the floor, dragging me closer to the ground by the second
The panic is suffocating
This isn't supposed to be happening
I escaped- I fricking escaped- I was safe- I AM safe?! Why- what the hell is going on??!!
Where am I?? Is this the chest- but the chest was smaller!
And there weren't any snakes!
The chains have shrunk so far, it forces me onto my hands and knees.
I can't breathe.
The panic is overwhelming, just get that thing- get off my neck I can't BREATHE!
I NEED AIR!
More snakes, their arrow heads surrounding my body and horrible, hard bodies slithering right over. They're so heavy I feel like my bones might collapse under the crushing weight
I try to scream but there's barely any air left in my lungs.
Only a raspy wheeze slips out.
Wasted my breath
What's the point anyway? Who would come? Who would help?
My body is covered in a burning ache, green leaking out from the bite marks which infest my body, the venom burning deep through my veins like lava, filling my blood with a corroding pain that expands to my heart, lungs, anything it can get. It hurts
It hurts so much
The chains have gotten so short I cannot move anymore. Just stuck to the floor, my arms outstretched from each other and stuck in their clasps. Legs immobilized by an enormous weight, so heavy I am unable to move
My face presses against the wet floor, snake climbing over snake over more onto my crushed body.
The world is blurred
White lights flash in the distance
I think I'm dying
The snakes are still there
They're still biting
That's… that's not good…
The world goes white
And somehow… the weight disappears
I blink
The snakes…they're gone?
My body doesn't hurt as much anymore
The chains, someone…
Someone is punching them. Breaking them.
And suddenly, I'm pulled upright into a sitting position, staring in a confused daze at the larger stick figure shaking me by shoulders
The figure is red
I… I know them from somewhere…
They're telling me I'll be ok
They're here now
I'm safe
I… I'm safe…?
–
I jolt awake, lurching out of bed.
And tumbling to the floor.
Thump
Sitting there for a moment, I feel over my body for snake bites, checking my ankles and wrists for chain clasps but…ok… ok nothing…
Just…just a dream
I'm ok. I'm ok I'm ok I'm ok I'm not there anymore I'm ok
My body is trembling. I don't know why
I hate it when this happens
Pulling my knees up to my chest, I wrap my arms around them and try to stop the shaking. It doesn't help much.
I want to cry
The tears won't come
My eyes remain dry, wide open and alert. It was just a dream it's not gonna happen again it's ok it's ok it's fine it's ok
I'M OK.
---
thump!
I tear my eyes away from the contraption I was working on, trying to figure out what made that sound. But… it doesn’t make sense, considering I’m usually the one to make weird sounds in the middle of the night.
Sighing, I stand up from my desk and hurry to Chosen’s room, just to make sure he wasn’t doing something suspicious… and then I’ll keep working on my project. I’m so close…
I slam open the door, letting it whack against the wall. I assess the situation, can’t quite see very well though. As I step forward, there’s a choked gasp, and an enormous fireball appears out of the darkness, zooming through the air and coming straight for me–
I am barely able to dodge it, which flies into the wall behind me. I turn around and let out a stream of curses half-directed at whoever was stupid enough to go around throwing fire at—
“Dark?”
Oh gosh, it’s Chosen and his voice sounds so shattered…
he probably needs help.
I mean, I did have other things to do but I guess I’ll check it out.
how dare he interrupt me–
No, no, he probably needs help, don’t get all crazy now.
I navigate through the bedroom and find Chosen curled into a ball next to the bed. Even though it’s dark I can see his silhouette shaking.
it’d be so easy to just–
No, I’m not doing that.
He needs help right now.
“...just a nightmare.”
His voice is raspy, but it’s always that way so I’m not very worried. I sit down next to him and put an arm around his shoulder, but he jerks away. Still panicking, I suppose.
“Another one?”
He nods, barely perceptible in the darkness.
I sigh, only slightly exasperated. I was trying to make something important… and this would be easier if…
No, this isn’t Chosen’s fault after all. Just gotta help him calm down. It must be terrible for him… this is the third time this week.
I make my tone of voice quiet and sweet, saying, “Do you wanna talk about it?”
He scrunches into an even smaller ball, which I assume means no.
simply must be recalcitrant now, hm?
Hey, he can choose when he wants to talk, okay?
It would be a little easier to help him if he’d actually tell me anything though… but it’s fine! I can still support him.
“Don’t worry man, you’re here now, not there. You’ll never need to go through that again, right?” He nods, unscrunching a little bit.
“See,” I begin, stroking his dark hair gently, “it’s just you and I now, and I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Chosen exhales slowly, and I can feel the tension drain from his body. When I put my arms around him again, he doesn’t flinch away.
“I promise”