Dreams

. . .

Darx opened his eyes, yawned and stretched. He opened his eyes, looked around. He was in his bedroom, In Merton. He got up, his excitement building.

“Mom!” he yelled, running out his door into his house, straight to the kitchen, he saw someone sitting at the table, facing away from him, she had long hair, but it wasn't quite right for his mother.

“Mom?” he called again.

“Sorry Darx.” The figure turned; it was Amelia. “It’s just me.” Her face when she said it, the apology in her eyes as she looked at him.

“I’m back again, aren’t I?” For a moment, Darx had forgotten everything. He was back home in Merton, the Merton of his childhood. The life he lived before Kase. His voice couldn't hide the disappointment as reality came back to him.

“Yeah.” Amelia said, knowing his disappointment.

Darx walked to the table, sat down. “But why? I’m not in the hospital, I’m fine.”

“If you are here then you need to be, or at least you think you need to be here.” Amelia offered.

“Yeah, but why?” Darx mused to himself.

“Well, what was the last thing you remember?”

“The four of us, we were. . .” He knew this wasn’t actually Amelia, and yet he didn’t want to tell her. Darx didn’t want her to know what he was doing with other women.

“It’s okay, Darx,” Amelia said supportively, “I already know, but you need to say it.”

“We were having sex when I thought about Syvis, about that night.” The air grew cold, wind blew open a window, cold air shooting in, outside, in the distance, the abyss still waited.

“And?” Amelia asked.

“And the energy, the dark energy, it came back.” Darx said, pointing out the window to the relentless gray.

“Of course it did.” Dark Darx was back. He just appeared, like he had walked through the wall. “Because you know what needs to be done, what you should have done that night.”

“Oh stop it, he defeated you then, and he’s not going to listen to you now.” Syvis added, stepping into the room.

“If She hadn’t intervened, we would have already dealt with this.” His dark form stated angrily.

“She?” Darx asked, he knew what had happened that night, how Zaine had steered him back from the abyss. But the way his dark form had said it. . .

Everyone just stared at Darx, no one saying a thing. Then as if the pause never happened. . .

“It seems like we are here to help you deal with the darkness, and the things that triggered it Darx.” Syvis commented, sitting down at the table. Darx watched her move: he missed her so much, he loved her so much, it hurt so much.

“Yes Darx, feel it, embrace the pain.” His dark form hissed.

The Abyss was growing close, the sound of the wind, the chill in the air, it was coming for him.

“I can’t face that.” Darx said.

Cal laughed. “You can’t face your own memories? Your own feelings? No wonder you went with the Priest.”

Darx knew what Cal was saying. Darx had gone to the Church, lived in that room, isolated and safe. Every time he stepped outside he felt exposed, anxious, afraid.

“Afraid of what, Darx?” Cal asked, knowing his thoughts.

“Kase.” The easy, obvious answer. But even as he said it Darx knew it wasn’t fully true.

“He wasn’t the only one there, Darx.” Cal responded.

“Syvis,” Darx said, his feelings welling up inside him. “I trusted her, I loved her. I was ready to spend my life with her. . .”

“And now you hide from her.” His dark form spat the words out at him.

“No.” Darx said, but he didn’t really believe it. His mind went back to when he met with the Queen, how much it rattled him when he realized Syvis would be telling her father about him. That meeting with the Dark Elf delegation likely meant seeing Syvis again. He thought about the Priest, how he had waited, let Darx lead the conversation. Gabriel let the Queen bring up Syvis. Then he stepped in, taking control when Darx faltered, when his thoughts of Syvis threatened to overwhelm him. They all knew what he didn’t want to admit.

“You’ll never survive like this Darx.” His dark form told him. “You will break, they will take control of you, rule you. You aren’t strong enough.” It told him. “You need me.”

“No.” Darx repeated. He knew he was **** right now, but he wouldn’t follow that path into darkness. He remembered what it felt like when he had punched Fabe, put his hand right through Fabe’s chest, killed him.

“Yes, Darx.” His dark form said. “You only used a tiny speck of your true power that day. Yet you saved Oliver and Emma, you saved their beautiful little girl.”

“That’s what adventurers are supposed to do.” Darx answered weakly. “Use their power to protect others who aren’t as strong.” He tried to make it sound good, like he did the right thing. But inside all he could think about was the feeling of his hand going through Fabe's chest, seeing the life go out in his eyes. It had been so easy to destroy a human being. It had scared him, not only how easy it had been, but how good it felt as well.

“Doesn’t Kase deserve the same as Fabe, Darx?” It argued. “What he’s done to your mother, to Amelia, to you? Doesn’t he deserve **** even more than Fabe did?”

A significant part of Darx liked those thoughts. If he could kill Kase. . . But he also knew that wasn’t all the darkness wanted.

“And Oblivion, the Queen?” Darx asked, “What would you do with them? How would you explain me murdering Kase?”

“Do you hear yourself, Darx?” His dark form grabbed him, lifted him off the ground. The world around turned gray, swallowed by the abyss. “You act like they matter.” It shouted at him, their faces only inches apart. “You give them power over you and they make you bow to their rules. You can be stronger than they are, you have the power to take back the people you love, the power to do anything you want. No one would be able to stop you. You just have to stop resisting me.”

Darx could feel that power. Feel it crackling around him. It was too much though, he couldn’t wield it. If he gave in to that power he wouldn’t be in control, it would rule him.

“So instead you let others rule you.” His dark form leered at Darx as he set him back on the ground.

Darx closed his eyes, took a breath, held it. He thoughts about what the demons had said, there was two powers inside him. One that was like Zaine, and something else. He thought about the two different times Zaine had interrupted, stopped him from losing control, what she had said. Darx had to master the darkness inside him. He couldn't let it control him. He let the breath out slowly. He wouldn’t become the person the darkness wanted him to be. Darx whispered to himself, "Zaine, help me. please." Then Darx let the darkness in, he let the energy touch him, just a little bit. He felt the hurt, the betrayal, felt the despair. He also felt the the desire for ****, it was so strong. But there was more, energy that felt like strength without anger. He tried to separate the two, but he couldn't. After a moment he let them go, released both and felt them fall away from him.

“Goddess, Darx.” Amelia said. “You had me worried for a moment.”

Darx opened his eyes, he was back in his childhood house, his dark form nowhere to be seen.

“That moment, her betrayal, it is a great weakness for you Darx.” Syvis said. Darx looked over, saw her standing, leaning back against the table. Her short skirt, low-cut top. It was casual wear for Syvis, but she looked so good wearing it. He knew it wasn’t the real Syvis, but his heart leapt and his spirit fell at the sight of her. He looked away.

“You won’t be able to run away from her when you meet her parents, Darx.” Cal whispered from behind him.

Darx ignored Cal.

“He’s right, Darx.” Syvis said. “The Priest will use your feelings, your hurt, for his own purpose. Kase will exploit it too.”

“I don’t want to face it.” Darx said. “It still hurts too much.” As he said it he realized, the hurt, the anger, the desire for vengeance. . . that could be what was pulling him towards the dark power, his dark form that wanted ****, ****, power.

“It’s okay Darx, you don’t need to face it.” Amelia said. “We can move forward, we don’t need to look back.”

“See.” Cal said, gesturing to Amelia. “She knows you are weak, she’s still trying to protect you from yourself.”

“Your just being mean to him.” Amelia yelled.

“No.” Darx said. “They are right.” Hiding wasn't making the hurt go away. It was fueling the dark power inside him, the one he needed to master.

“Darx. . .” Amelia said, looking at him sympathetically.

"I need to be stronger Amelia." Darx continued, "If I’m going to control the power inside me and not be ruled by it, then I need to face my fears, my hurt.” Darx focused, thought about that night. He would at least try to face it. He couldn't hide from Syvis forever, she would likely have some part in the coming negotiations. If seeing her drew that energy, his dark form out of him with everyone around. . . he couldn't allow that. He had to master the darkness inside him before the Dark Elves arrived.

The walls of his house changed. The simple wood of his childhood home gave way to the ornate stone of the Oblivion Guild Hall. The walls moved around him, reliving his movement that night. He passed through a large open room, a hallway, another room, a second hallway and then he arrived, facing the events he had been running away from ever since that day.

“You don’t have to open it Darx.” Amelia said softly. He turned back to see her standing by the living room table at his old house. He could step back, return to safety, avoid this memory.

“I can’t, I have to face this.” Darx said. He couldn’t keep hiding, no matter how much it hurt, he needed to face that moment.

He turned the door handle, stepped into Syvis’s home inside her guild. Her quarters were massive, multiple rooms and a second floor. The first floor was dark, he had searched the entire floor that night, but he knew where he had to go this time. Darx started climbing the stairs, step after step. With each step the sounds grew louder. Syvis and Kase. He had been terrified that day. Fearful of what he might find. Namy had warned him about Syvis and Kase, he had tried to ignore her, but it haunted him. That whole day, at Oliver’s party, when he hit Fabe, the thought was still haunting him. Syvis and Kase. Yet he chose to trust her, believe she wouldn’t do that to him. Darx hadn’t just believed Syvis, he had argued in defense of her, took a swing at Namy when she told him about Syvis and Kase. He had fought to defend her lies, ignored evidence of what was happening because he chose to trust her, chose to believe in her.

“It was all a lie.” Cal’s voice came from behind him.

Darx ignored the voice and kept moving. He reached the top of the stairs, the door to her bedroom. His thoughts from that day echoed in his head, “Syvis would never betray me.” He had said it over and over, trying so hard to make it real. He had been so stupid, so naïve.

“You can stop this at anytime, Darx.” Amelia’s voice reminded him. But Darx had to do this, he needed to face his feelings, find a way to move past this moment.

He turned the doorknob to her room and stepped inside. His memory of that night replaying in front of him. On that night Darx had been entranced, staring in disbelief at Syvis, his Syvis. He had been unable to accept what he was seeing with his own eyes. This time Darx looked at the other person in the room, at Kase. Kase was looking at him as he entered, watching him. Kase smiled as he looked back to Syvis, delighted that Darx was there to see him make Syvis cum.

It hurt. It hurt bad enough to overwhelm him with agony and despair, but there was something in Kase's eyes, something that he had missed in the moment. Darx heard a voice, the voice from his dream world, from the light; "See the world, Darx. Learn to see the flow of causes and effects, choices and actions."

Darx needed to focus. He needed to move past his feelings, past the pain. He needed to see what happened, instead of feeling it. But it hurt so bad, it felt too painful to live. "Help me." Darx pleaded, "I can't face this alone."

As he said it the weight of his pain lightened. He looked back, saw Kase's smile. There was no surprise, no shame in his eyes. It was confident, like he had known Darx was coming, that Darx would see Syvis there, with him.

The soul crushing despair Darx felt reliving that night faded, replaced by focus. Darx started to remember more of that night. Time leapt forward in front of him. Syvis standing, her face pained, begging for a chance to explain, all while Kase taunted him. Darx saw his foolish, rage fueled attack that Kase countered easily, kicking Darx into the wall. He heard Kase threatening him: “You have finally given me the opportunity to end your misery. You finally get to witness what I’ve been planning all along.”

He watched the time pass until the memory ceased at the point he had lost consciousness. He had been so crushed with the hurt of Syvis' betrayal that Darx hadn't taken note of Kase's words. He had known that Kase wanted to hurt him. He knew Kase wanted to take Syvis from him, but he hadn't thought that Kase would have planned that night. Planned for Darx to find them there.

Darx watched it again. It hurt, of course, but he was focused on the events, doing his best to avoid the feelings that went with the memories. Darx listened as Syvis admitted that she had lied, but consistently stated that she didn’t mean to hurt him. He saw Kase smiling, telling Darx he had planned it. Kase stepping forward to kill him, Syvis defending him. Watching it the second time he felt less pain, more focus. He sat and just breathed for a while as the memory ended. He decided to watch it again, this time watching Syvis closely.

Her face, her words, they were so distant that night. Everything he experienced then had been clouded by the sharp sting of betrayal. Watching Syvis more closely this time, it reminded him of something, of someone, else.

Then she said it, “Darx, I’m sorry,” Syvis choked out through her tears, “I never wanted to hurt you.” Darx’s mind immediately jumped to another memory. One from right after he had returned to the city. His mother, standing in Oliver’s Inn, her face streaked with tears. “Darx, I’m so sorry, I never meant to hurt you like this.”

Darx felt his heart ache as he thought of his mother, crying as she defended her husband, as she chose Kase over him. **** to repair their relationship but still choosing Kase.

“You finally get to witness what I’ve been planning all along.” Kase’s words echoed as his dream world collapsed around him.

Kase had planned it, all of it. But they went along, His mother knew about Kase, knew what Kase had done to him. She even married him. Syvis knew as well, they had talked about Kase. Syvis had seen how he behaved in Oblivion, she knew what he was like. Yet she chose to be with him.

“She still loved you, Darx, even then.” Amelia said as the world reformed, back in the woods outside Riledo. She touched his arm.

Amelia wasn’t lying. Syvis defended him, stopped Kase from attacking him. But how could she do what she did if she loved him?

“It was all a lie, Darx.”

“Oh wow, Cal, thanks for the amazing insight.” Darx snapped back at Cal. He was sick of Cal’s smug little comments. “Syvis lied to me, anything else you want to enlighten me with?”

It was like she was two different people, the one that had loved him, the one that he shared his hopes with, the one that wanted to take him to the Dark Elf lands.

“Wait.” Darx said. “She wanted to leave Riledo, she was even willing to go back to her people.”

“She was running.” Syvis said as the realization hit Darx.

“She was trying to get away from him.” Darx finished the thought.

“She couldn’t resist him.” Syvis said.

“Your love was a lie.” Cal stated.

“Fuck you Cal.” Darx was done with Cal's singularly repetitious contribution. “She loved me, I know she did. Back before Kase got involved, it was perfect.”

“It was all a lie.” Cal continued.

Darx turned away from Cal. The problem was Kase. Amelia, Syvis, his mother, Kase had gone after all the women Darx loved. Darx couldn’t believe the hold he had over them. His mother knew about Kase, knew the things Kase had done to him back in Merton. Yet she acted like they could be a happy family. She offered to have Darx move in with them, live in a house with the man that planned his betrayal.

How could she not see what was going on?

“Wait.” Darx said out loud. “It’s the same.”

“Syvis, my mom, I know they love me.” He said as he paced the room. “But both of them ended up with Kase. They know who he is, but they still choose him, it’s like no matter how much they know about him they can’t say no to him. Like they can’t think badly of him even as he ruins their lives.”

His thoughts went to Amelia. . . She had blamed herself for being with Kase, had hid it from him as well.

“They were ashamed, they didn’t want to hurt you Darx.” Amelia said.

“They didn’t want to be with him.” Darx said, thinking out loud. “They just couldn’t refuse him.”

Darx stood up, started pacing.

“How does he do it?” He asked. “How did he do it to all three of them?” He asked.

“They can’t see who he really is. They can’t resist him. My mom obeys him even as Kase plots to kill me.” Suddenly things connected in Darx’s brain. He had heard the Priest talk about him, about his plans, and yet it hurt to think poorly of the priest, and it was nearly impossible to resist his instructions when he used his voice. It was the same way. . .

Darx stopped as the thoughts connected. The realization struck him, Darx started shaking. “He’s. . . Kase. . . he’s. . .”

. . .

Darx shot up in bed. He was breathing fast. He was cold, covered in sweat.

“Darx?” It was Neku. She sat up beside him. “Are you okay?”

“Kase, he’s. . .” Darx blurted out. "But how?"

“What? Who?” Neku asked, rubbing her eyes.

“My mom, Syvis, Amelia.” His mind was racing as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. “Shit, Neku, the day in the hospital, Wendy, she touched her. I was right there. She fucking touched her."

"Darx, calm down." Neku said as she grabbed for his arm, "You aren't making sense."

Darx got up, out of bed, he started pacing in the moonlight. "How could I have missed it? She screamed. She called for me."

Wendy sat up in their bed. "Darx, are you okay?"

Darx spun towards Wendy; “Wendy, do you remember meeting Amelia?” he asked.

"Who?" She asked sleepily.

"Amelia," Darx nearly shouted. "Long black hair, she was a cleric for Oblivion. She was with me and the others when Alice was brought to the Knights Hospitaler."

“You mean that crazy girl in the hospital? Yeah, I remember her.” Wendy yawned.

“You touched her, and she screamed.” Darx stated.

“Yeah, she completely freaked. Her eyes, they were awful.” Wendy responded.

"The way she acted when I came to Riledo. . ." Darx was pacing again. "Oliver and Mia noticed it too, how she had suddenly changed."

"Darx, what are you talking about?" Neku asked, her voice worried.

"Okay Neku." Darx took a breath, did his best to sort out his thoughts.

"Amelia, she was a different person after she came to Riledo. She didn't act like herself. She ditched Oliver and me, ditched her lifelong friends, and clung to Kase. She was always with him."

"Okay?" Neku said, her face showing her confusion.

"Wendy touched her." Darx continued, he was pacing and gesturing as he talked. "She freaked out. She screamed. She called to me to help her and then-and then she just passed out."

"Yeah, I've never seen anything like that." Wendy responded.

"Oh man, that's not all." Darx's brain kept making connections. "She woke up later and called for me, but when I went in she was back to herself. . . well, back to the person she had been in Riledo."

"Alright?" Neku said, trying to follow.

"Kase was with her." Darx stated.

"Darx, I'm sorry." Neku said as she yawned. "I don't know what you are trying to tell me."

"What if Kase mind-controlled her? Like the Priest does."

Neku's brow furled as she started to think. "Okay, and when Wendy touched her. . ."

"Her [Null Field] broke his control," Darx finished the thought for her. "Just like it broke the Priest's control over me, that's why she acted like that."

"Wait, that's why she freaked out?" Wendy asked.

"And my mother." Darx said. "When Syvis and I returned she was with Kase. She would never be with a man like him, and she's far too smart to not see what he does, who he really is."

"Yeah, that seemed really weird." Wendy said.

"What seemed weird, Wendy?" Neku asked her, looking more awake now.

"Ilene, when she left the Royal Guard. She came back from looking for Darx and seemed like a completely different person." Wendy explained. "The Queen said she was grieving, that she'd need time, but the way she changed. . ."

Neku was listening intently now. "How did she change?"

"When she joined the guard she was so kind, so helpful. She helped me train. She is an amazing fighter, by the way, and she was really close to the Princess. She really helped Kathleen build up her confidence."

Darx smiled. "That sounds like my mom."

"But then when she returned, she was cold to us. She didn't even say goodbye to Princess Kathleen. The poor girl, it shattered her. She had been keeping tabs on the search, interrogating everyone who came back, **** to hear news of Ilene and Darx. When Ilene returned it was like she didn't care about the princess at all. I tried to talk to Ilene, get her to come visit the Princess. But even when she seemed like she cared, Kase would show up. He'd start talking and she'd change her mind."

"Oh Goddess, Darx. . ." Neku said, looking to Darx.

"If Kase can control people. . ." Darx started.

"It fits, all of it." Neku said.

"Wait. . ." Wendy said, her face turning sad. "You mean, if I had gone to Ilene, if I had touched her. . ."

"Wendy," Darx said, walking over to her. "It's not your fault. None of us knew."

"I-I could have saved her?" Wendy asked, starting to cry.

"Wait," Neku said, thinking intently. "You said Amelia returned to normal and Kase was with her?"

"Well, normal for her in Riledo." Darx corrected.

"And that was after she had freaked out." Neku continued, "It was after Wendy touched her?"

"Yes." Darx answered.

"Shit Darx," Neku continued, her voice was serious, and she spoke slowly. "If he can reclaim people after his control is broken, then Wendy breaking the control won't end it."

"You mean, even if I had touched Ilene, broken his control. . ." Wendy said.

"He probably would have just done whatever it is he does again. Re-asserted control over her." Neku answered.

"You know," Drax said, thinking. "I kept seeing Kase and Syvis together, before we left for the ruins, and after we returned. When she was away from him, after we got out of the portal but before we arrived back in Riledo, she was more like herself."

"You think he has to be near them?" Neku asked.

"He's always there, or he shows up pretty quickly any time I've tried to see my mom since returning." Darx continued.

"That lines up with what I saw too." Wendy added.

"And when he was away from Amelia, in the ruins. . ." Darx started, but trailed off.

"I heard about that, it was a big deal when we left the ruins. An adventurer killing a noblewoman, they wanted us out of the town quick." Neku stated. "If being too far away from him for too long could break his control, that might explain what Amelia did." Neku finished the thought for him.

"It fits with him taking control of Amelia in the Hospital too. He returned and she settled down." Wendy stated.

Darx sat down, yawned. "So we have to get them away from him, break the control, then keep them away from him."

"But he’s an S-rank, and he can turn invisible, Darx. How can we keep him away from them?" Wendy asked.

"Before we plan too much," Neku interjected, "it would be good to have real, concrete information. Everything we have talked about so far is just speculation. We don't actually know how he is controlling them. We don’t know how it works, we are just guessing."

"I'm pretty confident on a few things." Darx stated. "First, Wendy's power breaks his control. She can break the Priest's control and the way Amelia acted when Wendy touched her, I think it is a safe bet she broke Kase's control too."

"I agree, that fits." Neku said.

"Second, he needs to be around them." Darx continued. "It could be time or distance, or both, but his behavior, along with Amelia going crazy when he was away from her seem to show that."

"And from what you two have said, it fits the way he's acted with your mother and Syvis too." Neku added.

"Finally, we know Amelia freaked out when his control over her broke." Darx said. "I think we need to assume my mother and Syvis will act similarly."

"Are you certain, Darx?" Neku asked.

"Why?" Darx responded.

"You said Kase was around Syvis before we all arrived at the ruins, and I saw how he made sure to be around her in the ruins after you were hurt." Neku continued.

"Yeah, and that fits with what we are saying." Darx didn't see where Neku was going with this.

"But you said she was more like herself after you got out of the portal." She answered. "Not crazy, normal."

"Damn." Darx said. "You are right, that doesn't fit. But then why would Amelia go crazy like that?"

"There's a couple of possible reasons, Darx." Neku offered. "Amelia could have experienced something that Syvis didn't, something we don't know about, that caused that strong of a reaction. Or it could be how long they were under his control. It is also possible that with Syvis being a Dark Elf it didn't affect her the same way it would a human."

"It would be nice if it was the first option." Darx said.

"It would?" Wendy asked.

"Well, not for Amelia, but for my mom it would." Darx answered. "We don’t know how long she's been under his control. It could be as long, maybe even longer than Amelia was, and my mom isn't a Dark Elf."

They sat silently for a moment, then Neku spoke, "I think it is clear what we need to do next, Darx."

"It is?" Wendy asked.

"Yes, if Syvis wasn't affected as badly before, and hasn't been under his control as long, she's the obvious place to start." Neku explained.

"Yes," Darx responded. "And she might be able to help us learn more about how he controls them, be better prepared to help my mother."

"There's still one problem." Neku stated.

"What's that?" Darx asked.

"If he can take them back, put them back under his control, then breaking them free isn't enough." Neku answered.

"We have to deal with Kase." Darx finished her thought for her.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, the light of the moon shining in the window, the night slowly pressing on.

"I think we still need to break Syvis out first." Darx said, having made up his mind. "We don't know enough to make a move on Kase. If Syvis knows more, or if she can testify, tell the Queen what Kase is doing, that would help us keep him away from my mother. Maybe we could break his control over my mother in front of the Queen and Zhoron. Make sure he can't just take her back and pretend nothing happened."

"When?" Neku asked, "The Dark Elves are coming in a week Darx."

"Then we do it tomorrow." Darx stated. "We get Syvis, Wendy touches her, we go to the Queen. We get this all dealt with before the Dark Elves arrive."

Neku looked to Wendy.

"What?" Wendy asked.

"We do this, and it becomes public what Wendy can do." Neku stated. "Kase will know, the Priest will know."

"We'll deal with it." Darx was determined.

"Darx, if they find out they'll come for her." Neku warned.

"I'll do it." Wendy stated.

"Are you sure?" Neku asked her.

"Yes, if it helps Ilene, if it stops Kase from hurting other women, I'll do it." Wendy's face was set. Darx couldn't help but smile at her willingness to face danger to help his mom.

"Then it's decided." Darx said, already thinking about his mother being free, both her and Syvis being free of Kase.

Neku looked out the window. “There’s three or four hours till dawn. We should try and get some sleep. If things go well tomorrow, it could be a long day.”

Darx agreed. The girls went back to sleep rather quickly, but Darx struggled. He laid in his bed, staring out the window at the night sky over Riledo, unable to settle his mind enough to rest.

He wondered how long his mother had been under Kase’s power. Was it right after he and Syvis were pulled into the portal? Darx pictured Kase leaving the dungeon, finding out that Trish was dead and Amelia gone. Did he turn to Ilene right away? Was it out of grief? Or was he happy to move on to a new conquest, not shedding a tear for his dead lovers. Did Kase care about Amelia’s fate at all? Did it give him pause before he entrapped Darx’s mother the same way?

Darx doubted it. Kase saw the world as his for the taking. Everything existed for his pleasure, his wants. People were just things to take, use and dispose of at Kase’s whims. Or at least that’s what Darx wanted to believe. His mother told him Kase went with her to look for him, that Kase won her over time. Had he tried to seduce her without controlling her first? Darx didn’t know. That bothered him a little, but more importantly, he didn’t even know what Kase did to take control of them. Did Kase talk to them? Hypnotize them? **** them? Cast a spell on them? It wasn’t lost on Darx that his lack of knowledge could lead to harming his mother if they cut the control Kase had over her without knowing what to expect when they did it.

Darx hoped Syvis would be able to help him once she was free. Maybe she would have knowledge of how Kase’s power worked, be able to help ease the process for Darx’s mother. If it was a ****, maybe she could come up with a way to ease her off of it. But more than that, they could go to the Queen, tell what Kase had done. Then they’d free his mother, everyone would know what Kase had done. He’d face justice for the people he’d hurt.

Darx yawned. It had been a long day. He needed to get some rest. There was nothing he could do tonight that would be better than being well-rested tomorrow when they set Syvis free.

Darx laid back, thought of happier times, times before Kase ruined his relationships. Those times would come again. He’d make sure of it. Before long Darx fell back to sleep.

As Darx slept his dreams haunted him. He didn’t return to his dream world, the one with fragments of himself acting as people he knew, these were just dreams, dreams that turned into nightmares.

He dreamt of his mother when he was young, waking him up, making breakfast for him. She asked him about books he was reading, told him stories of her days adventuring. Then the door opened.

“Look Darx, daddy’s home.” She pointed, but it was Kase walking in the door. It was Kase kissing his mother.

“Hello son, did you have a good day?” He asked, offering his arms for a hug.

“No mommy,” Darx yelled in his voice as a child, “That’s not daddy, that’s a monster.”

His mother turned, and where Kase had stood now stood a large wolf-monster. His mother shrieked, and the monster swung a large, clawed hand, slicing her throat. Blood sprayed, covering the walls. It kept coming, there was so much blood. It was filling the house, flooding it with blood. Suddenly the wolf-monster picked him up, looked him in the eye.

“You had to open your mouth. You had to ruin it. You never understood your place and now you will lose everything.” It said. It pushed his head under the blood. Darx was flailing, fighting for his life, his breath fading.

Suddenly, soft hands found his back, pulled him up. “Don’t scare me like that Darx.” A voice said as he gasped for air. That voice, it was Syvis’ voice. “It’s not funny.” She said, pouting.

He looked at her, she was wearing a swimsuit, they were in water, there were trees around. Darx knew this place, it was the swimming hole he used to go to with Amelia, where he helped her learn to swim.

“I thought you were really drowning.” Syvis said.

“I’m sorry, Syvis, I didn’t mean to scare you, I just wanted to tease you.” Darx said.

“I don’t like that kind of teasing.” Syvis told him, her frown turning into a flirty smile.

“Oh?” He responded, “Perhaps you’d like a different kind of teasing better.” Darx dove under the water, grabbed her legs.

“Darx!” Syvis squealed when he pulled her legs out from under her. But she laughed as he caught her, held her in his arms, ran his hand down the inside of her leg.

“Oh, Darx.” She cried out, wrapping her arms around him. “Don’t ever let me go again.” She said, kissing him.

“I won’t Syvis, we’ll be together, forever.” He said. She pushed down on his shoulders, gently, biting her lip, letting him know what she wanted. Darx complied, slipping down, lifting her up on a rock and moving aside the thin cloth hiding her sex.

“Oh Goddess! Oh Darx, I love you!” she cried as he kissed and licked her sensitive area.

He circled his tongue around her clitoris, she tasted so good and her erotic sounds drove him onward.

“Ung. Mmm.” She moaned. Then a different sound, a slurping sound. “Oh so good, so big.” She cried. Then more slurping and some gagging sounds. Darx stopped what he was doing, looked up. Kase was standing there, Syvis’ mouth wrapped around his dick.

“Is she ready for me yet, Darx?” Kase asked him. “If I’m going to let you watch you better do a good job.”

Darx jolted awake. He was breathing hard, his heart was pounding.