FFxivWrite 2021
Prompt #13: Oneirophrenia
The Void was an endless, empty abyss of darkness, bereft of any aether and any life beyond the warped creatures aimlessly skittering around the ravaged ruins of a civilization that once was. The fearsome beasts of the thirteenth shard were seldom bothered to waste any precious energy fighting among themselves, but one never knew when a Voidsent might find itself starved and deranged enough to attack its kin for the promise of even the smallest spark of aether. The weak did not survive. Fortunately, Shadiyah could hold her own against most foes.
She had never particularly resented her time spent in the Void before. What difference did it make to be wasting away in misery in the Void or upon any other shard? The only downsides were the gnawing hunger and the absolute boredom, but compared to having to deal with people and all their pretenses and all the noise and trouble they brought, was that really so bad? The Voidsent made better neighbors, all things considered.
But things were different now. Now she had a reason to be upon the Source and not trapped in this hellish wasteland. Every moment spent stuck in the Void was another fleeting moment or more lost on the Source, the clock ticking against her. She had no way of knowing how time was flowing between the two shards, much as she had no exit until a rift might appear and she would find herself fighting against all the other ravenous monsters of the Void vying to escape. And so, like them, she wandered directionlessly, stumbling over the wreckage.
She couldn’t remember the last ray of light she’d seen, or more importantly, the last morsel of aether she’d consumed. It was a ravenous hunger that consumed every part of her, mind and body, until she struggled to think of anything else. Starved and alone in the empty hellscape of blackness, it was difficult to keep a grip on reality. How many Voidsent had she fended off? How far had she roamed, searching for a glimpse of light? She had no idea how much time had passed since her arrival. She wondered how much more she must endure before she might find a way out.
It was then she saw something in the nothingness that made her stop in her tracks, a familiar silhouette in the nothingness, tall and dark, black hair cascading to his shoulder, violet eyes cutting through the shadows. “Master,” she gasped, sinking down to her knees upon the dirt.
He strode toward her, bending down to grasp her chin in his hand as the Miqo’te peered up at him. “So you were pathetic enough not only to be struck down, but to get yourself trapped here. Then again, I suppose it is where you belong,” came the familiar voice, coloring the words all the more cruel.
She winced, smacking his hand away from her face. “No! I belong with you!”
“With me? What makes you think that I want you by my side? That you deserve to be there?” he asked, arching one eyebrow as he gazed down at her. “Did you think I want you back? That I came here to rescue you?”
“But… but I thought--” she stammered, feline ears drooping.
“Thought what? That you were something more to me than a tool to further my ends? More than a lab experiment I found some, mm… extra uses for?”
“Yes!” Shade growled, pushing herself to her feet. “You know that I am more than that!”
“Yes, perhaps you’re right. A leech on my aether. A thorn in my side. A tax on my time and patience. Does that sound better?” he asked, glowering down at her.
“Master!” she hissed, reaching forward to grasp his sleeve, but he shook her off and knocked her away back onto the dirt.
“You believe I am in love with you because I fucked you? Haven’t you learned by now? Did you really think it would be different this time? That I wouldn’t get bored of you just like all the others?” he began to pace a circle around the woman as he interrogated her.
“You prrromised!” she snarled. “This is not real! You are not real!”
“I am as real as can be, my dearheart. Did you truly believe you could keep my attention?” his deep voice carried a mocking note of pity. “Who could ever care for you? You are nothing.”
“Stop it! Go away!” her ears folded, palms pressing over them, flattening them to her skull.
“You don’t belong in my world. You don’t belong anywhere,” his words somehow rang clear despite her attempts to muffle them, his face void of any emotion save for the disgust and disdain he felt for her. “We would all be better off if you ceased to exist, don’t you think so, my dearest?”
Shadiyah squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head, anything to block him out. “You are not him! You are not real! Leave me!” She gave up her vain efforts to silence his words, her hands slipping down instead to wrap her arms around herself, fingers digging into her shoulders, tearing the skin.
“There is nothing I have wanted more, my Mistress.”
When her eyes snapped open, there was no trace of the man left behind, and she scrambled to where he had once stood, grabbing only a handful of sand. “Melifce… do not leave me here,” her whimpering plea went unheard.
