#vainchelon

It was all she had known for so long that she had lost track of how long she had been trapped within the Void. Time had no meaning and no measure. Devour or be devoured was the only immutable law of the Thirteenth. Death was a fate she could accept–embrace, even–but to live on as a fragment trapped in another’s body as a conglomeration of forgotten souls was not. So the succubus disposed of the few Voidsent foolish enough to challenge her without prejudice, devouring their lives and growing more powerful with each one. So what if she lost a bit more of herself each time? What did it matter? Was that really such a bad thing? What use was sanity here? What good in being herself? At least it was a brief, hollow relief from the hunger. But the darkness, there was no relief from that. Not until, without warning, that fateful day came. Light, blinding and brilliant, burning and insufferable after so long in the pitch, a portal tearing itself through the blackness. Something unignorable called to her from beyond, beckoned and invited her to come through, tugged at her body and soul. Or maybe it was just the ravenous hunger within her, drawn to that world shining with aether on the other side, so instinctual it moved her body without her own volition. She couldn’t be certain. There was very little she could be certain of anymore. The only thing she did know–had decided–was that the portal was for her. Other creatures were drawn to the light like moths to a flame, starving and desperate, clambering for escape from their eternal Hell. But she fought them tooth and nail, and as always in the Void, the superior demon triumphed. She clawed her way out over their bodies, through the rift and into a dizzying, overstimulating world of light and life and sustenance. Where or when she was didn’t matter. No such thoughts occurred to her now. She only had one drive, one urge: Feed. Whoever had been foolish enough to open the Voidgate stood before her, brimming with aether like a beacon in the night. She pounced on him without hesitation and she was intent on making sure there would be no fighting back, her vicious claws swiping toward his face, rending flesh and leaving his visage a bloodied mess. The mage crumpled to the floor with her atop him, straddling him and siphoning the very lifeforce from his body to sate herself. So lost was she in the hedonistic decadence of a proper meal of aether at last, she was not prepared for what came next. But the mage, he had been prepared for her. He had managed to recover from his mauling just in time to spring his trap before his fate was sealed. She was so focused in her single-minded, feral pursuit of her prey that she had failed to notice the arcane circle and sigils carved into the floor beneath her. He triggered his spell, incorporeal bonds of aether winding around her limbs and ripping her off him, holding her in place. She struggled, thrashing and baring her sharp teeth like a wild animal, but she could not break free, and he wasn’t going to wait long enough to afford her the chance. He pushed himself to his feet, the lifeblood seeping from his face dripping to the floor and pooling into the ritual circle etched there, triggering the spell. The runes glowed to life with aether, and she instantly knew what was happening, but it was too late. The Voidsent was bound to her new master, their aether and destinies irrevocably interwoven. “You…” he began, voice dark and deep, one hand pressing to his wounds and covering half his face. “What is your name?” he commanded, and she was powerless to disobey his will.

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.