The Darkness Pt. 09

I started to struggle then, but it was no use. The last thing I remember was his laugh as everything went dark.

I found myself back in Bardo, walking on a path I knew would take me to Nann's cottage.

"That fucking asshole put me to sleep!" I yelled at the trees around me.

I know it was my imagination, but I felt like they were pulling away from my anger.

I didn't want to see Nanna right now, so I held an image of the villa and tried to change paths. I thought I had been successful until the world snapped, and I was on the path to Nanna's again.

I had a bad feeling about this. First, the man, and now I was being forced to Nanna's house.

"El!" I yelled, willing her to show herself.

She faded into existence, walking next to me.

"You rang?" she asked, looking annoyed with me.

"What the fuck is going on?" I asked, taking some of my anger out on her.

"What happened?" she asked, noticing how fast we were moving for the first time. She held out her hand, and we slowed before stopping at an intersection.

I told her about my day at the mall. She looked alarmed when I told her about the man and how I was convinced he had put me to sleep.

"Someone wanted you out of the real world and in Bardo."

"Why?"

"In the real world, your talent and will are factors. Here, your talent is much less a factor," seeing that I wasn't following, El continued. "In the real world, if you use the Art on someone, if their abilities are less than yours, it happens. It's more about real power there. Here, with talent being suppressed, It's more about your Will."

She began pacing, taking on a teacher's role. "Enhancing will in Brado is much easier than enhancing talent in the real world," she stopped in front of me. "Simply, you are very powerful in the real world. Here, someone with almost no talent can beat you."

El started to say something else when a pained look crossed her face, and she was gone.

"El, where the hell...." I managed to say before I stumbled as the world started moving again.

It was moving much faster now, the trees a blur as they sped past me. I struggled and tried to go in another direction, but nothing I did seemed to change things.

As suddenly as the trip had started, it stopped, causing me to lose my balance and fall forward. Instead of hitting the ground, though, I struck some kind of invisible wall. I felt pain like I had never felt before, shooting up my arm and into my chest.

I yanked my hand back and held it clutched to my chest as I looked around.

I could see vague outlines of people standing outside a circle of ruins on the ground.

A containment circle, I realized. I remember reading about them but hadn't tried to make one yet. I knew what the key rune looked like, and after finding it, I tried to change it to no avail.

I realized I was trapped in a circle by a group of people I didn't know on the front lawn of Nann's cottage.

It's been a fucked up week. I thought as the haze around the circle changed, showing me the people who held me.

I recognized Nanna immediately but didn't know the other twelve people.

"Nana! What is going on?" I moved to stand in front of her, careful not to touch the circle.

"Sorry, Tina. This isn't something I wanted, but with the mirror and the demon you summoned, it's been difficult to convince others to leave you alone. The compulsion you used today on so many innocent people was too much for the coven to overlook."

She looked like she genuinely disagreed with the decision, but she wasn't in a position to argue.

My anger had returned and, if anything, was more potent than when I arrived here.

"Ok, who is the leader of this chicken-shit outfit?" I demanded.

"I am," said the man standing to Nanna's left.

"Let me out of here!"

"Sorry, that isn't possible any longer. You broke several rules, and it is with deep regret that we must punish you."

"What fucking rules?"

"You activated a dangerous artifact, letting it infect multiple people. Next, summoned a demon, who, I might add, was in the process of creating several half-demon children before you managed to banish it. Then today, you used compulsion on multiple people to satisfy your sick desires."

My mind was spinning. I had been involved in everything the witch had mentioned, but not like he said.

"I didn't activate the mirror. It was already stealing life energy before I got it under control. I DID NOT summon any demon. Meldith showed up, possessed my brother, proceeded to rape my mother and sister, and tried to rape me when I cast him out." I kept any mention of El out of the conversation. I already had enough problems without bringing her into it.

I paused, seeing his expression.

"What, no defense on using compulsion at the mall today?"

"They deserved what they got. They were bullying a young woman because of her social class. They thought she had some nerve to want to marry one of their own."

"So, the humiliation and forced sex acts you put them through were justified?" Nanna asked softly.

I realized that no matter what I said, they had already decided what to do with me.

I crossed my arms and waited.

"While some of us wanted to talk to you, find out about the artifact, for instance. I, for one, am curious how a novice managed to cast a demon out of a person they were possessing and put them in the lowest levels of Hell. But, after what you did today, we felt the answers were not worth the risk."

He held out his hand to the people on either side of him. The entire group quickly followed, and I could feel a buildup of energy around me.

I was looking at Nanna, pleading silently for her to help me. She had tears running down her face as she mouth sorry.

"So what are you going to do with me, asshole?"

He chuckled. "Still the false bravado? Well, we voted. Most just wanted to end your pathetic life."

He glanced at Nanna. "One held out that you might be turned away from the path you are walking. Me, well, I don't think that you can be turned. In the end, the rest agreed with me. We do have a dilemma, though. You see, you are a very rare woman."

"Well, I do like to think so, but it's nice that others realize it too," I said, cutting off his speech.

He looked annoyed at the interruption. "Yes, it would be a waste of talent to kill you. So we decided just to destroy your mind, leaving the body intact. We will breed you until you can't produce any more children, then dispose of the empty shell."

He was smiling again as he looked over my body.

I was in shock. They were talking about using me as a kid factory after they essentially killed my mind.

"You could have been so much more," he shook his head, "Goodbye, Tina."

I felt/saw the circle contract around my body. Then, very quickly, the first part of the circle touched my hips.

The cold where the circle contacted my skin sent sheering pain through my mind as I felt my body burn away until the only thing left was the pain.

The pain faded, and I found myself walking in a white mist towards a large gate in front of me. Some part of me knew that I was almost dead. That walking through that gate would be the end of my life. Yet, surprisingly, I didn't feel afraid. Going back would lead to pain, while I could sense the peace that awaited moving forward.

"Tina"

I heard someone say my name. Then, off to the side, a figure formed out of the mist. I stopped moving towards the gate and waited.

She was beautiful, dressed in a flowing gown that seemed to shimmer in the half-light.

"Sit, daughter."

Suddenly a couple of seats appeared along with a table covered in different types of fruit.

We both took seats across from each other.

"Help yourself," she told me as she picked up some grapes to eat.

I realized I was starving and put a strawberry into my mouth. It was the best thing I had ever eaten.

"I would like to offer a choice to you," she said, reaching for a chalice that wasn't there a second ago.

She took a sip and held it, looking at me. I could feel her gaze as it sunk in to look at my soul.

"There are forces that are trying to unravel the world. Remake it in an image that is not our desire. A place where monsters walk the earth again."

"To stop them, we have spent thousands of years slowly modifying your ancestors so that you would come to be."

She paused, eating more grapes.

"I'll do it," I told her. I had thought I was okay with dying, and I could feel the peace radiating off the gateway. But instead, I realized as I ate some fruit that I wanted to live, see and do things before I died.

"Don't you want to know what the task is?" She laughed at me. The sound caused me to smile, instantly feeling better about everything.

"I guess the choice is to die or live doing what you want."

"That is one way to look at it, little one."

"Ok, sign me up then," I told her, suddenly feeling giddy, almost like I was drunk. I looked at the fruit I had been eating and frowned.

"Ok, I want you to stop the ones trying to free the monsters,"

"That's it?" I asked, deciding that I didn't need any more of the fruit.

"Yes, simple, right?" she asked, handing me the chalice.

I took a drink, and the world started spinning. I could begin to feel the biting cold from the containment circle.

"Wait, how do I escape?" I cried out as the pain increased.

"Your will, like your talent, is much greater than you realize. So use your gifts," I heard her say as the mist world faded.

The pain was incredible, making it hard to think.

"Push harder. The little bitch is fighting back," I heard the man that wanted to turn me into a mindless breeder say.

I was pissed.

Looking at the circle that was causing so much pain, I realized suddenly that the pain, the ring, and everything around me was just a reflection of the group's will. None of it was real.

I opened my eyes then and saw the group, sweating as they tried harder to destroy my mind. With a thought, I stopped the pain and stepped outside the circle with another.

The circle collapsed without my presence to balance the spell, sending the group staggering from the feedback.

"Want to turn me into a fucking breeder asshole!" I shouted as I grabbed the collar of the man leading the group. I could feel spells pepper me from all sides. Without turning, I blocked their Talent with a thought.

Not satisfied with a simple block, I placed containment circles around each of them, turning the pain up until it was just short of lethal.

I could hear the screams of the witches as the containment circles contracted and relaxed.

Looking at the terrified little man I was holding, I smiled and pushed a bridge between our minds. He fought to no avail as I rooted around in his mind, looking at everything he had done in his life.

I realized he hated women and felt they were weak creatures beneath him.

My smile turned cold when I found out what he had been doing. He used compulsion on a massive scale, mixing magic with tech to create a VR game that turned innocent women into puppets.

I linked with the rest of the group's minds and analyzed each to find more rotting at their core. Of the group, seven were just as bad as their leader. The remaining six thought they were honestly doing the right thing and protecting the world.

I released the six who hadn't abused their abilities, one of which was Nanna. I was pleased about that. Part of me didn't know if I would be able to punish her like I was going to do the others.

The five women and one man I released lay on the ground, most barely conscious.

I released the man to his torment and walked over to where Nanna lay on the ground. I touched her head and healed the damage the circle had caused.

"How?"

"Survive and break the circle?"

She nodded her head, still very weak.

"I realized that this entire plain is an extension of will, with an underpinning of talent. Once I realized that I used my will and talent to change the rules."

"That's not possible," Nanna said, pushing herself on one arm to look at me.

"Yet here we are. Crazy, huh."

Nanna looked at me for a few seconds, then at the others around her. Some were still in containment circles, withering and regenerating as the ring contracted and relaxed.

"Please let them go, Tina. They were just doing what we thought best."

"Best! They would have destroyed my mind and turned me into a fucking baby factory."

I realized I was getting angry again and pushed it down. I didn't want to hurt Nanna, but if I lost control, even for a second, I might do something I would regret later.

"I want you to know the breeding wasn't my idea, but it made sense after it was explained to us. Your talent is scarce. The things you do without training or aid are nothing short of a miracle. The thought of the world losing that much talent was unthinkable."

I tried to stay mad at her, but memories kept getting in the way. So finally, I sighed and hugged her, letting her know we were ok.

I glanced at the others I had released. Most were sitting up, and all looked very afraid.

Good, a little fear is healthy, I thought.

"I have scanned each of your minds, and while I can say you are guilty of poor judgment, none of you have crossed the line into evil."

"That is more than you can say," the single man who wasn't in confinement said, gesturing at the ones still contained.

I walked over until I stood over him. "I suppose I could put you back with the rest of them?"

He got whiter, if possible, and shook his head.

"No? I didn't think so." I walked over to stand in the middle of the group.

"Normally, I would have told you to go fuck yourselves and left all of you in confinement indefinitely."

I made eye contact with each of them, driving in my point.

"That's not possible," one of the women muttered.

"Excuse me?" I asked, glaring at the older woman.

She cleared her throat, "No disrespect, but this plain will not hold those fields if you leave. It is simply not possible."

All the others seemed to agree with her.

I looked at Nana, "This cottage, do you rebuild it every time you come here?"

"No, it's a permanent fixture. The cottage and the surrounding meadow are left over from long ago. I found it as a young woman and made it mine."

I closed my eyes and examined the cottage. It and the fields surrounding were bound to the plain itself, making them permanent. Looking at the containment circles, I realized I had tied them to myself. That makes sense. If I leave, nothing is binding them any longer.

Reaching out, I moved the binding from me to the plain, making them permanent for all practical purposes.

"There, that fixes that problem."

They all looked shocked as they realized what I had done.

That's nothing compared to what I am about to do, I thought.

I sent a summons and heard an answering howl.

I looked at Nanna. "I have a few friends coming. I want you to let them through the wards."

Nanna looked shocked as she realized what I had done. "Tina, I think you really shouldn't...."

I cut her off. "They deserve everything that is coming for them."

I pushed the memories of what each of the ones in the containment circles had done.

Several of the witches on the ground had thrown up before all the memories were finished replaying.

"Why not just end them," Nanna asked, tears in her eyes as she realized what kind of people she had been supporting for years and the atrocities they had committed.

"That would be letting them off way too easy. So now, open the fucking wards, or I will," I threatened her.

She sighed and opened the wards, letting in the pack of Graylines I had summoned.

They ran around the people, growling at the witches outside the containment circles.

"Leave them alone," I commanded, earning a glare from their leader. The pack squared off in front of me, slowly walking forward. I could feel their needs, their desire to rape, kill and maim the humans around them.

I felt the leader try to snag my mind and quickly rebuffed him. He tried again, and I pulled him into a bubble, forcing him to change into a human form so we could talk.

He had gone very still during the transformation. The rest of the pack started howling and stalking me. I held his eyes, and my expression must have conveyed that I was more dangerous than him because he held up his hand, and they stopped.

"This is unsavory, human," he said in a raspy voice.

"Yeah, not big on this conversation either, but I am short on time. I have a proposition for you. I will give you the ones with the containment circles around them. You are to keep them as playthings until they expire of old age."

The transformed Grayline just watched me. I was about to ask if he understood me when he tried again to take my mind.

"I don't have fucking time for this shit," I told him as I sent an electric charge down his body. He fell to the ground and jerked as the electricity coursed through him. I walked up to him.

"Do we have a deal?"

He looked up at me, "We will take the females. The males are no use to us."

I thought about it and smiled at him, "I will fix that problem then. Do we have a bargain?"

He panted as he pushed up from the ground, "Yes, mistress, we have a bargain."

I released him back to his normal shape, and he barked and yipped at the others, no doubt telling them of the agreement.

I turned to the seven witches I had in the containment circles. For the four females, I shrank the circles to look like elaborate tattoos around their necks. It no longer gave them pain but blocked their abilities, including the ability to leave Bardo.

That left the two males.

"You both like hurting women, making them into sexual objects for your amusement."

I knelt over them, "Really, I guess I should just kill the both of you."

I smiled at them, showing all my teeth, "But where would the fun be in that?"

"My friends over there," I gestured at the pack of Graylines, "well, they don't like to play with males."

I chuckled as I dissolved their clothes. The leader had a nice body with an average-sized cock. The other was overweight, and his tiny dick might have been why he wanted to hurt women. I am sure more than one had laughed at his little dicky.

I ran my hands down the fat man's chest, circling his man breasts. As I moved down his body to his tiny cock, my fingers left a fire in their wake. He screamed as I touched his balls. The pain must have been unbearable since he passed out.

I turned to the leader, running my nails down his skin, burning him like I had the other. He clenched his jaws, not wanting to give me the satisfaction of hearing him scream.

"So I have a choice. Kill you both now."

I leaned down, touching my breasts to his chest, and smiled, "To be honest, I like that option."

I pulled back a little, "The other option I thought of is transforming you both into women and giving you to the Graylines to play with."

I paused, staring the leader in the eyes. "I guess option one is too easy on you, you piece of shit."

I smiled as I squeezed his balls. I watched his eyes bulge as the pain reached his mind. Then, as his eyes rolled back into his head, I transformed both into female versions of their old selves. I placed the containment circles around each of their necks after I finished.

"They are all yours," I told the pack leader. He grinned, and the pack jumped on the helpless women, dragging them out of sight.

I realized I needed to get back to my body before anything happened to it.

I turned to Nanny and the rest. They were huddled in a group, looking terrified between the receding pack of Graylines and me.

"I will be back a little later. We have a lot to talk about," I told Nanna.

I closed my eyes and willed myself back to my body.