Entwined | 𝘠𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘤

Abyss

Charlotte sensed nothing.

She might've said it was dark, but on occasion there were flashes of light. Some in color, others only white. Yet it came from nowhere and faded past her, through her, as if she weren't even there.

Neither hot, nor cold. If her body responded to her attempts to move, she could not tell.

The whisperings of her thoughts came and went like the ebb and flow of the tide, yet never fully dissipated to silence. Much like Dorothy's glamour world, her body did not need food or sleep; but unlike Dorothy's magic, if she wanted something it would not appear.

Nothing appeared.

The last thing she saw was the void as it appeared in the portal behind Yami, it's black, misty tendrils climbing on him as her vines often did. At the sight, one thought took hold of her mind and caused her feet to rush forward—she wouldn't let them take him.

The thought was automatic, but besides her instinctual possessiveness, she knew at that moment their squad needed his bullheadedness more than her sense of precision. So, she took his place.

It had been clear this enemy thrived on disorder. The best way to defeat them was by charging in, and she lead by example and left the rest in the hands of the master of pushing past boundaries. Of conquering the unforeseen.

They had called the leaders weak. Lazy. Of all the magic knight captains, Yami had been labeled as such time and time again by those who mistook scholarship for wisdom. It was true the others had ample power to boast, but Yami knew how to overcome. He knew how to break expectations and surpass limitations.

She knew he'd come for retribution, perhaps others along with as long as they could keep up, but how many hostages had been taken she couldn't say. For now, she hoped she had been the only one, but assumed there were more.

And, if none of them had the power to act, trapped in the same was she was, then all they could do was wait. But as she waited, she never ceased to build strength.

This was a different exercise than the usual sparring match. She did not need to duck and weave away from Yami's katana, or look for an opening to strike. But she did not fool herself, there was indeed an opponent.

Every so often she would attempt to stretch, to feel if her muscles still worked. Regardless of the perceived outcome, she made sure to do it anyway.

Between these tests, she wielded her thoughts. From training with Yami and more recently each member of their combined squad, she had extensively enhanced her personal encyclopedia of information. Tactics for weapons, strategies for concealment, and different strengths and weaknesses of certain magic types were all catalogued in her head. She reviewed each in detail, along with the ways her magic had grown and developed since being with Yami.

Particularly with the latter, she had a lot to ponder. Could their bond work over large distances? So far, her curse had only lifted briefly after physical intimacy, but could her feelings alone trigger the same result? If so, she had to know which memories would bring forth her red roses, and learn to balance keeping those sentiments in mind without losing focus in the middle of battle.

The problem being, when she thought of her time with Yami, all else faded into the background. His influence on her was so potent that it tended to block everything out. On their last mission in the northern mountains, his kiss had sent her reeling at the heels of an enemy, and though she was able to come back to her senses and use the boost of power she'd gained, an opportunity to do so would not always present itself.

As soon as this barricade that now held her was broken, she must be ready. She would not have time to prepare, or to take in her foe or surroundings. There could be one powerful mage or an army of them, but if—no, when Yami freed her, it might very well be them against the world.

Two, against the unknown.

He would risk anything and everything to come to her side. And when he succeeded, she would ensure their victory.

So while she was trapped, and when this magic attempted to deplete her of reality itself, Yami became her universe.

His voice filled the void. His smell, the warmth of this touch, pace of his breaths when he was relaxed, concentrated, or in the head of the moment—she recalled all of it, held it close. Held him close, and trained so that when he was by her side once more, the curse would shatter.

She would bloom no matter the circumstances. She would bloom for him.

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