Between Stars And Shadows ~Evil Sanses x F! Reader

CHAPTER 4~ Welcome Home

Nightmare descended the steps from his throne with the slow, deliberate grace of someone who had nothing to fear. Each footfall echoed, the sound unnervingly soft against the polished stone, as though the castle itself muted the noise in reverence.

You couldn't look away. His presence filled the air, heavier than the stone walls, heavier than the shadows writhing in the corners. When his single glowing eye fixed on you, your insides twisted as though invisible claws had wrapped around your ribs.

"Dream's little toy..." Nightmare muttered, the laugh that followed hollow and jagged, too sharp for comfort.

Dust scoffed quietly, not lifting his gaze from you. "Looks more like prey than a toy." His voice was calm, too calm, like someone observing from far away. The weight of his stare pressed down heavier than words.

Horror, silent until now, lowered himself into a crouch at your side, one massive hand pressing into the floor. His cracked teeth caught the glow of the black flames as he tilted his skull slightly, studying you. "Small. Fragile," he muttered. His voice rumbled like stones grinding together. "But not weak."

Your body froze. Every muscle screamed at you to shrink away, but nothing moved. You could feel his breath, heavy and damp, brushing against your arm.

Killer crouched suddenly, far too close, his face mere inches from yours. His sockets were wide, dark and wild. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" He tilted his head, grin twitching wider. "Ohhh, you're scared. I love that."

You tried to push back, but Horror's bulk kept you pinned in place as he held on tight to your shoulders. Killer leaned in further, and his knife — still spinning casually between his fingers — caught the candlelight, reflecting a thin, hungry gleam.

"Enough," Nightmare said. He hadn't raised his voice, but the word cracked through the air like a whip. The tentacles at the base of his spine twitched, curling tighter.

Killer stopped mid-motion, his grin faltering just enough to show obedience, then he stepped back with a theatrical bow. "Fine, fine. She's all yours, boss."

Nightmare's gaze never left you. He stepped closer to your paralysed body on the floor, each motion impossibly fluid, until he stood directly before you like a demon. His height dwarfed you as you looked up to face him, his shadow swallowing you whole. Slowly, deliberately, a tentacle slithered across the polished floor, curling near your feet.

"Tell me," Nightmare said, his tone low, smooth, intoxicating in its wrongness. "Do you know why you're here?"

You shook your head, barely able to speak. Your throat felt tight, constricted. "N-No..."

His grin stretched slightly, cruel and deliberate. "Good. That means Dream hasn't spoiled my plans. You see, you are... special. A piece of a game he never wanted to play. And now, you're mine."

The tentacle brushed against your ankle. Cold sank through you, not just skin deep, but crawling into your bones. Your knees buckled, and you stumbled, catching yourself on the slick floor.

Horror loomed behind you, his skeletal frame a barricade, while Dust's silent stare followed every twitch you made. Killer giggled under his breath, rocking back and forth on his heels.

Nightmare leaned down, his voice a whisper just for you. "You will learn quickly... or you will break."

The chill that had snaked up your ankle spread, spiraling higher with every slow curl of Nightmare's tentacle. Your breath hitched, chest rising and falling too quickly as if your lungs couldn't keep pace.

It wasn't just cold. It was wrong.

It slid into your mind like oil, seeping through cracks you hadn't known were there. Every whisper of doubt, every flicker of fear, every sharp memory of loneliness — it all surfaced at once, crowding your head until you could hardly tell where your own thoughts ended and the shadows began.