The landscape of Ella's mind felt like jagged glass, a distorted reflection of herself, broken and rearranged in chaotic fragments that stretched and twisted around Malachai. Each thought, each fear, and each shattered memory seemed to fight him, resisting his every effort to find and touch her consciousness. It was as though a festering darkness, malignant and ravenous, had clawed its way into the deepest crevices of her mind and spread there, feeding off her despair, leaving everything raw and unsteady.
The song, hummed with his usual ease, softened the harshness, forcing calmness into her troubled storm. His mental steps grew steadier, pushing deeper into the disarray of her mind, and the fractured reflections of her memories flickered with faint familiarity. But it wasn’t until the doorway formed - an eerie, unstable construct of her own making - that he felt the first glimpse of her true self. Ella. Not his subordinate, but his child. One he'd raised in the battlefield and sheltered, trained and let grow beyond what her true kin had expected of her. Now she was limp in his arms, in limbo between life and death and by her own hand too. The pair had been here once before.
Voices, not outside but here, in the mind came filtering through. Bargining. Arguing. Shouting. And then the door was opened. Well, wasn’t this a development? He didn't hesitate, extending his arms and pulling her into his hold, firm and unwavering. The tightness of his embrace felt not only real, but grounding. He was her tether to reality, to the moments when she had once felt secure and whole, and he would not let go.
The soft squeeze was brief before Mal raised his free hand, and with it came the pulse of his will, a tidal force pushing back the tendrils of the foreign influence. The door slammed shut while in the ripple of his power a seal crawled its way around the frame. The wording and patterns spread out, illuminating briefly, then diminished, burning their warding into grain.
As the seal settled, he turned his gaze to her, softening.
Outside, in the tangible world, the ripple of her stirring mind forced him to steady his grip. Her assault causing him to brace at the weight, this had built slowly, over time and would need careful supervision. Her fingers clutched at his arm, the faintest tremor passing through her hand. Mal’s humming resumed, a soft, unyielding sound, one that held his promise to her, to bring her back no matter what shadows she let surround her.
@Novella Tilani
@Kaczor Tilani
The song, hummed with his usual ease, softened the harshness, forcing calmness into her troubled storm. His mental steps grew steadier, pushing deeper into the disarray of her mind, and the fractured reflections of her memories flickered with faint familiarity. But it wasn’t until the doorway formed - an eerie, unstable construct of her own making - that he felt the first glimpse of her true self. Ella. Not his subordinate, but his child. One he'd raised in the battlefield and sheltered, trained and let grow beyond what her true kin had expected of her. Now she was limp in his arms, in limbo between life and death and by her own hand too. The pair had been here once before.
Voices, not outside but here, in the mind came filtering through. Bargining. Arguing. Shouting. And then the door was opened. Well, wasn’t this a development? He didn't hesitate, extending his arms and pulling her into his hold, firm and unwavering. The tightness of his embrace felt not only real, but grounding. He was her tether to reality, to the moments when she had once felt secure and whole, and he would not let go.
Not to worry Darling.he murmured, his voice infused with the warmth and steadiness of their shared memories, memories he’d guarded on countless battlefields, always watching over her. But behind the warmth lay a commanding strength, one that would brook no defiance.
Magnificence is here to save the day.
The soft squeeze was brief before Mal raised his free hand, and with it came the pulse of his will, a tidal force pushing back the tendrils of the foreign influence. The door slammed shut while in the ripple of his power a seal crawled its way around the frame. The wording and patterns spread out, illuminating briefly, then diminished, burning their warding into grain.
As the seal settled, he turned his gaze to her, softening.
You reckless fool,he muttered with a father’s chastisement.
We had an agreement, you and I. Never again, you said, until I was dust and ash.A light-hearted grin then tugged at his mouth.
The whore I had yesterday would firmly disagree with these ridiculous rumours of my untimely demise.
Outside, in the tangible world, the ripple of her stirring mind forced him to steady his grip. Her assault causing him to brace at the weight, this had built slowly, over time and would need careful supervision. Her fingers clutched at his arm, the faintest tremor passing through her hand. Mal’s humming resumed, a soft, unyielding sound, one that held his promise to her, to bring her back no matter what shadows she let surround her.
Steady now, my darling,he murmured, hearing her tears.
Stay with me this time. You’ve done enough.
@Novella Tilani
@Kaczor Tilani
10-29-2024, 12:42 PM
