Asher suddenly felt the ground beneath his feet vanish. The sensation of weightlessness gripped him like a vice, and his heart lurched violently. Opening his eyes in panic, his face twisted in horror as he realized—he was falling. Falling into oblivion.
He let out a loud, piercing shriek, his throat tightening as terror consumed him. The darkness below offered no end, no surface, just a gaping void that swallowed everything. And then—impact.
He landed with a dull thud. His body trembled, his legs buckling beneath him. Weakness flooded his limbs like venom. Yet, somehow, he forced himself upright, shaking uncontrollably as he took in his surroundings.
This was no place known to man.
The landscape—or lack thereof—was completely flat. There were no walls, no corners, no sky. Just endless nothingness. It was as if the world itself had been erased, and only darkness remained. A world without direction, where light dared not enter.
Asher's emerald eyes scanned the area, desperately searching for a clue. A landmark. A sound. A memory. But everything felt foggy, disjointed. And then—it hit.
A sudden migraine surged through his skull, like a hammer cracking through bone. Asher groaned, clutching his head as if trying to hold his brain together.
"Haaaa...!" he cried, falling to his knees as the pain threatened to tear him apart. It was unbearable—like something ancient and evil was crawling into his mind.
Before he could submit to it, a sound echoed: footsteps—steady, confident, slow. From the shadows emerged a figure cloaked in darkness, the hem of his cape gliding like smoke. A single boot stepped forward, followed by another. Asher's breath caught.
Lamia.
The evil witch stopped a few feet away, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "So this... this is where your subconscious tried to hide you, Asher," he said mockingly, his voice as chilling as the void itself.
Asher forced himself up, trying to appear strong despite his trembling limbs. His eyes met Lamia's, pain etched into every corner of his youthful face.
"Let me go," Asher pleaded, voice raw with desperation. "You twisted creature... I just want to go back. To my friends. Please—I just want to see them one more time."
His once-glorious silver hair was matted and dimmed, his radiant emerald eyes dulled with sorrow. The beauty in his features had been overrun by despair.
Lamia studied him with a cruel smirk. The Phoenix Stone was already his. Asher, once a threat, had become a plaything. But a dangerous question whispered at the back of Lamia's mind: Could he still destroy me?
And so, he continued to break him.
"Why do you want to go, Asher?" Lamia crooned as he took a step closer. "Don't you want to play anymore?"
Asher instinctively stepped back, trying to keep the distance. But Lamia voice rised "You're a monster," he spat, eyes brimming with fury. "A selfish, wannabe prince who thinks the world owes him everything. You crave what isn't yours. And that so-called love you have for your sister?" Lamia shook his head. "It's a lie. You demons are nothing but a curse on those who love you."
Asher's eyes flickered with emotions and despair. Why Lamia hand rose, glowing ominously.
"No," Asher whispered. "I'm not selfish... I just... I just want them. And for that, I curse myself. But that doesn't mean I'd ally with my murderer."
Asher's breathing quickened. Sweat coated his brow. "I don't want anything to do with you—or with Rowan," he said, voice growing colder. "Yes, Lamia. I hate Rowan. Whatever bond we once had... the mate mark, destiny, any of it—I reject it. I will never love someone so vile, so despicable."
Lamia stilled. Then, he turned his back on Asher and walked away. For a moment, silence. Perhaps Asher had won.
But then Lamia's voice returned, venomous and cruel. "Then why don't we take a trip... down your future?"
Before Asher could react, a tornado of shadow erupted beneath his feet, rising like a dragon from the underworld. He screamed, flailing as it wrapped around him, dragging him into the depths of the void.
"NO!" he shouted, arms reaching out, grasping at air. Lamia grinned, his hand raised like a puppeteer.
"You can't stop me, you son of a bitch!" Asher yelled.
Then—CLAWS.
Seven monstrous claws emerged, grabbing Asher's legs and pulling him deeper. Ahead, a door appeared. A massive, crimson door glowing with ominous energy. Something ancient. Something forbidden.
Asher screamed in dread, his soul recoiling. Every fiber of his being wanted to escape it. The red door pulsed like a living thing.
Inscribed on it, in twisted, burning letters: "DARK AND FORBIDDEN MEMORIES."
And then, the door opened. Asher was thrown through. The knob twisted shut behind him with a final, echoing click.
***The Future******
Asher jerked awake, gasping violently for air.
His hands flew to his forehead, the pain from before returning like a dagger. He winced, vision blurry, heart racing. Where was he? Everything felt... off.
A soft touch caressed his cheek.
He blinked, and met ocean-blue eyes framed by golden blond hair.
Rowan.
"Asher," Rowan said gently, his voice filled with concern. "Are you okay? You fainted the moment you arrived here."
Arrived? When? How? Asher tried to focus. He remembered Ezekiel trying to force himself on him... Jeremy acting like an ass... and then... nothing. Everything after that was blank.
Rowan moved to pour a cup of coffee. Asher's gaze swept the room. The walls. The intricate designs. Everything felt eerily familiar—and wrong. Like he was in a memory that doesn't belong to him.
Then, pain struck again. Rowan rushed to his side. "You're burning up. I'll get the physician."
Before Asher could protest, Rowan disappeared through the door.
Alone now, Asher whispered, "Why... why can't I remember? Didn't Rowan do something... something terrible?"
But his thoughts were interrupted. The door opened once more. Rowan returned, this time with an older man.
"Please, Cyrus," Rowan said calmly. "Check him. Our wedding is in two days. He can't be sick on our special day."
Asher's breath caught.
Wedding?
Cyrus smiled and began checking him over. Asher stared blankly, unable to process. Married? To Rowan? No, that couldn't be. It wasn't possible.
Rowan crept close, sitting at the edge of the bed. He leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper.
"I know you're confused," he murmured. "But you came back to me. I know it's hard to accept... especially since I killed you and your friends. And I... almost raped Rose."
Asher's mouth fell open in horror.
"But," Rowan continued with a strange smile, "Rose did slice off my manhood in revenge—though that didn't work. And now, you're mine. My bride. My Queen. With your powers, the Torch of light, and the influence of the Seven Seas, everything will be mine."
"No..." Asher breathed, paralyzed with shock.
Rowan leaned in closer. "You have no choice. If you resist, your parents will be beheaded—or fed to my siren kin."
Asher stared in terror. This wasn't just a nightmare. It was hell.
*****Behind the Red Door******
Lamia stood silently, watching from the void, his grin wide with triumph. The red door sealed shut behind him.
Asher was now perpetually trapped—lost in a realm of nightmares and cruel illusions, where past, present, and future bled into torment. Lamia had broken three of the awakens—Asher, Rose, and Sylvia.
"With this," Lamia whispered, holding the Phoenix Stone high, "your soul is no longer yours. You'll never escape. And now..."
He vanished into shadows, eyes set on Paradise High.
It was time to release the Dragon Lord—Zandros.