fear hungers

The world whispered to her as she stirred. Through the coos of the wind and the gentle touches of surrounding floral, Kaida woke—half-lidded and smiling serenely. Around her, through the blurred vision of her gaze, the world was flourishing. To her left, the land yawned to make room for a flowing river, trickling against the quiet.

To her right, it simply stretched on. Splendid. Colorful. Too beautiful to be real, and too quiet to house any others. Was she here alone? Where was here?

A soft frown dipped her features as she crawled to the slow river, the plume of her tail curled over one of her hips. The water was pleasantly warm against her touch, almost sparkling beneath her eye. Where, truly, had this place been hiding away?

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@Naoya

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Sick.

The feeling came before the voice struck, weakening her mind and pulling her muscles taut. Even in blissful dreams, he managed to find ruin, to burn the beauty and the harmony to nothing more than a pit of ashes to paint himself in. Could she ever escape? Would she?

His voice was an unwelcome caress on her backside, her body bending to his will despite how much her mind resisted. She was good, she was kind, and even despite how she'd wished to claim she'd changed, there would forever be a collar around her neck. A single tug, a single command, would bend her knees. She was raised to be beneath someone else's will, charged with a life she'd barely escaped when she was passed on. A blessing, she pleaded to her mother, even as she was rebuked.

What say she now, in the name of change? What could she do to rebuke him? Where could she find the words to cast him aside, to look an abuser in the eyes and demand all the respect she'd lost? All the happiness? Beck was a distant memory, but this—him—he cost her that happiness. A life unburdened.

Kaida scrambled from beneath his venomous grasp, searching for purpose amidst the lush terrain with a desperation she was sure he'd thrive upon. He sickened her, but just as much did she fear him. It was in her bones, in her blood. She was born to be one of his choices, to fear him, to obey. There was no choice, no savior. There was no one there for her. No one who cared, not truly.

But she cared for herself in this life. Ragnar had instilled in her a confidence, proven to her she was worthy of friendship—of companionship—without the pressure of obedience. Without the requirement of forced love. Naoya was...her past. The embodiment of everything she loathed.

“Why are you here?” Words, unstuttered, unbroken, left her sternly. He had no right to be within her mind anymore.

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