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Lucina
A low, sharp sound sliced through the opulent chamber. SNAP!
Gold flashed as a broken chain fell, clinking against the dark, lush carpet. A horrified thought surged through me, choking me: "WHY DID I DO THAT TO HER?"
A dark heat coiled in my chest, spreading outward. The air seemed to thrum with a crimson pulse, a flickering, unnatural energy. CRACKLE.
My eyes widened, a storm of terror and confusion colliding. I looked at my hand, trembling, then at the room around me-the gilded opulence suddenly alien, suffocating. "AM I FEELING THE EFFECTS SOONER THAN I..." My voice faltered, the thought unformed and terrifying.
I rose, chest bare, muscles taut, facing her. She was fragile against my sudden ferocity, white hair spilling over pale shoulders, eyes wide and questioning.
"Hakan?" she whispered, almost a breath, trembling with a mix of fear and something else I couldn't name.
HUFF! HUFF! My lungs fought for air, each breath ragged. The room seemed to sway. Silk hangings, gold accents-everything blurred. My body stiffened, my control slipping like water through a clenched fist.
Through the haze, I forced the words out:
"I... I DON'T FEEL VERY WELL TODAY, LUCINA."
Her gaze, anxious and fearful, met mine.
A sharp pain drilled into my skull. Confusion. Disorientation. "...?"
I stepped back, stumbling. A tremor surged inside me, violent and insistent, as if my body was rejecting my own command. The truth struck with the weight of a hammer: I had unleashed something I could barely contain.
She retreated instinctively, small hands clutching the thin fabric at her chest, trying to reconcile the being before her with the man she knew. SHUFFLE.
And then-alone. Seated heavily, head bowed, the room suddenly cold despite its opulence. The dark surge had passed, leaving clarity... and a gnawing regret.
I tried to piece together the chaos. "I THINK..." My words faltered.
Later, a servant appeared, careful and deferential.
"Hakan was acting a bit strange earlier," they said softly.
I knew. I had been. The broken chain, the surge of power-it would haunt me.
---
The servant's words lingered in my mind as I lay in the grand, impossibly soft bed. Sleep refused me. I twisted under heavy covers, replaying the scene, the wildness in my eyes, the fear in hers.
I couldn't even tell her the good news, I thought. She deserved to hear it... but I was too terrifying, too... broken.
A gentle voice cut through my reverie.
"ARE YOU HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING, LUCINA?" The maid's tone was careful, kind, respectful.
"Yes..." I whispered to myself, rubbing tired eyes.
"WHY DON'T YOU GO AND TAKE A DIP IN THE HOT SPRINGS? IT WILL HELP YOU SLEEP," she suggested, warm concern in every word.
Hope flickered. Really? I peeked through half-lidded eyes at her smile, small but genuine, and the tension in my shoulders eased slightly.
Elsewhere in the palace, Hakan wrestled with his own unrest. The residue of that dark power lingered in him, a burning weight beneath his skin. Jaw clenched, muscles taut, he struggled to regain control.
"AM I FEELING THE EFFECTS SOONER THAN I..." he thought, the chaotic energy still prickling in his mind.
"Maybe immersing myself in holy water... might ease the fire in my body," he considered. Desperation drove the thought-a bid for clarity and calm, a remedy for the uncontrollable.
Meanwhile, I followed the maid's advice, stepping into the steaming bath. Water embraced me like a soft, warm hug, melting tension from shoulders and back.
SPLASH!
Relief flooded through me. I laughed, light and airy, for the first time that day.
"That was amazing, Lucina!" the maid cheered, clapping enthusiastically. CLAP CLAP CLAP.
"Hehe," I responded, truly smiling.
A playful spark lit my eyes. "I'm good at swimming too. Want me to show you?"
The maid's gaze twinkled, her imagination briefly conjuring a white, fluffy dog leaping in the water-matching my hair. She simply smiled, patient and amused.
---
The encounter with Hakan earlier lingered in my mind like a shadow. "HAKAN WAS ACTING A BIT STRANGE EARLIER," I thought, shifting under the heavy covers. RUSTLE. The memory of his wild, erratic gaze made my chest tighten. I couldn't even tell him the good news... he looked so intimidating...
A soft knock interrupted my spiraling thoughts. The maid stepped in, her expression gentle, filled with concern.
"ARE YOU HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING, LUCINA?"
"Yes..." I admitted quietly, sinking deeper into the pillows.
"WHY DON'T YOU GO AND TAKE A DIP IN THE HOT SPRINGS?" she suggested, smiling warmly. "I'M SURE THAT WILL HELP YOU SLEEP IN NO TIME!"
"Really?" A tiny flicker of hope sparked within me.
Across the palace, Hakan wrestled with his own turmoil. Dark energy swirled around him, coiling and twisting like a living thing. "AM I FEELING THE EFFECTS SOONER THAN I..." he thought, his jaw tightening under the weight of the fire coursing through him.
His gaze hardened, focused on a single solution. "MAYBE IMMERSING MYSELF IN HOLY WATER... WILL HELP EASE THE OVERWHELMING FIRE ENERGY IN MY BODY." The magic inside him was relentless, its origin unmistakable.
"NORMALLY, THE BLACK MAGIC I USE REQUIRES ME TO CAST A SPELL THAT CREATES ILLUSIONS FOR OTHERS TO SEE," he reflected, his eyes tracing the flickering candlelight of the room. "THAT'S WHY PEOPLE WAKE UP FROM THESE ILLUSIONS... WHEN I PASS OUT OR END THE SPELL."
But this time, everything was different. "HOWEVER, WITH THIS CANDLE, I CAN FORCE THE TARGET TO SEE ILLUSIONS WHENEVER THEY FEEL AFFECTION TOWARDS SOMEONE." The thought tightened the fire in his chest. "INITIALLY, THE ILLUSION WILL BE TOO FAINT AND SHORT-LIVED... BUT AS TIME GOES ON, IT WILL GROW MORE POTENT AND INCREASINGLY DISTINCT."
The pressure inside him became unbearable. He gripped a nearby stone pillar until CRACK, sweat beading his brow. SWISH! He had to reach water. Relief, even temporary, was imperative.
I stepped into the hot springs, the warm water curling around me. SPLASH! A deep sigh escaped my lips. "PHEW!" The tension in my shoulders melted for the first time in hours.
"That was amazing, Lucina!" the maid exclaimed, clapping enthusiastically. CLAP CLAP CLAP. "You're really good at diving!"
"Hehe," I giggled, the sound light and unburdened. "I'm good at swimming too. Do you want me to show you?" A playful glint lit my eyes.
Suddenly, the air shifted behind me. LEAN.
Hakan appeared, bare-chested, eyes glazed with daze. The black energy that clung to him swirled violently, WHOOSH, a palpable force that tugged at the edges of the world.
He froze for a moment, taking me in. My laughter echoed, light and carefree. His heart thudded uncontrollably. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. Each beat resonated in the charged air around us.
He exhaled a wordless pause, unable to speak through the torrent of thought.
I smiled, oblivious, the water gleaming on my skin. "HAHA!"
His gaze locked on me, intense and unrelenting. "SHE'S SO PRETTY WHEN SHE LAUGHS... SHE STILL LOOKS BEAUTIFUL EVEN WHEN SHE'S SOAKED." His heartbeat hammered. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP.
Driven by sheer will, he stepped forward with impossible speed. RUSH! His presence loomed, overwhelming. STOMP.
I instinctively tightened the thin cloth around me, eyes wide. "H-Hakan?"
His gaze pierced through me, every breath ragged. HUFF HUFF. The dark energy swirled, wrapping us both in a chaotic pulse, tugging at reality.
Before me, a vision of what could be-a consuming embrace, desire, and fevered passion-flickered vividly. My mind reeled as I saw him draw closer, chest heaving, eyes blazing with an unsettling mix of heat and obsession.
The tension was suffocating, charged, and undeniable.
My mind kept replaying the earlier encounter, the strange, unsettling behavior that Hakan had shown. "HAKAN WAS ACTING A BIT STRANGE EARLIER," I thought, tossing restlessly under the heavy covers. RUSTLE. I couldn't even tell him the good news... he looked so intimidating...
A gentle knock sounded at the door. The maid stepped inside, her face soft with concern.
"ARE YOU HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING, LUCINA?"
"Yes..." I admitted, letting out a sigh and pressing my cheek against the pillow.
"WHY DON'T YOU GO AND TAKE A DIP IN THE HOT SPRINGS? I'M SURE THAT WILL HELP YOU SLEEP IN NO TIME!" she suggested warmly, a hopeful smile lighting her face.
"Really?" I asked, a flicker of hope sparking in my chest.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the palace, Hakan grappled with the fire that raged within him, the dark black magic coiling like a living entity. "AM I FEELING THE EFFECTS SOONER THAN I..." he thought, jaw tight, muscles tensed.
"MAYBE IMMERSING MYSELF IN HOLY WATER... WILL HELP EASE THE OVERWHELMING FIRE ENERGY IN MY BODY," he reasoned, scanning the flickering candlelight in his dimly lit chamber.
He understood the origin of this overwhelming force. "NORMALLY, THE BLACK MAGIC I USE REQUIRES ME TO CAST A SPELL THAT CREATES ILLUSIONS FOR OTHERS TO SEE," he reflected, eyes narrowing. "THAT'S WHY PEOPLE WAKE UP FROM THESE ILLUSIONS... WHEN I PASS OUT OR END THE SPELL."
But the cursed candle had changed everything. "HOWEVER, WITH THIS CANDLE, I CAN FORCE THE TARGET TO SEE ILLUSIONS WHENEVER THEY FEEL AFFECTION TOWARDS SOMEONE."
The pressure inside him became unbearable. He gripped a stone pillar until SQUEEZE... CRACK, the stone giving under his force. SWISH! The black energy whipped violently around him, coiling like a storm.
I slipped into the warm, inviting water of the hot springs. SPLASH! A sigh escaped me. "PHEW!" The tension that had knotted my shoulders melted for the first time that evening.
"That was amazing, Lucina! You're really good at diving!" the maid cheered from the edge. CLAP CLAP CLAP.
"Hehe," I laughed softly, feeling lighter, freer. "I'm good at swimming too. Do you want me to show you?" A playful GLINT lit my eyes.
Suddenly, the air shifted. LEAN.
Hakan appeared, bare-chested, eyes glazed and dazed. The dark energy around him surged, WHOOSH, palpable and suffocating. My heart hammered against my chest. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP.
He froze for a moment, taking me in. "SHE'S SO PRETTY WHEN SHE LAUGHS... SHE STILL LOOKS BEAUTIFUL EVEN WHEN SHE'S SOAKED," he thought, mesmerized.
Driven by sheer will, he stepped forward with unnatural speed. RUSH! STOMP. His presence loomed, overwhelming.
I instinctively wrapped my arms tighter around myself. "H-Hakan?" My voice trembled.
His gaze pierced me, purple eyes reflecting a miniature image of my panic. HUFF HUFF. Every breath came heavy and uneven.
The black magic swelled, swirling around both me and the maid in dark DUST, tugging at the edges of my mind. I felt myself drawn into an illusion: his hand in my hair, my smile imbued with a strange, manufactured desire, and us locked in a fevered embrace beneath the undulating shadows of purple and black.
Then, as suddenly as it came, it vanished. I blinked, back in the bath, flushed with confusion and dread.
"WHAT... IS IT? IS SOMETHING WRONG?" I asked shakily. The maid peeked out from behind a pillar, concern etched into her features.
Hakan regained a measure of control, turning slightly to cover me more carefully with the white cloth. TURN.
I looked up at his face, still pale beneath his tan. "A-Are you feeling a bit better now?"
He answered, low and strained, "I'm a bit tired. I think I'll feel better once I bathe in the holy water." His gaze drifted past me, distant, likely still wrestling with the residual effects of the fire energy.
SNAP! I looked down at the broken gold chain, muscles taut, the red, fire-like energy coiling around me. CRACKLE.
"WHY DID I DO THAT TO HER?" I thought, panic rising. "AM I FEELING THE EFFECTS SOONER THAN I..." My mind scrambled for control as I faced her, jaw tight. HUFF HUFF.
"Hakan?" she whispered, tentative, trembling.
"I... don't feel very well today, Lucina," I forced out, my voice strained. She recoiled slightly. SHUFFLE.
Later, alone and seated, the dark thoughts continued. "I THINK..."
"Hakan was acting a bit strange earlier," a servant observed, voice cautious.
I lay in bed, restless. RUSTLE. I couldn't even tell him the good news... he looked intimidating...
"ARE YOU HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING, LUCINA?" the maid asked gently.
"Yes..." I admitted.
"WHY DON'T YOU GO AND TAKE A DIP IN THE HOT SPRINGS? I'M SURE THAT WILL HELP YOU SLEEP IN NO TIME!" she suggested.
"Really?" I asked, a thread of hope surfacing.
Meanwhile, I wrestled with the inner chaos. "AM I FEELING THE EFFECTS SOONER THAN I..." I thought, decision forming. "MAYBE IMMERSING MYSELF IN HOLY WATER... WILL HELP EASE THE OVERWHELMING FIRE ENERGY IN MY BODY."
I reflected on the magic's nature: "NORMALLY, THE BLACK MAGIC I USE REQUIRES ME TO CAST A SPELL THAT CREATES ILLUSIONS FOR OTHERS TO SEE... THAT'S WHY PEOPLE WAKE UP FROM THESE ILLUSIONS WHEN I PASS OUT OR END THE SPELL."
But with the cursed candle, the effect changed: "I CAN FORCE THE TARGET TO SEE ILLUSIONS WHENEVER THEY FEEL AFFECTION TOWARDS SOMEONE. INITIALLY, THE ILLUSION WILL BE TOO FAINT AND SHORT-LIVED... BUT AS TIME GOES ON, IT WILL GROW MORE POTENT AND INCREASINGLY DISTINCT."
I squeezed a pillar, and it cracked under my strength. SQUEEZE. CRACK. SWISH!
SPLASH! I was in the hot springs. "PHEW!"
"That was amazing, Lucina! You're really good at diving," the maid cheered. CLAP CLAP CLAP.
"Hehe. I'm good at swimming too. Do you want me to show you?" I asked, playful GLINT in my eyes.
Suddenly, a massive figure appeared. LEAN. Hakan, bare-chested, dazed, stood at the entrance.
"Lucina?"
"Haha!" I laughed, still unaware.
BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. My heart raced. Dark energy WHOOSHED around me.
"She's so pretty when she laughs... She still looks beautiful even when she's soaked," I thought, mesmerized.
PAUSE.
RUSH! STOMP. He towered over me.
"H-Hakan?" I asked, panic rising. HUFF HUFF.
The illusion struck. DUST. He pulled me into a vivid, consuming fantasy embrace.
Then it cleared. "WHAT... IS IT? IS SOMETHING WRONG?" I asked, voice trembling.
Hakan turned, regaining control. TURN. "I'm a bit tired. I think I'll feel better once I bathe in the holy water."
I tried to speak. "Um... Hakan, there's something I wanted to tell you earlier-"
"It's getting late. Why don't you tell me another time?" he dismissed me, needing to escape the lingering chaos.
"Titi, take Lucina back to the palace," I ordered the maid.
I stood in the bath, grappling with the black magic and my pounding heart. BA-BUMP. Why do I get angry whenever I look at Lucina? I clenched my fist. Have I lost my mind?
A plan crystallized: "As the illusion fades, so will his memory of it, yet the emotions he experienced will persist. Soon, Hakan will develop negative feelings towards Lucina... without even realizing it. You don't even have to get rid of her. Hakan will start rejecting her himself. That way, there's no risk of hurting Lucina... and the affection between them will naturally fade away. Lucina will seek me out feeling disappointed... and we can leave the palace together."
SNAP! A broken gold chain clattered to the floor, and a wave of self-reproach consumed me. "WHY DID I DO THAT TO HER?" Dark, fire-like energy coiled and crackled around me. CRACKLE.
A horrifying thought struck me: "AM I FEELING THE EFFECTS SOONER THAN I..." My grip tightened on the broken chain, and confusion knotted my chest. She looked up at me, pale and trembling. "Hakan?" My breath came in ragged gasps. HUFF HUFF.
"I DON'T FEEL VERY WELL TODAY, LUCINA," I forced out, pushing her away emotionally. She hesitated, stepping back. SHUFFLE.
Later, seated alone, head bowed, I wrestled with the oppressive darkness inside. "I THINK..."
A servant's voice intruded cautiously: "HAKAN WAS ACTING A BIT STRANGE EARLIER."
Meanwhile, I lay restless in bed. RUSTLE. I couldn't even tell him the good news because he looked so intimidating...
The maid, Titi, entered quietly. "ARE YOU HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING, LUCINA?"
"Yes..." I admitted softly.
"WHY DON'T YOU GO AND TAKE A DIP IN THE HOT SPRINGS? I'M SURE THAT WILL HELP YOU SLEEP IN NO TIME!" she suggested warmly.
"Really?" I asked, hope flickering.
I wrestled with my inner chaos. "MAYBE IMMERSING MYSELF IN HOLY WATER... WILL HELP EASE THE OVERWHELMING FIRE ENERGY IN MY BODY."
I recalled the mechanics of the curse: "NORMALLY, THE BLACK MAGIC I USE REQUIRES ME TO CAST A SPELL THAT CREATES ILLUSIONS FOR OTHERS TO SEE. THAT'S WHY PEOPLE WAKE UP FROM THESE ILLUSIONS... WHEN I PASS OUT OR END THE SPELL."
But with the cursed candle, everything changed: "I CAN FORCE THE TARGET TO SEE ILLUSIONS WHENEVER THEY FEEL AFFECTION TOWARDS SOMEONE. INITIALLY, THE ILLUSION WILL BE TOO FAINT AND SHORT-LIVED... FOR THE TARGET TO PICK UP ON... BUT AS TIME GOES ON, IT WILL GROW MORE POTENT AND INCREASINGLY DISTINCT."
The chaotic energy pressed against me, forcing my hands to squeeze a stone pillar until it began to CRACK. A dark shadow SWISHED violently around me.
I dove into the warm hot springs. SPLASH! "PHEW!" Relief flooded through me.
"That was amazing, Lucina! You're really good at diving," Titi praised. CLAP CLAP CLAP.
"Hehe. I'm good at swimming too. Do you want me to show you?" I asked, a cheerful GLINT lighting my eyes.
Suddenly, a massive figure appeared, leaning into the room. LEAN. Hakan, bare-chested and dazed, stood there.
"Lucina?"
I laughed, oblivious. "HAHA!"
My heart hammered in my chest. BA-BUMP, BA-BUMP, BA-BUMP. Dark magic WHOOSHED around me, suffocating and intense.
"SHE'S SO PRETTY WHEN SHE LAUGHS. SHE STILL LOOKS BEAUTIFUL EVEN WHEN SHE'S SOAKED," I thought, struggling to maintain control against the illusion.
PAUSE.
I moved with unsettling speed. RUSH! STOMP. I was suddenly towering over her.
"H-Hakan?" she asked, voice trembling. My eyes burned with the purple glare of the curse. HUFF HUFF.
The illusion struck. DUST. I saw myself pulling her into a passionate, consuming embrace.
Then it shattered. "WHAT... IS IT? IS SOMETHING WRONG?" she asked, trembling.
I turned away, trying to regain control. TURN. "I'M A BIT TIRED. I THINK I'LL FEEL BETTER ONCE I BATHE IN THE HOLY WATER."
She tried to speak. "UM... HAKAN, THERE'S SOMETHING I WANTED TO TELL YOU EARLIER."
"IT'S GETTING LATE. WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME ANOTHER TIME." I dismissed her, my need for solitude clear. "TITI, TAKE LUCINA BACK TO THE PALACE," I ordered.
Alone in the water, I felt the raw, pulsing struggle within me. BA-BUMP, BA-BUMP. "WHY DO I GET ANGRY WHENEVER I LOOK AT LUCINA?" I clenched my fist. "HAVE I LOST MY MIND?"
From the shadows, the true schemer observed, reaffirming the plan: "AS THE ILLUSION FADES, SO WILL HIS MEMORY OF IT, YET THE EMOTIONS HE EXPERIENCED WILL PERSIST."
"SOON, HAKAN WILL DEVELOP NEGATIVE FEELINGS TOWARDS LUCINA... WITHOUT EVEN REALIZING IT." SHATTER.
"YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO GET RID OF HER. HAKAN WILL START REJECTING HER HIMSELF. THAT WAY, THERE'S NO RISK OF HURTING LUCINA... AND THE AFFECTION BETWEEN THEM WILL NATURALLY FADE AWAY."
The ultimate goal was clear: "LUCINA WILL SEEK ME OUT FEELING DISAPPOINTED... AND WE CAN LEAVE THE PALACE TOGETHER."
I glanced at a closed door. CREAK. "CLERIC." At last, I admitted to myself: "I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH ME."
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