A Fate Far Worse Than Death

As darkness enveloped me, I felt a strange sensation, as if I was being transported to another world. Suddenly, I found myself standing in a pure white void with no visible horizon. It was a strange and unsettling place, unlike anything I had ever experienced before.

Then, out of nowhere, Dahlia appeared before me, wearing a sinister grin that sent shivers down my spine.

"I warned you that your fate would be worse than death," she taunted, her voice dripping with malice.

"Welcome to your own personal hell, where you'll be trapped with your own regrets and memories for all eternity." With that she disappeared from my view.

As I proccessed her words, the thought of being trapped in this place forever filled me with terror and anger.

My anger began to boil, threatening to consume me. I wanted to lash out at her, to make her pay for her sadistic games. But I knew that escape was impossible for the time being, and that I was nothing more than a pawn in her twisted game.

Still, I refused to give up hope. Deep down, I knew that I would find a way to break free from this hell and make Dahlia pay for what she had done to me.

Until then, I would bide my time, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. I would never give up the fight for my freedom.

Freya's POV

As Cassius took the blame for me, my entire body shook with uncontrollable trembles while tears streamed down my face. I longed to scream at him to stop, but I knew it was futile. Dahlia's power was too great. Regret swirled in my gut; if I hadn't dragged Cassius into this mess, if I hadn't acted out of anger toward Dahlia, none of this would have happened.

As reality set in, my tears fell like a deluge from the sky.

Then came the words.

"Cerebrum extergimus," and everything changed. Cassius' eyes dulled, and a neutral and stoic expression washed over his features, turning him into someone unrecognizable.

With my hand covering my mouth in shock, I stuttered.

"W-what have you done to him?"

"I fixed him," Dahlia replied, her lips full and her teeth gleaming like pearls.

"Now he'll do whatever I say."

Hearing her words, my heart clenched with pain, and I collapsed onto the ground, muttering,

"This is all my fault."

If only I hadn't tried to escape, if only I hadn't acted impulsively, someone wouldn't have to suffer for my mistakes.

MC's POV

[Time skip: 3 centuries later, 1801]

At first, the prison seemed like a utopia, a place where I could revel in any memory and wield godlike power. But the longer I remained, the more I realized the world of absolute silence was far worse than the "Nightmare" spell. My body never tired, hunger never gnawed at me, and the landscape remained static no matter how much I tried to manipulate it. I longed for the sensation of food in my mouth, the feel of wind on my skin, and the rush of adrenaline from facing danger.

With only my memories for company, I relived them again and again until they became nothing more than a hazy blur. Slowly, my sanity began to crumble as I forgot even the most basic details of my existence.

Who was I?

What was my purpose?

Have I ever loved someone?

Did anyone care about me?

Am I a good person?

Why was I trapped here alone?

Despite the growing void, I clung to a single shred of hope. Someone dear to me, though I couldn't recall their face or even if they were a family member or a lost love. For that one person, I held on.

But we all have limits. Everything that made me who I was - my memories, my dignity, my will to live - all faded into nothingness. In time, I became nothing but a hollow shell, alone with unanswered questions that would never be resolved.

...

Freya's POV

As the final day of the year dawned, I knew it was time to make my escape from Aunt Dahlia's clutches. After tweaking a spell a few days earlier, I have made it so that she would fall asleep before me, leaving Cassius the only variable obstructing my freedom.

Watching Cassius pack up for his trip, I felt a pang of regret and pity. Over the centuries, he had been Dahlia's obedient servant, teaching her spells and completing missions for her while we slept. I had always assumed these were minor tasks, but I soon learned they were much darker. Cassius had been responsible for the destruction of countless covens, and he was now cultivating an army of Wizards for Dahlia. The friend I once knew was gone, replaced by a monster wearing his face.

With my own belongings packed, I waited for my opportunity.

[At night]

Thud!

As we were eating our dinner, all of a sudden, Aunt Dahlia's body froze halfway, and she collapsed on the cold, wooden floor.

It's time. I have about four hours before I fall asleep. I have to get away from Dahlia as far away as possible.

With a flick of my hand, a sack flew into my hand. I got ready to leave only to be greeted by a spell hurled towards me.

Ducking under the table as fast as I could, I dodged his attack.

"Cassius, stop. I can explain."

Without responding to me, he hurled another red ball of energy towards me.

Rolling towards my left dodging his spell once again, pointing a finger at him, I cast a spell of my own.

"Involvent vites!"

As green vines burst forth from the ground, thick and lush like the tentacles of some primordial creature. They grew with alarming speed, reaching ever higher into the air until they had enveloped him entirely. The vines coiled tightly around his limbs, unyielding and strong, trapping him in a place with no way out.

As I approached Cassius, my anxiety began to ebb away with each step. I picked up his wand, determined to prevent any further attacks. But as I gathered my things, a sense of responsibility weighed heavily on me.

Should I leave Cassius alone in his current state?

After much inner turmoil, I made my decision. I turned back to Cassius with a fierce determination, ready to help my friend no matter the cost.

Placing my hands on either side of his temple, I spoke the incantation with conviction:

"In mente." Suddenly, I was pulled into Cassius' subconscious, a white void devoid of any familiar landmarks.

I searched frantically for any sign of him, until I spotted him lying still in the distance. As I approached him, I heard him muttering incoherently to himself, lost and confused.

"Re...Re...Reb... R..Who...is? Why...can't...remember?"

My heart sank at the sight of him, a shell of the man he used to be. Guilt washed over me as I realized this was all my fault.

When he saw me, he struggled to form words, confused and disoriented.

"Who...you? How...you...here?"

I wiped away the tears welling up in my eyes as I knelt beside him.

"Cassius, you need to remember who you are. Only you can do that," I pleaded, staring deeply into his dark eyes.

"Cass? Cashier? Cassius?" he repeated his name, until he got the correct pronunciation.

As he struggled with his words, I can only imagine how hard all those centuries must have been. A world with no one but himself and all those regrets must have been enough to drive a strong-willed individual like Cassius to madness.

Tears streamed down my face as I begged, my voice shaking.

"Please... remember who you are, Cassius Nightshade. Remember your life before Dahlia. Before the pain and suffering. Remember your love for my sister. Remember Rebekah."

MC's POV

My mind was in a haze, and my memories were a jumbled mess. The names and faces that used to be so familiar to me were now shrouded in a fog of confusion. But as I struggled to piece together the fragments of my fractured consciousness, a name emerged from the depths of my subconscious.

"Rebe...Rebek...Rebekah."

With each syllable, a spark of recognition flickered in my eyes, and suddenly, the floodgates of memory were opened wide. It all came rushing back to me in a torrent of emotions and sensations: the love of my life, the torment of Dahlia, the magic that had consumed my being, and the transmigration that had sent me here.

But what had happened to me?

How long had I been lost in the darkness of my own mind, and what had I done while in that state?

Vague memories of hearing voices and succumbing to madness flitted through my thoughts, but I couldn't grasp onto anything solid.

"It's over now," I murmured to myself, the words feeling foreign on my tongue.

Tears of joy stung my eyes as I gazed at Freya, drinking in her familiar features that had been so long absent from my life.

Before I could even process what was happening, I was enveloped in her warm embrace. I felt her arms around me, the beat of her heart against mine, and the warmth of her body as she held me tight.

As Freya held me in her arms, I felt my body begin to tremble with the weight of my emotions. For so long, I had been carrying the burden of my feelings in silence, suppressing them deep inside of me until they became a part of me, a weight that I couldn't shake off.

But now, as I held my dear friend, all of those pent-up emotions came flooding out, overwhelming me in a rush of relief and release. It was as if a dam that had been holding back the waters of my emotions had finally given way, and the floodgates were open.

Tears streamed down my face as I held onto Freya, unable to stop the waves of emotion that wracked my body. All of the loneliness, the pain, and the fear that I had kept hidden away for so long came pouring out, raw and unfiltered.

In that moment, I realised just how much this hug meant to me. It was a lifeline in a world that had felt so desolate and empty, a reminder that I wasn't alone, that someone out there cared for me. And as we held each other, the weight of my emotions slowly began to ease, replaced by some sense of peace after so long.