Chapter 18: My Mind, Your Hell

ASTRID

Sienna, my beloved Sienna. She is the storm, the dagger in the darkness. I am the trembling echo behind her. But there is only one thing capable of completely unbalancing me: the possibility of losing her. I know we are different. Maybe killing comes easier to her than to me. But if it meant saving her, I would burn the world without hesitation.

Zareth is enormous compared to my sister. His strength is overwhelming, but Sienna is agile, fast, and her damned determination will make her endure. I know it. It has to be that way.

He drops his sword. Sienna, on the other hand, clings to her daggers. I see her say something to him, but I can't hear. And then, she strikes first.

Sienna dodges, and my heart pounds in my chest.

But it's not enough.

Zareth's fist crashes into her face, sending her to the ground with brutal force.

—Sienna! —I scream, my voice breaking in the air.

Bastian is beside me. His hand barely brushes mine, a subtle gesture, his silent way of telling me to hold on. But I can't. Not when I see her spit blood.

She gets up.

She takes another hit. And another. She dodges some, but most land. Her mouth bleeds, her forehead too. But she fights back. She strikes with all her rage.

She tries to stab him. She fails.

—Come on, Sisi! —I shout desperately, hoping my voice will give her strength.

But she doesn't hear me. She is focused, her body a blur of attacks. Her fists and kicks clash against Zareth's in a violent dance. Until he takes her down.

Sienna falls.

She doesn't move.

Fear rises in my throat like a suffocating wave of panic. I try to scream, but my voice drowns in my desperation. Until, finally, I break the silence:

—Get up, Sienna! Stand up and fight!

Nothing.

Zareth reaches for his sword.

—Get up, or I'll come down myself! —I shout, tears escaping uncontrollably.

Sienna moves. Barely. Her body is pure pain, I know. But when Zareth grabs her face, reality shatters. A second before I understand what he's doing, I see the intent in his gaze. He's trying to break her from the inside.

But he doesn't know who he's dealing with. He doesn't know that Sienna's mind is not a place anyone would want to enter. I see it in the instant her eyes turn white and her body tenses.

And then, the entire coliseum freezes. The Lords rise from their seats. The stands fall silent, a dead hush spreading through the air.

Because Zareth hasn't just tried to break her.

He has fallen into her chaos. And the strangest thing of all is not that.

It's Bastian. Because while everyone holds their breath, he... smiles.

It's a clash of wills: both remain rigid, trapped in a trance. Their eyes, empty and white, betray the silent struggle, while their bodies tremble under the weight of suffering.

SIENNA

I am resilient, I know that. I have survived blows that left me on the ground, unable to move. This isn't the first time. But this time is different.

Zareth doesn't just hit me. He destroys me.

I feel some of my bones crack under the impact. My vision blurs, pain overwhelms me, and my body refuses to respond. In the distance, I hear Astrid's voice calling my name, her desperation a dagger in my chest. I wish I could tell her I'm fine, that it's just another hit, that we've been through this before... but this time, I can't get up.

My mind screams at my body to move.

Nothing.

And then, Zareth grabs my face.

I know what he's trying to do.

His magic burns, it hurts, it sears me from the inside as he tries to break me completely. His intrusion into my mind is brutal. He bends me, pushes me to the edge of the abyss.

But something changes.

It's not just his presence in my mind. He is here.

I open my eyes. I see him.

Here, in my world. Here, in my chaos. He realizes it too. His expression is pure confusion as he watches me with a furrowed brow.

—You dare enter where you weren't invited, Zareth? —my voice echoes through the vastness of my own mind.

His face twists in fury.

—What the fuck are you doing to me, human scum?

—I don't know, Zareth. You're the one who entered.

—I didn't want to enter —he growls—. I just wanted to cause you pain. To break you. To confuse you.

I smile.

—Well... things don't always go as planned. Welcome to my chaos.

I lunge at him.

Here, in my mind, there are no broken bones. No weakness. Here, I am absolute. And though I take hits, I return them with the same brutality.

Zareth stumbles back, dazed. For the first time, I see something in his eyes I never imagined possible.

Fear.

I lick the blood from my lips and take a step toward him.

—What would happen if you died in my mind, Zareth?

He pales.

—What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? —I mock, dodging his attacks with ease.

—Shut up! —he screams, desperate.

But it's too late.

He stepped inside me, and here, I am the queen.

With a swift motion, I spin on my axis and land a brutal kick to his jaw. His body collapses into the void of my mind.

That's my cue to return.

I open my eyes.

Zareth is still standing in front of me, but his body is rigid, his eyes white, his expression frozen in a silent scream. I feel the tingling in my limbs and seize the opportunity. I shove him with all my strength, and he crashes heavily to the ground.

I run for my bow. When I turn, I aim my arrow straight at his face. The silence hangs over the arena like a corpse.

The Courts watch me. The Lords have risen from their seats. Commoners, creatures, warriors... all hold their breath, as if they have just witnessed the impossible.

My eyes search for Drosk. His jaw is tense, his rage contained. But when my gaze returns to Zareth, he is still on the ground, defenseless.