*

  Beneath a tree of twisted shade, A soul is torn, unmade, remade. "Let go," the whispers softly call, "Surrender now, release it all." Memories cut, both sweet and cruel,?A heart id bare, their chosen jewel.? In shadows deep, a demon waits,?To cim her soul, to seal her fate.

  *

  ---

  The moment my blood entered her veins, I felt it, an irrevocable connection, forged not by consent but by force, a bond she could never sever. At first, it was faint, a whisper of life in the torrent of agony that consumed her. But it grew, and as I was drawn into her essence, I began to see her for what she truly was. A delicate, fractured thing tightly clinging to the tatters of her soul.

  She didn’t know me, of course. How could she? To her, I was nothing more than the poison forced into her veins, the harbinger of all the pain and transformations she suffered at the hands of those wretched humans. But I knew her. From the moment I entered her, I saw her. The man she had been, the boy she was, and the girl she was becoming.

  And I stayed. Watching. Waiting.

  Oh, how I reveled in her suffering. Every tear she shed, every scream ripped from her throat, every moment her body writhed in agony, I drank it all in like the finest nectar. The humans were relentless, their cruelty almost matching my own. They stripped her down, piece by piece, until there was almost nothing left.

  Day after day, year after year, night after endless night. They never stopped, those humans always pushing her further, tearing her apart to see how much she could take. The chains, the needles, the burning magic that seared her flesh it was relentless, brutal, and magnificent.

  Every tear she shed was a victory. Every scream a triumph.

  But Sam refused to break.

  It was maddening, exhirating. She subconsciously clung to hope, to her pitiful weakness, to memories that she couldn’t even remember but it gave her the strength to endure. I could see them, those precious fragments of her past a loving touch, a kind smile, the warmth of belonging. They were faint, obscured by pain and despair, but they were there.

  That’s when I knew what I had to do.

  I didn’t show her everything at once, of course. No, that would’ve been too easy. I began by watching, savoring the slow unraveling of her mind. I peered into the depths of her memories, reliving them as she did.

  Her old life was a masterpiece of suffering. A loveless home, where parents ignored her existence unless it was to remind her she wasn’t wanted. Their indifference was a bde, carving wounds far deeper than any whip or chain could ever manage.

  And school… ah, school. The cruelty of children is a marvel in its own right. They tormented her, ostracized her, ughed at her pain. They stole her lunches, her books, her dignity. She was a ghost among them, barely seen but always targeted.

  I could have stopped there, satisfied with the depth of her misery. But no, I wanted it all. So I followed her to the orphanage, that wretched pce where hope was supposed to bloom. Instead, it wilted under the weight of neglect and abuse.

  Every moment of her life had been steeped in loneliness, rejection, and despair. And I reveled in it.

  But her memories of this world? Her new life. They were something else entirely.

  This time, she had been loved. Truly loved. A mother who cherished her, a father who doted on her, and a friend… friends who brought ughter and warmth into her life. For the first time, she had known joy, safety, belonging.

  I hated it.

  But I also knew it wouldn’t st.

  The humans who stole her from that idyllic life, who tore her family apart, gave me the perfect opportunity. I saw the potential for destruction in her forgotten memories and decided to give her a gift.

  I showed her everything.

  At first, she was resistant, her mind struggling to comprehend the flood of images I unleashed. But slowly, the memories took hold. She saw her mother’s gentle smile, her father’s protective embrace, the ughter she shared with her friend. For a moment, she was whole again, basking in the warmth of a love she had lost.

  And then came the most important part.

  She remembered the blood. The screams. The sight of her family torn from her. She remembered the cold, unfeeling hands that dragged her away, the emptiness that followed.

  And then, like a bde slicing through flesh, the realization hit her.

  She would never have that again.

  The scream that tore from her throat was unlike anything I had ever heard. It wasn’t just pain; it was the sound of a soul shattering, of hope being extinguished. It resonated through this dream world, splintering the fragile sanctuary she had built here.

  I was delighted.

  Now, as I sit in the shadows, watching the aftermath of my gift, I feel an intoxicating sense of satisfaction.

  The world around us is dying, colpsing under the weight of her despair. The vibrant fields of green have withered into ash, the once-blue skies bleeding red. Even the oak tree, the centerpiece of this world, is twisted and gnarled, its branches reaching toward the heavens like skeletal fingers.

  But I don’t focus on the surroundings. My attention is on her.

  Sam sits at the base of the tree, her body trembling, her head bowed. Her silver hair, once luminous, now hangs limp and lifeless. Her hands clutch at the dirt, as though trying to anchor herself to a reality that no longer exists.

  I feel a rush of heat coursing through me, a dark, pulsing desire that I can’t suppress. I’m a creature of lust, after all a succubus born to feed on the emotions of others. And Sam’s despair is the most exquisite feast I’ve ever tasted.

  Her suffering is a masterpiece, a symphony of agony that only I can truly appreciate.

  I think back to the years I’ve spent with her, watching her endure the unendurable. The humans thought they were in control, but it was my blood coursing through her veins, my influence shaping her transformation. They believed they were the ones breaking her, but they were only tools pawns in a game they didn’t even know they were pying.

  Her past life, her memories of this world, her love, her loss, they were all threads in the tapestry I’ve been weaving.

  Her memories py in my mind like a theater of torment, each scene more exquisite than the st. Her parents’ cold stares, the jeers of her cssmates, the silence of her nights in the orphanage. I relive them over and over, tasting the bitterness of her tears, feeling the weight of her loneliness.

  And then there’s her new life. Her ughter, her joy it’s a sharp contrast to everything that came before, and it sickens me. But that’s why I gave her those memories back. I wanted her to remember what she’d lost, to see the stark divide between what was and what could never be again.

  I’ve been with her for so long now, watching her endure things that would have broken anyone else. She’s strong, I’ll give her that. But even the strongest can’t stand forever.

  And now, as I watch her crumbling, I feel something I haven’t felt in centuries…anticipation.

  She’s close. So close to breaking completely. And when she does, she’ll be mine.

  I shift my gaze to the tree, its bark cracking and oozing a dark, viscous liquid that smells of decay. The whispers in the air grow louder, their voices a chorus of despair and longing.

  .

  "They left you... abandoned you to rot..."

  "We can take the pain away. Just give in..."

  "Let us in... let us help you forget..."

  "Why fight? Why suffer? Let it go... let everything go..."

  .

  They call to her, urge her to give in.

  But I don’t approach her. Not yet.

  Instead, I remain in the shadows, savoring the sight before me.

  I’ve waited this long. I can wait a little longer.

  After all, time is but a fleeting moment for one such as I.

  Queen