Warning: This chapter has a sexual assault scene that may be uncomfortable for some readers. Three dotted lines mark the beginning and end of the scene. READ WITH DISCRETION.
We both arrive in the realm of the Goddess and I am overwhelmed with that same feeling of contentment and love from the Goddess and I look over to Vi and she looks very stoned and she says while nodding repeatedly and squinting her eyes, "Woooooooooow. I don't think I have ever been this relaxed and calm before." She finds a chair in this realm and sinks down with couch-lock and completely naked in her soul form. Looking down at her body giggling, "I'm naked and you were completely right. I don't care." she says, still giggling. Unable to move because of her intense state of calm and relaxed.
Yea, she is high as fuck.
I start laughing and Vi is confused, "What?" I sigh with my laugh trailing off wiping a happy tear from my eye, "Oh, nothing. It is just that you look like you are stoned right now." Vi looked really confused, "Nobody has thrown rocks at me today I am confused. Or are you saying somebody needs to throw rocks at me?," I start cackling at her misunderstanding, "No. No. Not that kind of stoned. That is a term we had for people who consumed marijuana and got high off of the effects. People would feel really relaxed and just vibe like you are doing right now. They also get all giggly and like to eat when they are high too." Vi starts giggling uncontrollably, "Of course I misunderstood." Continuing to giggle with a case of the gigs, "I could definitely eat." I start cackling laughing and the goddess arrives where we are and says with a smile, "I love to see others having fun here. Remember that feeling." She says as she touches me with that unconditionally loving touch stroking my face almost like a mother would a child. I feel so warm inside and I start giggling, "Ok." The goddess says as she looks towards Vi sprawled out in her stoned state, "Was there something you wanted me to show Vi here? I remember you guys talking about something down there but you never specified."
I reply, "Oh yea! We came here for that! We totally got distracted by our feelings. I don't know, I just wanted to show her life on Earth. Maybe show her people playing video games, bustling streets in a city, people watching movies, and different things she can't see in this world." The goddess nods her head, "Understood." With a snap of her fingers it is as if the world around us changed and we are in a vision of Earth instead of Gaos. Or maybe we are here on Earth just in a different dimension where no one can see us. Though the look of amazement on Vi's face right now is more amazing than any vision I could see right now. She looks like a little kid in a candy store with that level of excitement as her blue eyes sparkle.
For normal everyday shit that people of Earth would be like 'So what?' She was also very fascinated by cell phones and cars. I could see her light up when she saw one, "Is that the telephone you spoke of that one time?" I nod while smiling at her, "Yes. More specifically it is what we would call a cell phone. Other countries called them mobiles or mobile phone." She still looking high as fuck says, "That is soooo cool." Continuing to look around at the vision that occasionally changes. The goddess says, "It seems our visit is cut short. You have an unwelcome visitor be on your guard when you awake." She sends us back immediately and we wake up.
I open my eyes to see my room in complete disarray. I see Sid passed out on the floor and Ash has a glowing vine sticking out of the side of his chest. Sir Stirling is in the room and is not moving. There is a thick glowing vine going through the middle of his chest and his eyes are open and lifeless. Sir Brody looks to be knocked unconscious along with two other knights I am unfamiliar with who I am assuming are the night shift. I am currently wrapped up in a bunch of vines. I turn and see Prince Julio just inside the window to the balcony looking like Doc Oc from Spiderman but with vines holding him up instead of the mechanical arms and using his vines to subdue Vi, the only last person in his way right now. She screams in protest and is fighting with everything screaming ferally to her brother, "DON'T YOU TAKE HER!" She tries to summon a water blade but it just gets absorbed immediately in the powered up vine. Prince Julio says, "Dear sister. If you want your precious toy back alive, you better abdicate your position to the throne and it better be soon. The clock is ticking. I don't know how long she will be able to hold out." He says as he brings me closer with his vines and grabs my breast roughly. I am squirming and fighting with everything I have as fear is making my heart beat a mile a minute causing my breaths to be extremely shaky.
I wasn't a match for him when he wasn't powered up. What hope do I have now? He squeezes the vines tight and I yelp in pain. Before Vi could finish saying, "You are a fucking idiot, Julio, I already am!" He was already in the forest using his vines to travel very quickly almost like spiderman. I am thinking about what he said about Photosynthesis and how when taken by force it also drains the magic power of the light magic user. If that is true, I probably need to try and conserve my magic from this point on. I will fight with everything I am without my magic. It would be useless anyways it healed him before he was powered up so I can't imagine my magic doing diddly squat anyways. I just have to try and survive so I can fulfill the goddess's mission. Survive. Fight. Survive. Fight. Survive. I am just repeating these words to myself until we get to an abandoned building in poor condition in the forest. Prince Julio overtakes the structure with his earth magic almost like he was using his magic to support the structure from collapsing.
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He takes the vines holding me up by my wrists and flings me to an old dusty bed. He secures the vines above my head and I am squirming with my legs. He is laughing and enjoying my struggle, "Go on. Try to fight. It turns me on." This disgusting piece of shit. He is removing his clothes and approaches me to try and remove these workout clothes I was sleeping in. I kick and squirm with everything and get him good in the face where it should have at least busted his lip and nose but there was not even a scratch on his face. He just laughed touching his unfazed face, "This power is addicting. I must have more." He takes some vines and grabs my ankles and he rips these clothes off of me as well. He stops and looks at my exposed body, "Wow, you are a stunning work of art. At least for now that is." He says as he looks at me with that wicked look in his eye.
My chest is getting tight. He says after laughing a villainous maniacal laugh, "Yes! I feel your despair already! That is just perfect." He says as he crawls on top of me. He rams himself into me immediately and is thrusting very violently. I scream in agony and he is just laughing the whole time. I am bleeding now from the trauma which is the only source of lubrication I am getting right now. My chest is tight with pain and he is draining me of all my energy. I continue to scream out in pain. As he is forcing himself on me his hair continues to grow and his beard is getting very long like Dumbledore's and he is getting even more forceful.
I hate this. I want to die.
I would honestly rather die 100 times over if it meant I would be saved from this. I was raped before in my first life but this feels even more invasive since he is draining me of my magic power too. The longer the assault goes on the weaker I become and the less I can fight. Though I continue to fight. I must fight. I have to fight for the goddess. Goddess, please give me strength. When he ejaculated, he thrust violently as far as he could inside me and I let out yet another scream in pain and agony. I hate being lusted after. I hate this pretty face, I hate this beautiful body, and I hate my magic. Everything soon faded to black.
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I open my eyes and I am still in this hell hole. Though thankfully the pervert isn't here. I am starving from magic depletion and no one is around to help. I call out raspily from a parched throat, "Can anyone hear me?" Some birds fly in through a broken window and one of them says with a sorrowful expression, "If I knew the screams we heard were from you we would have come to help. Sorry we don't really meddle in the affairs of humans though you are an exception. You helped so many of us." Another bird chimes in, "That guy was really scary though. I am not sure we could have helped then, sorry. Is there something we can do to help you now?" I nod very weakly using a lot of strength in the process, "Can you guys bring me A LOT of food? I can heal an earth magic user once I get a little power back so they can make a lot closer if that will help. I will need food first before I can heal anybody since I don't have any magic left." They jump up, "They will definitely do that. Especially if it means they are helping you. I will be right back, just hold on Miss Zoe. Hey," the bird says while nudging his friend, "Why don't you use your wind magic to cut her free from the vines?" He nods and slices the glowing vines with precision. Though it takes him using several precise slashes since the powered up vines are so strong.
I free my hands from their clutches and my wrists, ankles and my inner thighs are all covered in blood. I go to sit up but I can't and collapse back down too weak to move. My feathery friend here says, "Don't get up! Lay down and get some rest. We will take care of you." I don't even have the strength to argue. I need to get back to the castle. I need to see Ash. I have to heal him. I really want to use purify on myself right now but there is no magic left to do so. I need to focus on rebuilding it naturally with food since I have no restorative elixirs on me. I am so light headed and heavy. Some other wildlife have come in to help after hearing my plight from the bird that left and a squirrel with water magic washed it then grabbed the clean empty cup on the bed next to me then proceeded to fill it there so I could grab it easily. A small monkey helped him hold the cup upright. The monkey and squirrel are both using teamwork to tilt the cup to my lips since I can't move my body. There were many different types of animals coming and going bringing me fruit and vegetables from the forest. I ate everything with gratitude, just very slowly due to just how weak I am right now. I restored enough magic after about 10 minutes for maybe one heal but when I tried to use 'heal' I couldn't. I then confusedly said instead of thinking, "HEAL" and still nothing. Why can't I use magic? What is wrong? Why? The strain of trying to use magic and my body refusing me makes me pass out.
I woke up in the castle infirmary. Vi is sleeping next to me with her eyes really puffy from having cried a lot. When I stir she shoots up, "Oh by the Goddess you are awake. I was so worried." She starts sobbing, "I am sorry I couldn't help you when you needed me most." I shake my head, "This face. This body. This power. It is because of these that this happened." My chest tightens really painfully and sweat jumps from my brow. Vi yells for a doctor and they give me a sedative to knock me back out.
I wake up, again, and Vi is there again and I ask her, "How is Ash?" Vi sighs worriedly, "He is not doing too great. Though he has an elemental advantage over earth magic. The light magic infused with it is conflicting with his own healing capabilities. The doctors say the only way they can fix it to heal him is to completely shut off his access to his magic. If it keeps on, his magic core won't be able to handle the trauma anymore." I start to cry, "If only I could use magic. I tried using heal after regaining a little magic back from eating the offerings of those from the forest but I can't harness it. When I tried to use it on an animal with earth magic I passed out. That was the last thing I remembered before waking up here." Vi replies with tears streaming down her face holding my hand against her wet face, "I am thankful they were there. The doctors were surprised you were still alive so those guys probably saved your life. I will have to go out there personally to thank them later, but first let's get you filled up with food and then see if you can try to heal again."
It is now when I can't use magic that I think of Carmen, "What about Carmen? Can't she heal him?" Vi shakes her head, "We tried looking for her in town but couldn't find her." I replied, very worried, dejected and unsure, "I will try my best." I am way weaker now that I was with regular magic depletion. This was harder. I do feel like she is right that I narrowly avoided death. That and being tortured like that. Nat is nowhere to be seen I realize and I ask Vi looking around unable to remove my head from the pillow in the process, "Where's Nat?" Vi starts crying more and shakes her head, "She was so devastated when she saw Stirling's body that she tightened to death." I cry uncontrollably, "I am so sorry, Nat. It is all my fault. If only I wasn't here. If only I didn't exist he would still be here along with you." My chest tightens painfully and Vi snaps in realization, "I think I understand now." She reaches out to grab me, "I don't think your feeling is self acceptance. I think it is self love. Repeat after me I don't care if you believe me or yourself or not, 'I love me'." I repeat totally not believing the words coming out of my mouth, "I love me." Vi says, "Again." We keep going back and forth until my tightening releases, but I still don't feel magic.
I sigh in relief and Vi brushes my hair out of my face with tender affection. Vi brings a cart that has a bunch of food on it over to the side of the bed and starts to hand feed me. I eat ever so slowly since I don't have the energy. It feels as though my energy is not restoring after eating this food. I wonder if it has to do with the Photosynthesis. The food I got in the forest had restored magic just enough to keep me alive but now it refuses to fill. It feels as though my power refuses to come back out and refuses to restore. Like it was when I first arrived in this world. I say, confused at how my stomach is not becoming satiated, "I have been eating for a while and I don't think my magic will be returning. It is a weird feeling. I feel as though I am starving yet full. It kind of feels a little like when I first arrived in this world and my magic was sealed away. Will I ever get my magic back? Does Photosynthesis permanently steal my powers?" Vi takes the plates and starts placing them back on the cart.
Vi shrugs as she does this and says unsure and full of affection for me, "To be honest, we don't know enough about Photosynthesis to know for sure or not. Don't worry about any of that for now. Just rest and eat and be nice to the woman I love." Once she places the plates down she comes back to the bedside and she leans down and kisses me on the forehead. "I hate it when you say hateful things about yourself. It hurts me and makes me tighten as well. I can't stay calm when I know you are hurting and in pain. The whole time you were gone I thought I was going to die. My chest was so tight in pain. I don't want to lose you." She says as she clenches her chest wincing in pain and she continues, "I know you don't love yourself right now, so let me love you for the both of us." She says as she sheds a few tears clutching her tightening chest.
She sits back down beside me while wiping her tears then strokes my face ever so softly, "Let me remind you of things I love about you. I love the way you think. I love the way you smile. I love hearing your giggle. I love hearing your voice both in song and out of song. I love your heart. I love the way you fight. I love the way you use your magic. I would still love you if you never had magic again because there are so many other things I love about you. Like I also love how strong you are. You are strong of character and of body." I laugh, "If I really was strong I could use my magic to help Ash." Vi bonks me gently in protest, "You went through something very traumatic. Many magic users have difficulties using magic after a traumatic event. Magic is all in the feelings and feelings are all over the place after something horrible like this. Nat was the same. Would you love Ash any less if he couldn't use wind magic?"
I shake my head without hesitation but very weakly due to my current condition, "Of course not. He is my family regardless." Vi replies with a somber look on her face knowing how it will affect Ash, "Then since your healing will take some time I will have the doctors seal his magic away otherwise we won't have an Ash. We need to do this as soon as possible." I cry and nod, "He will be so devastated, but please save him for me. If I lost him I don't know if I could ever recover." Speaking of furry friends I glance around again, unable to lift my head in the process and I don't see Sid anywhere, "Where is Sid? Is he ok?" Vi replies gently squeezing my hand, "He hasn't left Ash's side since he woke up. He only suffered minor injuries."
I sigh in relief, still crying, "Thank the goddess. I don't know what I would do if someone else were hurt because of trying to protect me." Vi replies stroking my hair with affection, "They chose the path they wanted to follow as did I. We know what we signed up for, Zoe. We want to protect you. I am sure they feel the same way. Do not feel bad. We want your future. Next time we go to see the goddess I want her to show me that future she showed you. I want to see it with my own eyes so badly. I yearn for a future like that for my people. A future where all races can live together, coexist and learn each other's languages. A future where a horrible thing like slavery doesn't exist. It breaks my heart to see slaves working to death in the fields and being abused in other ways. Some are sold just to be hunted for sport and it is so sickening. I hate it and I want it to change. I NEED it to change. In order for that to happen I NEED you. I need you to live and do what you do. Even if you can't use magic we can use your other ability to try our best to help them awaken through oral coaching. It will take longer, but we can still do it. That future is still attainable. Zoe, you are more precious to us that you can't fathom. I am sure most people in the capital would agree."
I sigh, not expecting a whole lecture while tears still flow from my face, "Still. Why must there be any sacrifice at all? I just want to stay together with the family I created here. Why must others sacrifice their own lives just for me?" My chest starts to tighten again and I grasp it desperately as I am filled with thoughts of self-hate. 'If only you weren't here.' 'They are dead because of you.' 'You were tortured because you are extremely beautiful.' Vi holds me and says "Say your magic words" I reply wincing as sweat is jumping from my brow, "I love me." Vi says "Say them again." I repeat, "I love me." We continue going back and forth until my chest releases its grip. She kisses my forehead when I relax and sink back into the bed. She gets up and cracks the door open and says something I can't really hear to who I assume is Sir Brody. I can't see from where I am currently on the bed. I don't have the energy to lift myself up to even attempt to lean and see. I just lay there with my eyes growing heavy. Vi glanced over at me in the middle of her conversation, noticed my eyes starting to close and said, "Hold up Zoe!" She stops talking with whoever it was and comes over, "Before you close your eyes again, drink this elixir." She holds a magic restorative elixir to my lips and I slowly drink it with a little drop escaping the side of my mouth. Vi wipes it up with her hand. After drinking the elixir my eyes start to close as Vi brushes the side of my face with her hand and gets up to go back to the door where I saw a familiar figure. However, my eyes couldn't focus enough and my mind is still hazy and light headed from forced magic depletion to see who it was before everything went black.