Jordan's POV

I don't know how I got here. I don't know where I am.

Where did I come from? Who are these figures in my memories?

What have I done...?

"You claim to be so innocent. A figure in this realm that hunts for justice and balance instead of the usual bloodshed and violence we have grown accustomed to. Yet the blood that coats your hands, of all those you have betrayed and lost – marks you out as a murderer, a demon not some fallen angel. Your good intentions only brought pain to those around you and you will only ever make a real difference by bringing more pain. You thought your selfless sacrifice would save those you loved but all you've done is deprive them of the truth and the chance to choose their own paths."

I lay my fingers on her neck, searching for a pulse but finding none. I leant my ear against her chest, panic rising as I found no heartbeat. The rush of adrenaline and rage began to wear off, allowing me to feel the coldness of her skin and to see the solemn stares of my friends.

"I don't know why you continue to try Jordan. You carry so many secrets in that broken mind of yours; you could be so useful to me. Help me rewrite the course of history, overthrow Mianite's reign of terror and wage war against the gods who have done nothing to protect you. Then again, I'd only need you for so long before I'd have to dispose of you for your weakness and incompetence. Hero of Justice, more like a coward in the shadows."

Nyx crumpled to the floor, a shadow blade pierced deep into her chest - potentially piercing her lungs and filling them with blood. Lisette's blank face clears at the cry of pain from her friend, sprinting from Mianite's side with golden apples on hand in an attempt to heal her. Tom was thrown to the side, confusion and fear filling his expression as he watched Lisette work on Nyx, unable to do anything as his friend fought for her life.

Harsh breathing. The rasping of air racing in and out of my burning lungs as I searched for oxygen in a suffocating realm. My mind whirred and my eyes flitted around as things blurred briefly into focus – the familiar grey walls of my prison cell filling my vision and the hunched form of Andor in the corner causing my fists to clench from pure rage. The echoing of footsteps as Al encircled me, my tormentor delighting in surprising me with more of his wicked games each time I looked away. Andor's torment was physical, but took a mental toll as its significance echoed in his mind over the weeks we had been here.

My punishment was a trip through my own demons and a reminder of how low I had sunk. I didn't remember these people, these lives I had ruined or put in danger. Each one burned my heart like acid as if they meant the world to me - some burning more than others. Each death and injury were accompanied with a swift kick to the stomach, the mental and physical starvation of oxygen drawing me deeper into the darkness Al was creating. The voice that spoke to me didn't sound sane, mixtures of Al's cold fury and a hidden figure that haunted my mind as they tried to pry my unknown secrets from my shattering mind.

Mianite cursed under his breath before sweeping his hand to the side and watching with grim satisfaction as Caitlin's body was flown across the clearing into a pile of rocks with an alarming crack.

My mind travelled backwards in time, skipping from memory to memory of events that never happened and people who never existed. It was as if I was stuck in a nightmare that I had forgotten when I had awoken, that I had willed it to leave my mind and never return but Al had dragged it out of my subconscious just to torment me. His voice was full of cruelty and anger, a tone I had grown used to but the edge of coldness and sadistic pleasure at my pain caused shivers to run down my spine – just how far would this psychopath go to break me?

"Now now Jordan. Don't fight with yourself; after all, it's all the company you are going to get for a long time. Now hold still, we need to put you under again. Just to... move you to somewhere."

At the suggestion of another one of Al's sadistic needles, I bucked and writhed in place, refusing to allow anyone to put their filthy hands on me. I had discovered the hard way that the chemicals they used in this facility could drive a man mad or shove him into unconsciousness in the blink of an eye. The prick and the feeling of the sharp spike sliding into my neck, the rushing of the sickening cold flowing through my veins and dampening my senses – causing shadows to tinge at my vision and exhaustion to overwhelm me. A coldness I felt again as I sank into my memories.

Black blood mixed in with red but nobody seemed seriously injured – even Nyx was up and walking around again, picking up the enemy and dropping them from a great height causing what bones the shadows had to splinter and collapse.

My body lay in a pool of blood, slowly sinking into the soil and crusting my clothes. Caitlin sat next to me, her expression blank as she just stared at me – seemingly confused.

Andor stopped moving shortly after the first wing was removed, passed out from agony and blood loss. Tears fell from my eyes and mingled with the blood that stained the floor – the horrific scene continuing in silence, all that could be heard was my sobs of despair and the disgusting sound of the saw cutting through bones and skin.

A menacing laugh and the sobs of Andor were the last things I sensed before tumbling into a familiar blackness.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

I opened my eyes and was faced with a haunting darkness. There was a little light here, a mere glow that seemed to emanate from my body as I walked - as if my skin had turned luminous. It lit up the floor beneath me and allowed me to see into the endless abyss below, a pit of darkness that continued below for millennia. If you fell into that void, if it became a part of you then you would never return. It was a haunting thought, a maddening nightmare that adults would tell children to stop them from venturing out too late at night, or the horror stories the adolescents would tell around the fire in order to spook their friends – telling tales of those who had actually survived the void when in fact there had been none until we arrived in Dagrun.

I kept returning here. My dreams were filled with the void with each step I took towards sanity. It was as if the world was trying to warn me, the whispers of the demons I had faced echoing in my mind and across the void as I tried to outrun it. I tried to escape but with every mile I managed to run, it only got louder and louder. It was as if the void wanted me to remain here as if it could cushion me from the hell I was going to return to when I woke up. A few hours of silence in this darkened realm, no voices or screaming memories – just my thoughts and the whispers of the creatures underneath me. The glowing light around me was purple, reminding me of my lady as it warmed me slightly – reminding me of the love I had in the old realm for my goddess. Now I was merely a replacement for Spark.

Soon the whispers turned into voices, clearly chanting the same words over and over again – confusing me and taunting me as I tried to make sense of them.

"The battle shattered his spirit. The prison shattered his mind. The people shattered his hopes. And now he is shattered inside."

I sat on the floor of the abyss, finding solid ground where there still shouldn't be any. I sat there and closed my eyes, hands over my ears as I tried to drown out the voices and wake up.

I sat there for a very long time.

Unknown POV:

"What do you mean we have to bide our time? They've been in there for nearly two months! How do we even know that they are alive? We have to go now, whilst the King is out of town!"

"Do you want to end up in their position? I know that they are alive because I can sense it. Do not have doubt in my abilities and I will not doubt your loyalty to this cause, as dubious as it already is."

"We are not going into this again! I am as dedicated to this cause as you are! Just because my loyalties with my chosen god lie elsewhere doesn't mean I can't care about my friends when bad things happen to them!"

I listened to them all squabble, sitting on the roof of their so called secret meeting room. They had been having this argument for weeks, trying to wait for the 'opportune' moment to go save their friends. Several opportune moments had in fact already passed; they all just were too stubborn to notice the facts when they were staring them right in the face. They didn't know I was here, in fact, I doubt any of them knew who I was. From what I had heard from the local gossip spreaders, they all had eerily similar memories. Whenever you asked them a personal question, they seemed to go blank-faced and struggle to remember - as if they doubted the authenticity of who they were.

I knew for a fact one of the people going on the expedition to 'save' Jordan and Andor was a traitor, I had overheard a conversation between them and their boss. A lot of resources and unlimited power once the reign of Mianite had been overthrown and any threats to their rule were eradicated. Sounded like the kind of deal this betrayer would take.

I had a plan myself, I was going to go on the expedition secretly and make sure I got to Jordan and Andor before the traitor did and then never let Jordan out of my sight. For his own safety.

A/N

Been a while again hasn't it? 

Sorry guys, School comes first sadly.

But enjoy this chapter, it's full of hints and theories of what could happen in the future :D

Much love <3