Ancient Fates

The woman lightly huffed as Winter spoke up, attempting to diffuse the situation by demanding honesty between them. It was enough to break the silence beyond their own footsteps deep within these caverns. While Maxie appreciated this reasoning, she didn't think it was that much of an issue to cause genuine conflict and trouble during combat. She'd rather talk about this after the adventure, and chances are she'd cool off by then anyway.

It wasn't even an issue. She was just bitter. And Maxie didn't like being bitter and passive-aggressive, it wasn't what she stood for and she was annoyed at herself more than anything. And the reason she was bitter was because Caen was a world saver, with all the attention in the world, and that was attention and adoration from people that she wanted. She was annoyed because he was being a coward, yet still ranked far higher than her. It was pitiful, but in infuriated her.

As Caen spoke, she grit her teeth. Perhaps she would have believed that if the hedgehog didn't just dismissively step over the body to begin with. Only after Maxie had shown sympathy to the deceased, and frustration at him personally, did he turn back and then declare his disgust. An actor indeed...

Or maybe she was being too harsh and his brain just hadn't registered what was before him. Maybe the revelation hadn't even smacked him until she pointed it out. Maybe the dismissal was an automatic internal coping mechanism, and highlighting the corpse had shattered that.

Even so, that didn't justify his cowardice.

"Then, honey, we should work on making sure this grisly death doesn't happen to anyone else," she repeated again. How many times had they, as a group, confirmed that now? It was like a maddening mantra. She sighed, crossing her arms. In that moment, the wind dispersed around her fingers to make room for cloth and feather. Her eyes darted to the walls of the cave, her mind still alert despite the conversation occurring. Finally, her sweet and obnoxious demeanour dropped for a moment to make a firm point: "I'm saying that you shouldn't proclaim to be a world saver when that sight has you wanting to abandon this place and potentially endanger more people. That kind of thinking highlights self-preservation above all else. That you'd rather save yourself over vulnerable people. Don't make that mistake again."

That was too firm, too accusing. She bit her lip and her cold tone tell immediately to make room for something more gentle and sombre,  "...Listen. Caen dear, We're doing this together. As a team. We're all highly-trained and experienced fighters, and these miners weren't. We signed up for this of our own accord. So did you. I'm not saying I don't sympathise with what you've been through, I'm just saying seeing these things should motivate you to do better. You know you're a hero, so act like one, for everyone elses sake."

A small glint in the darkness caught her attention and she looked down, examining the icicles that had twisted around the feline's fingers. A smirk spread across her beak. They were ready for this - it'd be fine.

Thankful that the both of her team mates stopped walking as well, Aleks waited for the both of them to talk and speak their minds. She felt kind of bad for the hedgehog, she pitied him. She understood that seeing death wasn't something someone would easily get used to, especially when you're one to prevent that exact thing from happening to others. The woman also understood why he had jumped back at the sight of the body, but with Maxie's explanations and his own words, she also figured it was a strange thing to do for the hedgehog. After all, if he really was a world saver, he wouldn't let his fears get in the way, right? If there was anything she remembered from her 'old life', it was that superheroes never turned down a challenge, no matter how scared it might make them, no matter how fightening it might be.

Maxie seemed to have temporarily lost her bombastic attitude completely, only to make place for a bitter tone and attitude. It was something that had happened once or twice before in the time they had been in the caverns, but didn't seem to fit her appearance. It seemed out of place, considering the first thing she saw and heard from her was that sweet, obnoxious voice with the overbearing pink clothes. It resulted in a raised eyebrow from the feline while she listened to the woman's harsh words. Luckily for Caen, she quickly changed her whole demeanour again, making place for a slightly softer tone of voice and choice of words. 

Aleksandra couldn't help but smirk at the comment the griffon had made about the lot of them being highly trained fighters. Yes, she was right. Aleksandra too, was a highly trained fighter, but not in the way she had assumed. She wasn't a 'hero', but a murderer, a killer one could hire. A mercenary. Her job had nothing heroic to it, and the fact that Maxie thought she was a hero was kind of adorable to her, but also amusing at the same time. However, a small part in her also said that if Maxie ever were to find out about her occupation, she would think rather lowly of the feline. No matter how much of an annoyance the bombastic griffon could be, Aleks had a certain sense of respect towards her, and even felt some sort of weird familiarity she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Did it matter much though? They probably would only see each other during quests and missions and if the feline just kept her mouth shut, nothing would give the both of them reason to look at each other in disgust or disapproval. Right? 

The small outburst of the both of them, no matter how short or small it was, seemed to have at least cleared the air somewhat, which was good enough for Aleksandra. She wasn't a therapist after all, she just wanted to get this over with and get out of these caves. Her claustrofobia started to play up. They needed to get moving again. Hopefully they would get to a bigger room in these tunnels when they had to fight whatever was waiting for them. If they were to be trapped in a tunnel, the cat would lose her mind. "Glad we got that out. Let's get going again." she said as she waited for Caen to take the lead again, seeing as that was his chosen role in all of this.

What was actually running through the hedgehog's head was actually a hell of a lot simpler than any theory Maxie could come up with, that much was certain. It all came down to that face. The sheer horror staining their expression as they realised that their life was fading before their very eyes...

 It was reminiscent of one particular night, as Caen stood among the flames, with his father reaching for him...

He couldn't save him.

He couldn't save this man, either. Just walking by and dismissing him made it somewhat easier to cope, but standing there, and staring into his cold, lifeless eyes...  They were telling him he was too late. He had failed them.

Caen, listening in on Maxie's bitter tone, mixed with the later calm and reassuring one, only came across as condescending to the hedgehog. It angered him. How would she know why he reacted the way he did?!

He opened his mouth to say something, but... After a few seconds, all that would come out was a quiet "mmm."

Finally, the passage opened out into a large cavern, with small holes of light poking through the rocky walls. Or... Or were they some sort of flourescent gem? It was hard to tell, as it was indiscernible from actual daylight. Either way, it very easily allowed the trip to look around.

Littered around the cavern were many different corpses, all seemingly equipped to deal with the dig, but very clearly ill-prepared for battle. 

It was deafeningly silent, save for the low moaning of the wind blowing through the cavern behind them, leaving a chill going down Caen's spine. 

In the middle of the cavern was a large mirror, polished to gleaming perfection. It looked brand new, frankly! Had the archaeologists cleaned it?

From the bloodstains that marked the ground, it looked unlikely. 

Caen stopped as he came across a piece of paper, with scrawled handwriting on it. He bent over to pick it up, and read it out quietly.

"I finally realise why they tell you to keep moving forwards, and never to turn back.

All that stared back at me among the inky blackness was the deepest depths of Hell."

The chill running down Caen's spine grew colder.

As they entered the expansive lit-up cavern, Maxie was immediately on full alert - were they at their destination? Due to being at the back of the group, she walked around the two to examine the scene for herself and-

-she gasped. There wasn't just one corpse, there were plenty. The miners were dead, and they seem to've died in the same fashion, with blood staining the cavern walls and floor. A hand moved to her beak, covering it as she took the scene in. They had died here. These people had died here. These people had lived lives and had families and they'd died here, it all whisked away in the greed for treasure and fortune. The silence only made her shiver, and this was only shattered by her heels clacking forward as she walked into the cavern, and Caen's words as he read a letter out loud.

Hell.
This scene was hell.

Her hand reached into her chest, and the griffon pulled out a small metal rod. Pressing a button upon it, the cavern was greeted with the sound of various clicks. Click click clickclickclickclkclkclk CHNK-! The rod had expanded outwards, making it a long metal pole. The final heavy sound was the sound of a polished steel axe-like blade protruding from a slit in the pole, and a spike forming at the tip. This small fist-sized rod had immediately became a large halberd that she gripped with a hand aggressively. Her weapon of choice. Something happened here, and she wasn't entirely sure that that something had left. It could still be here.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to the polished mirror, the blatant elephant in the room. Whatever had happened, there was a very large chance that it had happened because of that mirror. There were no other exits, there was just the cavern, corpses, and a mirror. She was immediately suspicious as she approached it, her steps slow and precise. Would something come out of it?
She didn't need to say what she thought, she gave the others the benefit of the doubt that thought this was blatantly suspicious too.

The woman said nothing, she only took baby steps forward,examining the scene and the presumed artifact before her. The mirror was a cause of concern, yet there was also the chance that the threat could be elsewhere...

The silence of the group, save from the clacking of Maxie's high heels against the stone ground, was unnerving. There was literally nothing to be heard apart from that, the occasional dripping of water, and the ominous noises of the wind that echoed throughout the mineshafts and caverns. Aleksandra's fur was puffed out, making her seem even fluffier than before. She was scared. And she didn't want to admit it, especially to herself. She wanted to supress her fears and to not let them get the better of her, but it was really hard. 

Thankfully, the tunnels quickly opened up into a big chamber. It was quite large, with a high ceiling and thick, stone walls. The cave seemed to be littered with bodies with the same kind of injuries as the man they had seen before, and the smell of death and decay was overwhelming. The blood on the walls and in the small puddles on the ground gave the already horrific sight an even creepier touch, almost as if someone has tried to recreate the perfect set for a massacre film. The piece of paper Caen held, the one with the short letter on it, made everything even more mysterious. However, the writer of that letter had managed to capture the whole scene in one word: Hell. They were right. Trapped in a cave, with only one way out, only to be die an inevitable death if you were untrained and unarmed, was certainly hell. 

The most unsettling of it all, was the polished and perfectly clean grand mirror in the midst of it all. It was a beautiful mirror, with golden and silver decoration along the edges and a perfect sheet of glass to reflect everything that stood in front of it. However, it radiated a strange energy, one that the cat couldn't put her finger on. The vibe it gave off was one of negativity and fear. It was either that or it seemed as if it did because of the odd placement in the middle of this battlefield. 

When Maxie and Caen both went their own ways for a short moment, Aleksandra decided that now was the time to create her own weapon as well; a long and skinny, double bladed kontos. She decided to cover her lower arms in ice as well after taking off her leather jacket, offering herself some protection and armour in preparation for what was coming. When she was done, she followed the griffon to the mirror to inspect it somewhat closer, the only noise breaking the silence being their footsteps and their breathing.

Sounds of metallic clanging and machinery clicking into place signalled to Caen that he now needed to prepare. He drew his swords, holding them tightly as he crept towards the mirror in the middle of the room, spinning a little so he could survey his surroundings.

There was something off about the mirror, that much was true. The fact that, among all this debris and death, it was clean, just made this fact all the more easy to see. Even so, he felt oddly... drawn to it. Like he had to look into it.

Finally, Caen turned to see his reflection in the mirror. The light gleamed off in certain areas, seemingly illuminating the hedgehog’s face a lot more than before. He raised his eyebrow, and cocked his head to the side. His reflection followed.

“So, is it just this mirror in here?” He asked aloud, just as something caught his attention. Something was moving behind him, in the darkness!

Immediately, Caen spun on his heels, getting into a combat-ready position.

In an instant, he was no longer in the cavern. Stony-grey brick walls surrounded him, and a rich, red carpet lined part of the marble flooring, polished to an absolute gleam. This place was... familiar... incredibly so.

“Caen, have you found your Rapier? It’s time to begin training for today!” the hedgehog heard up a large staircase, of which the carpet ascended effortlessly. That voice was distinct, unforgettable. It was his father. 

Was it all just a dream? The past eight years? Caen shook his head “c-coming father!” he said, as he spied a Rapier on the ground, and picked it up, before slowly ascending the staircase.

Unbeknownst to the hedgehog, he was actually now collapsed on the cavern floor, presumably unconscious. His swords clattered to the floor as he slumped onto the ground.

Maxie prepared her weapon. She walked forward with a light grip on the pole, her gaze stone cold and determined for justice as she approached the mirror like the rest of them. Her reflection gleamed at the surface mockingly, and beside her were the faces of the others who had joined her. There was something suspicious here. There was-

Caen's reflection suddenly whirled around in surprise, and following was a resounding crumpled thud in the silence.
"Cae-"

She turned around.

The walls were splattered with black, sticky tar. 

Her words were stuck in her throat, both from disbelief and shock. The room had darkened significantly from the immediate substance that was stuck to most of the illuminating gems, leaving only a sickly dark glow to the room. It hadn't covered it entirely, but large splodges were splattered on the walls, dripped from the ceiling, stuck to the floor. Her eyes widened.

It was evidently spreading, albeit slowly. How... they hadn't missed this. It had just appeared. It wasn't THERE before. NONE of this was! What was going on?! It was so... black. So completely devoid of colour. So filthy.

Her gaze travelled to the unconscious form of Caen, whose clothing was stained black from the tar already clinging across his waist. She recoiled in disgust, her breath sharp.
"Wh... what is..."

There was a smell. Not a stench, it was too... particular for that. It lingered in the air like an unwanted presence, overloading the slight stale air of the cavern. Her nose twitched. What was that...? It was familiar, and it wasn't tar, but she just... couldn't put her finger on it.

Regardless, the griffon hissed under her breath, glancing at Winter.
"Don't step in it. It could be dangerous. Help me get Caen out of it before it... covers him..."

Winter's glance went over the mirror as she took in every detail in the decoration around it, as well as every detail in its reflection. There they were, all three of them staring at the reflective surface of the glass, all thinking different things, experiencing different feelings, but all three of them also having one question in common, what was going on? Before anyone could even answer that question, the red hedgehog had fallen unconscious after turning around abruptly.

That was a mistake. She should not have turned around. What she saw, brought back every bit of fear she had ever felt in her entire life. The horror she never thought she would see again. It was him. Not Caen, lying on the ground, not the man she had inspected just minutes ago, it was him. The man who betrayed her. The man who had sealed her away to rot for eternity. Aleksandra squinted, trying to focus. "No. This can't be. You're supposed to be seventy or eighty by now! How did you stay like that for so long!?" she yelled at him. He didn't reply, however, he just stood there, grinning like a madman. 

Everything came back to her, as if a tidal wave hit her. Her whole past flashed before her, some fragments being clearer than others. All of it, her entire history was suddenly restored in her memory, but only for a few seconds. When she closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to rid herself of her fears and confusion, most of it disappeared again, like snow under the sun. What. The. Hell. 

No. This wasn't real. This couldn't be real. There was NO way. No way that he would still be in the condition he was in now. The ice on her arms grew more and more, her free hand again being covered in elongated claws, her hand with her weapon still being free. The cuffs on her arms were now spiked, allowing herself better defence for what was about to come. The cat thought she was about to be attacked, again. By the same person who had knocked her out last time.

Then, the man in front of her finally spoke up. "Are you really going to attack me, darling? Come on sugar, you know I always know what's best for the both of us." Or so it seemed, at least. In reality it was Maxie who was talking to her and what she really said was something completely unrelated to what Aleksandra had heard. "Don't step in it. It could be dangerous. Help me get Caen out of it before it... covers him..." The feline once again shook her head, placing her free hand, regardless of it being covered in ice, against her head, trying to clear her mind from what was going on. 

When she looked back up, her eyes radiated a lot more confidence and determination. "No. NO YOU DO NOT. You came back to haunt me, to terrorize me again. This time I know better, this time you will not fool me. This time it's YOUR TURN TO PAY THE PRICE!" With that, the before calm woman now stormed forward, heading straight for the man, not knowing it was Maxie in reality. Her kontos was ready, she had braced herself and with a strong swing of the weapon, she aimed for Maxie's waist while letting out a scream of anger, hurt and frustration.

Maxie and Winter had begun to see thing around them, though what they actually saw differed between each other. However, the hedgehog, lying on the cavern floor, was entirely oblivious. He could not hear a thing, nor see a thing.

Well, that’s a lie. He could see. He could feel. He could even smell. He was home, he knew it. Perhaps all that had transpired was, indeed, just a crazy fever dream up until now. If so, Caen thought, he needed to keep father away from Alastor. At least, for now. 

His free hand slipped up the large banister of the staircase as he continued to walk. He kept his head up as he scanned the surroundings. Fantastically detailed portraits hung on the walls, with wooden panelling here and there giving the mostly grey walls a much more... Regal look to them. Even after what had seemed like so long, it was breathtaking.

Finally, the hedgehog walked into the room he had heard the voice from, and saw a hedgehog standing there, dressed in a long blue coat and boots. His spines were jet black, and a moustache hung just above his lip.

“Caen! There you are! What has taken you so long?” He asks, slightly sternly, to which the hedgehog merely shook his head and smiled “I-it was nothing, father. Let’s...”

“No, Caen. Why did you take so long?” he repeated, his voice taking on a much more menacing tone.

Suddenly, the walls burst into flames, soon spreading to the carpets, the drapes, the pictures, and finally, engulfing the room. Caen widened his eyes, looking around him. “W-what?! NO! Oh, God! Not again!” He shouted. All the while, Xavier stood still, staring at his son as flames licked at him, all kindness leaving his eyes. 

“Why did you leave me, Caen? Why did you fail me, Caen?!” He asked, as his body was entirely wrapped in flame.

What she hadn't anticipated was Winter launching towards her, unleashing a yowl of rage and pain - a significant contrast to the cold and stoic woman she had been mere seconds ago. An audible gasp left the griffon's mouth and she took a step back, not having anticipated being attacked by her. Haunt? Terrorise? What was she talking about?!

Maxie twirled her halberd in her hand with startling dexterity, preparing to leap upwards and avoid the waist-high swing of Winter's icicle pole. She had no idea what had driven Winter to this maddened state, but she quickly theorised that the tar was effecting her. Tiny splodges were evident on the feline's frame - could they effect the mind? She lowered her legs, preparing to jump and remain in the air-

"Why can't you be more like your brother?"

A voice whispered behind her. That horribly familiar voice immediately made her freeze, wide-eyed. A chill ran down her spine. There was no mistaking it. She knew that voice. She could never forget that voice. It was enough to stun her for but a single moment. And that moment was vital. The blunt side of the weapon slammed against her side, and Maxie let out a pained cry as her body crumpled with it.

The blow stung, and she slumped onto the floor, her body immediately covered with this... ooze. She hissed, covering her side, her breath momentarily taken from her.

The blackness immediately stained her clothes, and it spread like a disease. She could feel it wriggling through her feathers, splattering against her head, tainting her hair. She could feel it crawling, eating. It slumped over her form, as if this substance planned to coat her entirely, as if it hungered for griffon. It wriggled and squirmed and bubbled and seeped and she let out another cry - one for help.
"Winter! Winter get me out of this! Help me!"

Maxie coughed, placing both her hands onto the floor as she attempted to push her up to her feet. But she couldn't. She couldn't get any sort of grip on the floor, and her hands immediately found themselves ensnared by the substance. She couldn't move. 

And that smell... it was... it was sweet. Sickeningly sweet. Distantly familiar. It lingered in her nostrils, it was overpowering. Tears formed in her eyes as blackness dripped down her forehead, splattering onto her beak.

"Why are you like this?"

It was the scent of Mother's perfume.

The ordeal mere seconds ago had been forgotten, Maxie's brain completely overridden by this single moment, and moments that had gone by. Moments they'd pushed back into their head. Moments they did't want to remember. It couldn't be her, this was a trick, a trick. It had only been a single minute, how in the world was this going on? What were they dealing with? What was this?!

She raised her head.

Caen was gone. Winter was gone. There was no light in the room, only a room completely devoid of colour, and it squirmed and bubbled with movement she couldn't see but she could hear. She could feel it against her skin, she could feel it dripping down her head, she could feel it overpowering every sense she had. It was disgusting. It was repulsive. And it was terrifying.
"Winter! Caen!"

Maxie began to hyperventilate. And as she did, the tar dripped into her mouth.

Good. The attack landed. He had slumped to the ground. This would mean revenge. It opened up an opportunity for Aleksandra, a change she had never gotten before. A chance to defend herself against him. Against the monster he had become, all because of his father and his family. Their corrupcy had infected him, it had made him greedy. Unreliable. Dangerous. He wasn't the man he used to be, and Aleks despised him for it and for what he had done to her. 

She loomed over him, her eyes filled with rage. Fury. Hurt. Broken trust. All of it, as she watched him struggle and call out for help. She didn't care. She would end her nightmares once and for all. She would end his miserable life, just like he had done to her. He had destroyed her life, her chance at any happy future. Her only wish was to grow old and have a family of her own with the man she loved, but he shattered that dream. The worst part was, she had let it all happen. She never ran, she never sought refuge with the authorities. 

...it was all her own fault. If she had stepped to the authorities, she would have been able to not only save herself, but countless of other people, including her own family. She would have been able to save the lives of the many who were killed by the mafia, and she wouldn't have had to live in fear anymore. It was all her own fault. What had she done. Why had she let this happen to herself? Was she really that naive? That weak? That stupid? Had she really been so blind, so.. dumb to not see the options she had? 

The anger in the cat's eyes dimmed down until only her sadness remained. A couple of minutes passed while everything remained silent for her. She was broken. In the small bits she now remembered from her past, she only felt guilt and shame. She knew that if she were to know even more, those feelings would only be amplified. "I-.. I can't do this.." It wasn't directed to anyone in particular, more of a whisper to herself. The tears started rolling down her cheeks, leaving wet trails on her fur and shirt. While she sat there, kneeled down on the ground, the man had disappeared and made place for Maxie, revealing what state she was in. 

When Aleksandra noticed what had happened, and what she had done to her own squad mate, her courage sank through the floor. She felt horrible. This whole mission was cursed and the cat had no idea what was going on. It had to be something with that mirror, and in a wave of rage, the woman got up, aimed and threw her kontos straight at it, hitting it very close to the center. When it hit, the sound of shattering glass could be heard. Or was it ice? Aleksandra turned back to the mirror to see it looked untouched, and her ice spear was on the ground, in tiny pieces. What the fuck.

However, this was not the time for questioning the damn mirror. Right now, there were more important things at hand than that, those things being two people, one unconscious, the other crying out for help. The cat tried to gather her thoughts. Caen seemed to have been knocked out right when he turned around, but Maxie seemed to be experiencing something similar to Aleksandra. She had no clue how she broke free from the halucinations, but she decided it would be worth giving it a shot to help Maxie do the same. 

The cat slowly made her way over to the griffon, noticing how she was struggling to get up. She even sounded like she was choking. Aleks grabbed her by both her arms, pulling her up until she sat up straight and looked her right into the eyes. "Maxie, wake up! It isn't real!" The woman's voice was shaky and her eyes were still filled with tears. Her ice gauntlet was still there, but she was careful not to hurt the pink and white hybrid with it. "MAXIE! WAKE. UP."

Caen took a step back, his eyes widening in fear as the flaming version of his father stepped towards him, his face now obscured by orange and red. "F-father, I-I c-couldn't... I d-didn't-"

"You could not what, boy?" A voice called out from behind him. Another equally familiar voice. A hand reached out and grabbed the hedgehog by the shoulder, and spun him around. 

Caen was face-to-face with maniacal golden-yellow eyes. They burned with murderous intent. "You could not save poor, poor Xavier?" He asked, as Caen scrambled back. His back bumped against something solid, which immediately wrapped around him, restraining him. Red lights gleamed above him, as the coldness of the metal sent a chill down Caen's spine. 

As sudden as the room burst into flames, it had disappeared. They were all standing in a deep, black void. 

The other hedgehog took a step forwards. "Caen, you know what would have prevented these failures, do you not?" He asked, grinning at him."You know why I did this to Xavier..."

The flames were back, again, and this time burned with a much higher intensity. "If you would have just died, everything would have been solved. Tell me, boy, why did you fail me?! Why don't you hurry up and kill yourself?!"

Caen was shaking in sheer fright. He tried to speak, but no words would form. He couldn't move. All he could see was Alastor. All he could feel was the intense heat.

Something- ...no, someone grabbed her shoulders and sat her up straight. 

And that was all she needed.

As much as the ooze attempted to hold and restrain her, ultimately no maintained illusion could withstand against the forceful yank of real life. The griffon could feel the blackness tear from her feathers and skin, giving a resistant hiss. Her throat gurgled in response to this revelation, the ebony sludge recoiling out of her gullet like vomit. She coughed wildly, raising a hand to grip Winter's shoulder.

"HAAGH... haahc-ck...hkck...hh..." she spluttered, immediately holding her throat, blinking the tears from her eyes. She didn't want to show that weakness, but Maxie knew it was already too late. She said nothing in return, only continued to cough and wheeze and splutter as she attempted to get the disgusting taste of mother's perfume out of her mouth.

Despite the fact that Winter had said it wasn't real, it was still there. The room was still dark, uncomfortable, claustrophobic. She could see glimmers of the black sludge crawling across Winter's face. She could still see it stained to her clothing. The woman shivered, leaning back from Winter in disgust, holding her hands to her chest. The woman's weapon had been dropped to the floor, and she only had herself to hold. "D-darling... hurgh.. hck..." Maxie quietly coughed with a smirk - a feeble attempt to regain her confidence she'd lost for a moment, "...You. You- we... we need to get Caen. Get him.. out of... all of this. It's on you, it's so..." she gave an attempt at a laugh, "...ugly, isn't it?"

"Coming from the sissy that has a face not even a mother could love? What a joke!"

The blood flowing through the griffon's body immediately ran cold, and she could almost feel her heart stop. If her mother's voice was a fleeting yet familiar memory, this voice was so solid, so firm in her brain that she had absolutely no doubt who it was. With that grip on Winter's shoulder, Maxie immediately forced herself onto her feet, pushing the feline to the side with a solid shove.

Where was he.

Where was he.

The room was sticky, cold, and dark. Her breath was caught in her chest, but she paid no attention to the others - not the unconscious Caen, nor the cat who she'd shoved to the side. The ooze wriggled with anticipation, and she could see it crawling across the walls, writhing over Caen's crumpled form, it made the slight illumination in the room almost... dance. It felt alive.

But that didn't matter. Where was he. She couldn't see him. Where the fuck was he?!

Aleksandra quietly watched as the griffon grabbed the cat's shoulder and started to sputter and cough rather violently. It really did look like she was being suffocated by something, but there was nothing there to suffocate her. Was it all part of the pink woman's imagination? Was there something Aleks was missing? She didn't know. She had no clue as to what was going on, but she did know it scared her. How did, whatever was causing this all, know what had happened to her in the past? And how come she could remember everything for just a few seconds, and was now left with only fragments again?

She still remembered what had happened right before she got locked away, but that was something she had always known. The small snippets she now also knew were frightening..

..It didn't matter now, this was not the time to get lost in one's own thoughts. She had to snap out of it, and Maxie was of great help with that by suddenly creating a bit of distance between the two of them and speaking up. It seemed she was trying to get her old demeanour back, but she didn't really succeed. Regardless, Aleksandra did agree with her. It might be best to check on Caen before doing anything else. What she didn't get, however, was the strange comment of "it is on you as well, we need to get him out of this." It was probably part of the pink and white griffon's illusions. "Maxie, there isn't anything here apart from us and that mirr-" Before she could even finish talking, she noticed something else. 

It was that thing, the tool used to change her life forever. It was see-through, imbedded with silicone molds to perfectly fit a body and to preserve it in the best way possible. It was the machine that destroyed her. The wires sprouting out of the machine, the box, the coffin ran through the entire cave, curling around spikes of rock, tangling and untangling in each other, they took hold of the corpses on the ground. It seemed to almost be alive. As a matter of fact, it looked alive as the tubes and wires wriggled towards her, threatening to bring her down once again. Before she could even move, she got shoved away, thrown to the ground by Maxie. The landing wasn't pretty and her shoulder started to cramp up under the hit it had taken. It wasn't too serious, but it was just enough of a distraction to give the wires the chance to lash out and wriggle and twirl and tangle itself around her limbs.

"MAXIE! HELP ME!!" Aleksandra screamed. She struggled, trying to break free from her bonds but to no avail. The cat hissed, spat, cursed and screamed, creating sharp pieces of ice to cut through the cables, but it didn't help. She could not get free. Slowly but surely, the cables dragged her backwards, or so it felt. Her back scraped over the floor, tearing up a few places in her black shirt. A few wires and cables loomed over her, almost as if to tell her to shut up. "CAEN!! MAX-" Before she could even finish her cry for help, the cables had found their way to her head, tangling around her like a gag, forcing her to shut up. They also tangled themselves around the cat's throat, forcing a wheeze out of her and a gasp for air. 'This is how I die. Pathetic..' she thought to herself before giving up the struggling. She knew it didn't make a difference, she would never be able to escape her past.

Caen let his head fall forwards, though his body could not follow, considering he was still kept in an iron grip- quite literally. “I... I ask myself that question every time I see you, Alastor...” he said, his voice going quiet, “I always think about how much simple it would be. You and father would be able to work together... I... I just get in the way...” he continued, and finally, the robotic grip around him released, and Caen fell to his hands and knees.

A sword clattered to the floor as the room darkened, and soon, he was on the cavern floor again. He had gotten up without coming to his senses, and was slumped in front of one of his fallen blades. He was still oblivious to everything around him. Everything was silent. All that Caen could feel was the chill of the slow wind that filled the cavern. He was numb.

Caen looked up, staring at the blade before him. He reached for it, and knelt slowly as he picked it up. “Yes... Everything will be fixed...” he whispered to himself, his eyes fixated on the weapon in his hand, even with the struggle of the other two around him. 

He stood up, holding the blade with both hands. He turned it until it pointed towards him. His arms shook, and Caen began to hyperventilate. “P-please, let me do this one thing right...” he whispered, trying to make himself still. But, alas, he couldn’t, and Caen threw the sword, it bouncing off of the wall as he screamed out. He dropped to his knees. “I... I c-can’t even do that! I’m so... so useless!” He shouted, hiding his face in his hands. 

Finally, he could hear the struggle around him. Maxie’s coughing, Winter’s screams of terror. He looked up, and saw the, both. Nothing seemed to be attacking them, but they still reacted all the same. “M-Maxie? W-Winter?” He asked, standing up, and looking between them. He ran towards Winter first, quickly dropping to his knees and grabbing her by the shoulders “Winter! We need to leave, now!” He said, gritting his teeth as he shook her slightly, trying to bring her back to her senses.

She was stronger than this. She wasn't going to get bullied by him again. And if that miserable, pathetic pile of bird feathers was behind all of this? She was going to kill him. Regardless of what the feline said, this was real. It felt far too real, far too familiar, for it to be an illusion. She couldn't just... she couldn't ignore it. Her brain refused to. A low hiss escaped her beak as she stepped forward, her heels angrily stomping in the tar, echoing a disgusting squelching sound. 

And then the sound of Winter's screeching cries for helps followed.

The griffon immediately turned her head in alert, and witnessed the sight of Winter's form being consumed by the ooze, Maxie's own vision unable to see Winter's machine constraining her. It was real! It WAS real! And Winter was in danger! She had to, she had to-

A hand grabbed her own.

When she turned her head,an incredible chill ran down her spine. Her body froze, seized up, unable to do anything else but stare. And despite Maxie's ferocity and overprotective nature, she couldn't even fight back. Despite her years of experience as a fighter, she couldn't beat the opponent before her.

Mother.

Leslasin Torone. The black griffon was a beautiful, exotic sight. Originating from a desert country, the woman held a firm elegance to her. Her ebony feathers were highlighted with baby blue, and like curled hair, the long feathers upon her head twirled and cascaded down her back and draped across her shoulders. Her deep black eyes were bold and beautiful, yet upon her face was a frown of disappointment.

"They're not your friends," the woman said gently, giving an uncomfortable squeeze of Maxie's hand. Leslasin's eyes stared through her,seeing exactly what, or who, lay beneath. The ooze began to crawl up the pink griffon's feet, but in this moment, she couldn't feel a thing. The scent of the tar, or more specifically mother's perfume, was overpowering.
Maxie uttered no sound, but the woman holding onto her continued.
"They're not your friends," she emphasised heavily, leaning her head forward, her gaze still locked on their own child. With her voice, the sounds of Winter and Caen just became white noise, and all they could focus on was the woman before them, "They don't know you."

As much as the griffon wanted to believe it was an illusion, as much as they wanted to believe that it was all just a fabrication made by that mirror, the scent, the sight, the sounds, her, they were all so... familiar, so perfect. The woman standing before then wasn't fake, it was her. The tar had reached the griffon's waist, and Leslasin grasped Maxie's hand with both of hers, giving it another squeeze.
"Stop trying to be more than what you are, Maxwell."

The shake Caen provided was barely enough to bring Aleksandra back to her senses. Somewhat. Her eyes were bloodshot, she was gasping for air, and she started struggling against her bonds again, reaching out for the hedgehog to grab her hand. The last jerk he gave on her shoulders, seemed to be just strong enough to pull her away from the wires that were tangled around her neck. 

With one last gasp of air, she shot up, nearly knocking her own head into the red hedgehog's. She summoned one last shard of ice, slicing through the cables on her hands and feet a lot better now. "What the hell!?" As she turned around, she noticed the wires were near enough slithering back to the glass box, as if they were snakes seeking refuge in the shadows, trying to hide themselves from the dangers of the outside world. A smart... decision of them. The cat would've ripped them to shreds.

Aleksandra jumped up, rubbing her throat and coughing a bit. She felt shaken up, both physically and mentally. Though, she couldn't afford to dwell on that for too long now. The cat carefully felt her back. Some of the rocks had managed to not only rip the fabric of her shirt, but also her skin. Small drops of blood trickled from a couple of spots in her back. A thankful nod was made towards Caen before she once again turned around to check if the machine wasn't coming after her again. To her surprise, however, it had disappeared. Vanished, hopefully to never return. 

She let her gaze fall onto Maxie, who still seemed to be caught up in the hallucinations. She was.. holding out her hand to something? Someone? Did it even matter? All she knew was that Caen was right. They had to get out of here. Fuck the mission, this wasn't something they were able to fight, not right now at least. Maybe they should report this whole thing to the authorities so they can send in specialists? Maybe a professor knew more about this thing, whatever it was, that was happening to them. 

"Caen, you know Titus the best out of the three of us. What do you suggest we do?" After asking this, she ran over to Maxie as fast as she could. She was quite bruised from the ground, and the smal cuts in her back started to sting quite the bit. It slowed her down slightly but she managed to make her way over relatively quickly nonetheless. The cat came to a halt right in front of the white griffin, taking hold of the hand they had been reaching out and draggin them back to Caen, regardless of whether or not she was still hallucinating or not. They had to come back with her so they all could get out of here.

With Caen's continued shaking, growing increasingly desperate as Winter's eyes began to grow bloodshot. 
Quickly, Winter stood up, ice growing from her hands. This action knocked Caen backwards. He scrambled back, before getting up, making sure Winter had finally calmed down.

Caen shook his head "he'd probably want the money back, but he's certainly not keeping me here," he said, looking towards Maxie who, at least didn't look to be in immediate danger. Still, he hurried towards the griffon, kneeling down beside her. He placed a hand on her shoulder "Maxie! It's not real! Snap out of it!" He called out, giving her a gentle shake.

"I'd give up, if I were you. She can't hear you," spoke a voice that was familiar to all of them. With a swift movement, Caen stood up, and spun on his heels to face the figure.The colour drained from his face as he saw who it was.

A red hedgehog stood before him, with darkened spines, and a ripped, torn coat. What was most striking, however, was that part of his head was seemingly missing. Ashes and embers floated endlessly from the black void inside of his skull, as the only eye he had left stared back at Caen. His smile sent chills up the hedgehog's spine.

The griffon said nothing, stunned by Leslasin's visage alone. Their mother's grip tightened firmly. It felt so real, and they needed this. They longed for this. Her cruel words sliced through their heart and a single small tear rolled down their cheek, but despite this, their mother's touch was all that Maxwell had ever wanted. The white hybrid couldn't utter a single word, only opening and closing their mouth, trying to say anything, but all they could do was stare as Leslasin stared back coldly.

They hadn't even realised that Winter had entered their vision, nor did they realise that Winter had grabbed their hand. As the feline started pulling, Maxie's body fell limp onto the floor. The griffon could only stare as the distance between them and their mother parted further. Despite her unloving stare, despite her cruel words, Maxie still reached out towards her. 
The world became a blur. 
Static filled her hearing.

"Maxie! It's not real! Snap out of it!"

She blinked. Mother was gone. The ooze was gone. The cavern had returned to its previous state, and she could see again. Before her was Caen's face, telling her to snap out of it, grasping her shoulder firmly to snap her out of the hell she had experienced. But... it was real. It was real. It looked real, it sounded real, it smelled real, it tasted real. The temporary disassociation with that reality and the current one caused her to stare blankly at the hedgehog's face, mouth slightly agape.

No, he was right. It was magic. An illusion. An incredibly powerful illusion, because it couldn't have been her. Him perhaps, but never her. Slowly, her head turned tilted upwards towards the ceiling, observing the cavernous bumps.

Had she really been overcome that easily? A simple play of the mind, and she'd fallen for it? Not only had she believed it, she allowed it. She'd embraced it. Even now, a part of them sobbed and screamed that they wanted their mother back. They wanted to be consumed by it, if only to see her again. And that disgusted her. Maxie had always thought of themselves as strong, better than that, they didn't need anyone, they didn't depend on anyone.

She wiped away that rogue tear from her face.
Evidently, there was still that part of her which could still be targeted. And that part had been forced into the spotlight for but a moment, allowing this weakness. She wasn't going to allow that to happen again.

Caen's voice struck her once more, yet his tone held only malice and spite. But... he hadn't spoken. He was before her, he hadn't-

The hedgehog stood up, and this allowed her to see the newcomer. She would have permissed it as another illusion if the others hadn't also heard it. Caen could see it. Winter probably could too. She stared, her body still slumped on the floor. She had to get up. The looks of this guy alone made him a target.

With a flap of her wings, Maxie forced herself upwards with a sudden gust of wind. Her halberd was on the other side of the arena, and that irritated her. If this turned into combat, she was going to have to focus on getting it back. Resting a hand on Winter's shoulder for her own support, the woman offered a tiny smile towards her. She helped her get out of it. She genuinely appreciated it.

Taking a small breath to get her confidence and facade back, the woman cackled at the skull-faced hedgehog being; "Ohoho! Just look at you, you disgusting little thing! What a wretched face you have, you're practically offending me!" Maxie sighed loudly, placing her hands on her hips feigning slight annoyance, "Oh honeybunch do entertain me, is this the part where we beat you senseless and force you to break this silly curse because... mmmmmm..."

She stomped her foot against the floor, now resting her hand upon Caen's shoulder to support him. They held striking similarities, and he was evidently shocked.
"...I need a punching bag. Caen sweetie, you don't happen to have a very ugly twin, do you? Now would be the time to tell me before I shove that skull right into his rear. And let me tell you, I can make it fit."

A few seconds passed as the three of them gathered their thoughts and got themselves back together, for as far that was possible. What the fuck just happened, none of them knew, they only knew it was dangerous, incredibly realistic and that they needed to get away from this as soon and as far as possible to send a team of experts in to investigate. They weren't equipped to handle this, were they? Could they really beat this... mirror? Or ghost? Or whatever was haunting these caverns?

Aleksandra shook her head, brushed her hair out of her face with one hand and straightened her back, still feeling the nasty sting of the small cuts the rocks on the floor had caused. The cat half and half listened to Maxie's monologue until she actually realised what, or rather, who she was talking about. Her long tail swished behind her as the fur in her neck puffed out, again, creating the illusion she was twice as big as she actually was. Her ears flattened against her head as a quiet hiss escaped from her. 

The cat narrowed her eyes. Who was this distorted and disfigured copy of Caen? Where did they come from? What was their business here? And most importantly of all, what did they know that the others didn't? 

Their face was... concerningly contorted and damaged. Embers floating where there should be flesh and bone, large chunks of skin missing, a torn outfit and what seemed like scorched spines in place where usually healthy looking spines would be. The feline wrinkled her nose at the sight of the creature, and ice started swirling around her fingertips, slowly forming into small spikes, ready to be fired at the hedgehog. 


"What is your business here?" She nearly spat out her words. Aleks was not in the mood for another play on the mind, especially with copies of her squadmates. This was not part of the deal. Nah-ah.

Before the second hedgehog could even begin to answer her question, however, the cat noticed a second figure walking out from the darkness of one of the tunnels. This time, it was a figure, covered in frost. Their fur in spikes, their hair stuck to their face, covering more than half of it. If one were to look closer, they could see that their eyes weren't a normal colour, but rather bloodshot and disturbingly red. Their pupils slits, their irisses near enough disappearing against the colour of their hurt scleras. 

As the figure moved closer, their silhouette became clearer, and their colours, although dulled down quite a bit because of the blue/white frost that covered them, it became clear this person was quite resemblant of Aleksandra, only a lot older. She looked around somewhere in her late seventies/early eighties, though only in appearance. Her way of walking and demeanour spoke something entirely different, reflecting the Aleksandra the others knew. 

The woman tried to speak, but evidently couldn't open her mouth. Something was holding her back. Therefore, instead of speaking, the cat walked behind the new Caen and stopped still in her tracks, mimicking Maxie's gesture and put her hand on the hedgehog's shoulder. The original Aleks spoke up instead, her accent shining through a lot stronger than before.

"Guys, I don't know what is going on, but I do not like this"

Caen took a step back, gritting his teeth as he drew his blades, keeping them held to his sides, ready to strike at any moment. "W-what are..."

"What am I?" The corrupted hedgehog asked "well, that's rather simple really. I'm you. Well, not exactly. I'm you, given purpose, the purpose to help you see just how worthless you are. Well, unless you join my master..."

Caen shuddered at his clone's voice. It held an almost intimidating air of overconfidence, almost... Arrogance. Even with such a disfigured appearance, he thought he had the upper hand, that much was clear.

Finally, Maxie had fully snapped back to her senses, and was already insulting the disfigured creature, firing off some rather harsh words, before asking Caen if he had an evil twin of some kind. Caen merely shook his head.

The other Caen laughed loudly, his voice echoing across the chamber. "I admit, I'm horribly disfigured, but that was because I was weak. Trust me, I am not here to fight - though if it came to blows, I would not hold back - instead, I am here to offer you... New life. You're all very strong, and if you joined my master, you'd have all the power you'd ever desire. Even... The power to bring back those you've lost..."

Caen looked at Maxie, before looking to the corrupted being once more "to bring them back?" He repeated, his shivering somehow getting worse. Tears welled up in his eyes. The choice seemed clear, yet he was hesitating.

As Caen opened his mouth to speak again, another figure emerged from the shadows, this time covered in frost, and much older. She looked almost like Winter.

"Ah, a pleasure for you to join us, Aleksandra," the dark Caen spoke, before shooting a glance at the real Winter, his grin somehow growing in size.