4. Aurel
4
AUREL
T he darkness of my prison wraps around me like an old friend, but tonight something's different. The human presence above pulses stronger, more tangible. My coils shift against the cold stone as I close my eyes, focusing on that faint thread of energy.
"Interesting." The word echoes in my chamber. This connection shouldn't be possible, yet here it is, as real as the chains binding me.
I reach out with my consciousness, pushing past the physical barriers of stone and metal. The presence wavers, like a flame in the wind. Weak. So incredibly weak. Yet there's something else there, buried beneath layers of exhaustion and despair.
My tongue flicks out, tasting the stale air. "What secrets are you hiding, little human?"
The energy fluctuates, and I sense sleep – deep, troubled sleep. Dreams of darkness and endless corridors. Her mind flutters through shadows and frosted memories of her childhood. Glimpses of a past now fractured by a lifetime of abuse and trauma in the dark elf estate.
Perfect. The human mind is vulnerable, easier to touch, to influence.
I stretch my awareness further, letting it brush against the human's consciousness. The contact sends a jolt through my system. Raw power, untapped and unknown even to its bearer, lies dormant within this fragile vessel.
You might be useful after all, human.
The connection strengthens with each passing moment. I can almost taste their dreams, their fears. Their desperation. A smile cracks my lips as I settle deeper into concentration. This human might be my key to freedom, and I intend to make full use of this unexpected gift.
I slide through her dreamscape with practiced ease, my serpentine form casting long shadows across the barren landscape of her mind. The human stands alone in an endless expanse of nothing – fitting for one who sees herself as nothing.
My coils ripple as I circle her, staying just out of sight. She's even more pathetic up close. Her blonde curls tumble over her hunched shoulders. The perfect prey. The perfect tool.
"So small," I mutter, testing the boundaries of this connection. "So broken."
She doesn't move, doesn't even flinch at my voice. Her resignation bleeds into the very fabric of this dream-world, turning the air heavy and thick. Dark clouds roil overhead, matching her desolate mood.
I rear up to my full height, finally allowing her to see me. My shadow falls across her slight frame, and still, she doesn't look up. Interesting. Most humans would scream, or run, or at least show some sign of self-preservation.
"You don't even care that death stands before you, do you?"
The human – Vera, I pluck the name from her surface thoughts – merely shrugs. "Death would be a mercy."
Her voice carries the weight of years of abuse, and something stirs in me. Not sympathy – I shed such weakness centuries ago – but recognition. I know what it is to be trapped, to wish for an end.
I lower my face to her level, studying the hollow look in her hazel eyes.
Something flickers behind those dead eyes, catching my attention. I lean closer, my forked tongue tasting the air around her. There's power here – raw and untamed, like lightning trapped in a bottle. My coils tighten with anticipation.
"Tell me, little human, have you ever felt different? Special?"
She shakes her head, blonde curls falling forward. "I'm nothing special."
But she's wrong. The power radiates from her in waves, invisible to her but blazing like a beacon to my senses. It's unlike anything I've encountered in my centuries of existence – not dark elf magic, not human sorcery, not even the ancient powers of my own kind.
"Look at me." I grip her chin, forcing those hollow eyes to meet mine. The contact sends a surge through my arm, like touching raw magic itself. "You really don't feel it?"
"Feel what?"
"The power burning inside you." My fingers trace her jaw, following the current of energy that flows beneath her skin. "It's there, waiting. Sleeping."
She tries to pull away, but I hold firm. "I'm weak. Everyone knows that."
I bare my fangs in a cold smile. "Your body may be weak, but there's something else entirely lurking behind those eyes of yours." The magic pulses stronger, responding to my touch, to my words. "Something that could burn this whole mansion to the ground."
The power swirls around us both now, a maelstrom of untapped potential. It's wild, primal – dangerous. Perfect. If I can just figure out how to wake it...
"And what if I offered you something better than death?" I ask, my voice a silken whisper. "What if I offered you purpose?"
Her blank stare irritates me. Such a waste of potential, this human who radiates power yet cowers like a wounded animal. The magic within her pulses stronger with each passing moment, responding to my presence even if she remains oblivious.
"My purpose is to serve the dark elves until I die." Her voice carries no emotion, just acceptance of her fate. "I have nowhere else to go. No family. Nothing."
Pathetic. Yet I need her, so I soften my approach. "You are more than what they say." I let my voice echo through her mind, a gentle caress rather than the command I wish to give.
Her head snaps up, those dull eyes finally showing a spark of something – fear, confusion, life. My coils shift in anticipation.
"Who... who are you?" Her voice trembles, and she takes a step back in this dreamscape we share.
I gentle my voice further, though maintaining the edge of authority that comes naturally after centuries of command. "A friend. A teacher."
She wraps her arms around herself. Her collar bone protrudes from beneath her translucent skin, a futile gesture of protection. I resist the urge to scoff at her weakness.
"You are not weak. You are not worthless." The words taste bitter in my mouth – empty platitudes to win her trust. Yet as I speak them, that dormant power within her flares brighter.
"I am." She shakes her head, blonde curls falling forward. "I know I am."
"No." I put steel in my voice now, letting some of my true nature show. The air around us crackles with energy – hers and mine intertwining. "You have strength. You just haven't seen it yet."
I glide closer in the dreamscape, my massive form casting shadows across her fragile frame. The raw power emanating from her pulses stronger with each movement, responding to my proximity. Such potential, waiting to be shaped, to be used.
"I can show you." My voice flows smooth as honey, masking centuries of rage beneath its surface. "I can teach you to harness what lies within."
She lifts those hollow eyes to mine, and for a moment, I catch a glimpse of something else – a spark of curiosity breaking through her shell of despair. "Why?"
My lips curl into a smile, though I keep to the shadows where she can't see it. Let her imagine whatever comfort she needs. "Because you're worth more than they say. More than you know."
The magic swirls between us, invisible to her but blazing in my sight. Such raw power, untapped and wild. My coils shift restlessly as I consider the possibilities.
"Think about it." I trace a finger along her jaw, feeling the current of energy beneath her skin. "Haven't you ever wondered why they fear you? Why they keep you weak?"
She shivers at my touch, but doesn't pull away. "They don't fear me. I'm nothing."
"You're so much more." The words taste like ash in my mouth, but I force them out anyway. A tool must be carefully handled until it's ready to be used. "They've lied to you. Made you believe you're worthless when you hold more power than any of them could imagine."
I let my coils shift in the dreamscape, allowing her to see more of my true form. "My name is Aurel. I am what your kind calls a naga."
Her eyes widen slightly – the first real emotion I've seen from her. "Like in the old stories?"
"Indeed." I move closer, towering over her slight frame. "The dark elves imprisoned me centuries ago, deep beneath this very mansion."
"Why?"
I don't stifle the bitterness in my voice. "Because they fear what they cannot control. Just as they fear what lies dormant within you."
She wraps her arms around herself. "But I'm just?—"
"A slave?" I interrupt, softening my tone. "That's what they want you to believe. I've watched them for centuries, little one. Seen how they break spirits, crush souls. They did the same to my people."
"Your people?"
I weave the tale carefully, each word designed to draw her in. "We were peaceful once, living in harmony with the land. Until the dark elves came with their chains and their cruel magic." I pause, studying her reaction. "Just as they've chained you."
"But why help me?"
"Because I sense something in you – something they fear." I reach out, brushing a finger along her cheek. The magic beneath her skin sparks at my touch. "We're bound by fate, you and I. Both prisoners seeking freedom."
The dreamscape begins to blur at the edges. Her consciousness is slipping away, returning to the waking world. Perfect timing.
"Wait," she calls out, her form starting to fade. "I don't understand?—"
"Find me," I whisper as the dream dissolves. "Follow the pull of magic. I'll teach you everything they've kept from you."
I withdraw from her dreamscape, my consciousness sliding back into the confines of my prison. The connection lingers like honey on my tongue – sweet, promising. Her untapped magic pulses against my senses, a beacon in the darkness.
"Such raw power." My coils shift against the cold stone. "And she doesn't even know it's there."
The remnants of her presence cling to my mind. Her dreams were pathetically easy to infiltrate – no barriers, no resistance. Just an empty vessel waiting to be filled with purpose. My purpose.
I close my eyes, focusing on the echo of her magic. It's unlike anything I've encountered in my centuries of existence. Not the sharp, controlled power of the dark elves, nor the wild, earthy magic of my own kind. This is something else entirely.
"What are you hiding, little human?"
The magic had responded to my touch, surging stronger when I spoke of power, of freedom. That's the key – her desperate need for escape mirrors my own. I can use that.
My chains clink as I settle into a more comfortable position. Tomorrow night, I'll delve deeper into her dreams, explore the shadows of her mind. There must be clues about the nature of her power, some hint of how to awaken it.
"Soon." The word echoes in my chamber. "Soon you'll serve your purpose, Vera."
Her name tastes like possibility on my tongue. Like freedom. I just need to be patient, to play the role of mentor and savior until I understand how to harness her magic for my own ends.
My fangs gleam in the darkness as I smile. After centuries of imprisonment, what's a few more nights of careful manipulation?