Hellbound Heart

Screams.

Elle could hear him screaming. Sebastian...

Even in this pit of darkness, Elle could hear the agony and rage in his voice. It was breaking her heart into a million pieces. Because no matter how loud he screams, she couldn't seem to even do anything for him. All she could do was stay there in the dark, moving against her will. A puppet.

She had tried to fight it. So many times... she tried. She'd fought to break free from whatever this thing that was controlling, from whatever this prison she was in. This thing couldn't be a nightmare. There was no way she's just having a nightmare. Everything felt too real to be one. The only thing that would make sense was... she must be under some kind of spell.

This being a nightmare was more impossible to her than it being a spell. Yes, after everything that had happened, Elle could no longer even doubt these things that were nothing but fictional and superstitious to her not too long ago.

The world she knew was no longer the same. And it will never ever be the same anymore.

Right now, she had only one wish. And that's to at least have some kind of power... any sort of power to fight for herself and to do something for the person she holds dear. To at least be able to help.

She remembered how she had wished that this world had magic. So that she could use it to destroy people like Brandon Haze with just the tip of her finger tips. She knew now magic and supernatural beings did actually exist, and yet...

And yet, nothing seemed to change. She was still helpless. Powerless.

"I'LL KILL YOU!!!" These words roared like thunder in the dark. They sounded like they belonged to a beast. A savage beast who wanted nothing but blood and vengeance. Elle knew it also belonged to Sebastian and those words... she didn't know why but she felt like they were aimed towards her.

"I'LL KILL YOU!!!"

The agonizing scream echoed again. The faint sounds of metals in the background now loud in her ears as well. Whatever that was happening outside this little darkness she was trapped into was getting out of control. She could feel the pressure... that familiar air Sebastian exudes getting heavier, deadlier.

Her instinct told her it was time to hide. To take shelter somewhere, anywhere, or she'd get hurt. But she couldn't move her body even if she wanted to run away. She didn't want to run away. Not by herself.

Something hit her. Hard. She didn't know what it was but she was hit almost at the same time something seemed to break.

And whatever that hit her had caused her to hear nothing but loud ringing. It was so loud he couldn't hear anything else but that anymore.

She knew she was thrown away from that strong hit. And she also knew she's going to fall hard to the ground or whatever it was that her body would land into.

But the hard fall didn't happen. Something or someone seemed to catch her, stopping the fatal fall. She couldn't quite tell anymore.

She was on the ground again. Pain started to hit her, making her curl due to the intensity of it.

A strong and rough hand grabbed her in the neck. A shriek was torn from her lips as she was pinned hard against the cold hard bars behind her.

And then it dawned to her – despite all the numbing pain – that she was finally out of that darkness. Her body... it was no longer under someone else's control. Her eyes could see something now. The darkness that seemed to completely cover her vision was completely gone.

Sebastian's face was the very first she saw. He looked so wretched, so deadly. His eyes burning with an inferno of rage and hatred and bloodlust no one, not even the gods, could seem to extinguish.

And his hand... it was wrapped hard around her neck.

Elle couldn't speak. Much less breathe.

She didn't even have an ounce of strength to try to get away from his grasp. He was too strong. Trying to get away from him would be utterly futile even if she did have any strength left in her.

He was snarling something viscious she could no longer hear or understand. She knew she's going to lose consciousness due to lack of air very soon. So, she reached out to touch his face.

Everything ached. Her heart ached. Seeing him like this ached so bad. Seeing him looking at her with those deadly emotions in his eyes was crushing her heart to ashes.

She didn't know what exactly was going on but she knew Sebastian was seeing someone else in her. She could see it clearly in those eyes. And if she couldn't make him see this was her, he might end up... killing her.

But like always, she was helpless. There was nothing she could do. Couldn't even call out his name to let him know it's her.

Her tears fell as her weak hand touched his face. All she could do was hope that her touch would be enough to reach him or wake him up.

Sebastian's eyes widened. The black in them nearly swallowed all the greys.

The tight grip of his hand around her neck loosened.

He looked as though an extreme shock rendered him paralyzed for a moment. Then, he let go of her.

His hands, his body... they started trembling so hard as he staggered backwards. The rage and bloodlust now instantly replaced with something completely different. Despair and fear and hurt.

Elle gasped for air as she slid on the ground. Her coughs and pants echoed loudly as Sebastian stood there. The deafening and chaotic noises outside the bars and maybe even outside the dungeons didn't even make him glance away from her.

Sebastian just looked down at her like he was watching his whole world crumbling to ashes right before his eyes.