Page 7 of Chains of Nightshade

"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 andmine 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 likehoney 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.

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