Tal’s dream was relentless. The room he found himself in was dark. The walls were made of stone, the ceiling too high to see and the ground was covered in a sticky liquid with a metallic scent. Tal recognised it in an instant and his body revolted. He fell to his knees and retched. Stemming his hands into the ground, he was searching for support and yelled. The blood was everywhere. More retching made his body tremble and his limbs weak. He wanted to get up and wipe the blood away but he couldn’t move.

Panic filled his chest and tightened it when he realised he was paralysed. He was breathing shallowly but somehow the air didn’t reach his lungs. It got stuck in his throat. As a reaction to the lack of air he took quicker, rapid breaths. Nothing helped. The air didn’t get past his throat and his vision grew hazy.

“Hey hey hey.” A voice came out of nowhere. It echoed through the room and shed some light. Slowly, Tal’s lungs filled with air. He could breathe again. Another body settled down next to him. A pair of warm hands reached for his cheeks and he dared to look up. As soon as he locked eyes with the other person a scream escaped his lips. Nik.

“What’s wrong, Taliesin?” Nik asked with concern in his voice. Tal tried to avoid his eye but he was unable to look away. He tried to close his eyes but an unknown force had taken control over his body. He had no choice but to view him. Nik was covered in blood. His clothes were torn and tainted. He reminded Tal of a fighter after they’d lost a battle. The smile on his lips gave Tal the creeps.

“What’s wrong, Tal?” Nik asked again but this time his voice was teasing, cold. Tal was still frozen in place. He couldn’t talk, couldn’t blink. He felt utterly helpless. At least he had stopped retching. “You don’t like blood?” Nik was caressing his cheek. His thumb brushed over his skin and deliberately touched his lips. “I did it for you. The blood. It’s for you, Taliesin. It’s all for you.”

Too late Tal realised what Nik was going to do. He doubted that he would have had any chance of stopping him but when Nik’s lips touched his, a shiver ran down his spine and he whined. He wanted to scream and cry instead but a whine  was all he managed to do. The blood from Nik’s lips was all over his mouth now, he tasted it on his tongue. The scent hit his nose and made tears form in his eyes.

“Shhhh…” Nik whispered and leaned his forehead against Tal’s in a warm and caring gesture. It was all fake. He wiped the tears from his cheeks and drew away. “That was just the first sacrifice. Once you get used to it…” He licked over his fingers and laughed. He sucked the blood from the skin and if Tal had any control over his body he would have vomited right then.

“You’ll love it soon. They taste so sweet.” Nik was acting so oddly that Tal was sure it couldn’t be real. He wasn’t a monster. He wasn’t crazy. It couldn’t be real. As if Nik could read his thoughts, his expression turned sour. “She’s next.” He bellowed but his voice sounded strangely distorted.

The girl he referred to was Sally. And upon being brought into the light she cried out loudly. As much as she could. She knelt tied and gagged before them. Tal’s head began to spin. Where did she suddenly appear from? She hadn’t been there just one moment ago. Did she teleport in here? The room was too dark. Too dark to see, too dark to think and figure anything out. He felt himself gradually succumbing to that darkness. It slipped past his defences and clouded his mind. The darkness whispered to him in an all too familiar voice.

“That’s the real Nik, Tal.” It was his own voice but different. It was filled with bitterness and anger. No, he thought as he was unable to make a real sound. Nik stood in front of Sally. He was pointing the tip of his sword against her throat. He seemed calm and collected but something was off. He didn’t budge. He was waiting.

“He said it, didn’t he?” His own voice giggled close to his ear. “It’s all yours, Tal. Make the call. Command him to kill her.” No, he thought with more pressure and the voice snarled at him. “You’re a fool, Taliesin. Your heart is too easy.” He wouldn’t do that. A pair of hands grabbed at his shoulders and a transparent Taliesin materialised in front of him. His eyes were red and his mouth filled with sharp fangs and crooked teeth. He looked like a demonic version of himself, like a monster.

“You saw him kill those people. Remember!” No! Tears streamed down his cheeks and his demonic self scratched at his face. For the first time Tal managed to scream. “Give him the orders and remember!” His lips twitched in response to the demon but Tal opposed him. He was fighting against the urge to speak. He strained his jaw, groaned and screamed. Tal tried everything to keep the words from spilling out. “You cannot resist me, Taliesin. Speak. ”

A wave of coldness rushed over him. It forced his trembling lips apart and made a smirk appear on the demon’s face. “Kill her.” Tal demanded. He spat the words out as if they were acid. They had burned their way up his throat and forced his own mouth to betray him. Now there was nothing left but the taste of his own blood. Nik turned to face him with a happy expression.

“Thought you’d never say it.” He chuckled and lifted his sword. “Bye Sally.” He directed his words at Sally and she teared up. Before she could bargain for her life and try to wiggle her way out of the restraints he slashed her throat open. New blood covered the ground and splashed at the walls and Nik himself. Sally’s body was twitching on the ground while she suffocated on her own blood.

Tal was dizzy and nauseous. He wanted it to end, he wanted to leave and escape this hell but the demon kept control over his body. He only wanted to close his eyes and wake up now. He was sure that this could only be a cruel dream, a nightmare invoked by his darkest fears and traumas.

“Stop.” He begged and was surprised to hear his own voice. Nik knelt down next to Sally and fed on her body like a hungry vampire. It was worse than anything Tal had ever seen before. “Please!” He cried out. The demon was gone as was his strength. Tal’s body was limp but he was desperate enough to drag himself over to Nik.

“Stop. This isn’t you.” Nik looked up at him in confusion. Fresh blood dripped from the corner of his lips. “I did this for you.” He whispered with a sad expression. “I killed them for you.” “Them?” The lights turned on and revealed that the small room was actually a big industrial hall. A hall filled with corpses. Tal was about to faint when Nik cupped his cheeks. “It’s all for you.”

When their lips met Tal’s body shut down completely. He woke up with a startled scream. Tal was drenched in sweat and when he remembered his dream he had just enough time to run to the bathroom to throw up. He cried for hours with only one thought on his mind.

Nik.

Nik wasn’t a monster and if Tal really was the reason for his killing sprees then he had a chance of stopping him. After all, what kind of descendant would he be if he couldn’t stop a mortal madman?