The light flickered once, then fell into shadow. The room was no longer a sterile, white chamber. Instead, it was suffocating and grim. Chains clinked gently with each breath Lina took, her arms stretched high above her head, wrists in metal cuffs bolted to the ceiling. Her legs were similarly shackled, the iron digging into the skin just above her ankles. Cold and stripped down to nothing but her undergarments, she should have felt fear. But instead, Lina was calm. Her eyes didn't blink when Ladina entered.
Ladina's heels echoed against the concrete as she strutted in, eyes locked on Lina, face unreadable. She wasn't in her white uniform anymore. She wore black now, lips painted darker than usual, her posture unnervingly upright. In one hand, she held a knife; in the other, an axe.
"Trying to manipulate a psychologist," Ladina said coldly. "Did you really think you could fool me with a dream inside a dream?"
Lina's lips curled into a smirk. "Oh yeah? What about your friends? They sure got a taste of it. Where did all that psychology knowledge go?"
Ladina's eyes narrowed. "They'll be fine. I'll make sure of it."
"Next time you trap someone in a dream," Lina said, tone mocking, "don't forget that clothes don't smell like rain if they were never dried in open air. And yeah, strawberry-flavored blood? Really subtle."
Ladina clenched her jaw. Her composure cracked for the briefest second before she waved her hand.
The illusion shattered.
The white room morphed into something darker, colder. A dungeon with flickering lights and muffled cries.
In the cell opposite Lina, Seraina, Annelise, and Noemie were locked behind bars. They weren't shackled, but the fear in their eyes said enough. They had been tortured emotionally, maybe even physically. But it wasn't just pain in their expressions...it was helplessness.
"You bitch," Ladina hissed, throwing the knife she held. It struck the bars, and the clang made Seraina jump. Ladina strode toward the girls.
Noemie backed up, but Ladina pulled a hidden switch. A pulse of agony twisted Noemie's face. She dropped to the floor like a puppet with severed strings, screaming like a child.
Lina's face twitched. Her wrists bled as she twisted them, trying to break free. "Wait. You're hurting her. Stop!"
But Ladina didn't even look back. She pulled another blade and threw it close to Seraina. The girl screamed, instinctively curling up, her knees hugging her chest.
"Comfort them," Lina pleaded. "Annelise, please. Hug them. Tell them it'll be okay."
Annelise hesitated but crawled to them and wrapped her arms around the sobbing Noemie and trembling Seraina.
Ladina clapped slowly. "Oh, the beauty of friendship. It brings tears to my eyes."
She turned back to Lina, her face hard now, the bitter tension in her jaw showing through. The spotlight over Lina dimmed to blood-red.
Ladina stepped forward. "Let's see who's laughing after this. You think you're clever? You won't even be able to speak after this."
Lina's breath caught when she saw the Dream Eater machine.
It was sleek, terrifying...a helmet bristling with thin, metallic probes, flashing lights, and wires like tentacles. She shook her head, yanking at her chains.
"Please.... don't."
Ladina came close. Her voice softened, disturbingly motherly. "Don't be afraid. You're a good girl, aren't you?"
She slid the helmet onto Lina's head. Lina shook, her whole body convulsing as the machine tightened. A low hum filled the air.