FicWad

-Jason struck his forearm against the spikes perforating his torso, but they were rigid and showed no sign of breaking. He tried telling himself that it wasn’t real, that none of it was real, but his body didn’t believe him. Pain pulsed along his nerves like lightning.

-Jeffery laughed, and Jason looked up to see more slithering extensions coming out of Jeffery’s wrist. They were smaller and coiled along the lengths of the spikes like snakes. All Jason could do was watch helplessly as the black eels slithered closer to him. The closest of the creatures opened a tiny mouth full of needle-like teeth and let out a high screech before launching itself at Jason’s face. It burrowed into his cheek, chewing through his flesh and squirming under his skin. Jason screamed in pain as the rest of Jeffery’s extensions drove into Jason’s body in the same manner.

-Jason was in so much pain he couldn’t think. He could only feel the disgusting creatures sliding around inside of him, tearing at him, devouring him from the inside out. The only thing Jason was aware of was all consuming agony, driving his mind to rely on its basic survival instinct: fight to survive.

-Without conscious thought, Jason reached down for his power, and unleashed it in a fit of desperation. He screamed, but not from pain. It was a cry of rage, of indignation, of effort, and of defiance. The eels and spikes were obliterated by the invisible force of Jason’s will. They were destroyed all the way back to their source, and Jeffery was thrown back as if he had been shot by a cannon. The dark lord slammed through the back of his throne and tumbled out of sight behind it. The wall and ground around Jason had also crumbled and cracked under the force of his outburst.

-Jason stood amidst the debris, bleeding and out of breath. His eyes were wide from shock, his shoulders were slumped from the effort, but he was still alive. As he regained his senses, he looked down at his wounds. Blood oozed from several holes in his torso. If it had been real, he would have been dead already, but it wasn’t real. None of this was real. It wasn’t his real body.

-Jason focused on that thought, and willed himself to heal. He forced his body to believe it as much as he did. Slowly but surely, Jason’s wounds began to close up. The pain from his injuries evaporated, and he was restored. He held out his hand and willed his sword to reform. Now that he fully understood what was happening, it was much easier to use his power. It was simply the power of his imagination, of his mind.

-Jason heard a dark, malevolent chuckle and turned to see Jeffery rising from under the rubble. Jeffery popped his neck from side to side with a smirk on his face. “Now that’s more like it,” he said as he came out from behind his ruined throne. He flexed his fingers and looked at Jason with stone cold eyes. “Now let’s see if your fear is any match for my rage.”

-Jeffery’s face contorted into something barely human, and he let out a scream of fury. Jason was hit by an enormous pressure, as if there were a tornado in the room trying to blow him off of his feet. He crossed his arms in front of himself to try and guard against it, but Jeffery’s power was unstoppable. Jason was slammed back into the wall behind him. Bits of the floor were torn up and thrown at him, and the wall itself collapsed on him.

-Jason pushed the large stones off of himself, but he was getting tired. He realized it wasn’t his body that was fatigued, but rather his mind. This was a battle of wills, and if what he had just felt was any indication, Jeffery had the advantage.

-Jason looked up at Jeffery, standing over him with a confident smirk on his face, arms folded across his chest, waiting patiently. Jason knew that Jeffery was waiting for him to attack, but Jason didn’t want to. His anger had given way to guilt. All of this was his fault. He had put Jeffery into a coma and created this world. All the people that Jason had thought Jeffery had tormented and killed, the very source of Jason’s indignation, hadn’t been real. Jason ‘s heart sank as he realized that the only person in the room who had caused actual harm to another human being, was himself.

-“Jeffery, please stop this. It serves no purpose for us to fight any more.”

-“Sure it does,” Jeffery said with a wicked smile. “It’s fun.”

-“I don’t want to fight you. I know I did this to you, but this isn’t helping anything.”

-Jeffery looked at Jason with disgust and said, “You know, I liked it better when you were an asshole. What’s with all this pathetic wining? Just quite your whimpering, and attack!” Jeffery launched himself at Jason. His fist came down, and what was left of the stone floor exploded as Jason jumped away.

-“It can’t be a coincidence that I’m here,” Jason said as he tried to keep his distance from Jeffery. “Maybe there’s a reason. Let me help you wake up from this. Maybe I‘m here to save you.”

-Jeffery held his right arm straight out to the side. Living shadows swirled around it and tore his sleeve apart. Jason’s eyes widened as he watched Jeffery’s arm nearly doubled its muscle mass. Jeffery narrowed his eyes at Jason and said, “You’re here to bleed, mother fucker.”

-Jeffery moved so fast that Jason didn’t even see it. Jeffery clotheslined him with his bulging forearm and ran him into a wall. Jason spit up blood and choked on it as he tried to take a breath. He felt like he had just been hit by a wrecking ball. Before he could get a second wind, Jeffery let loose with a dizzying combination of punches and kicks in rapid succession. Pinned against the wall, Jason couldn’t do anything other than take the beating and wait for an opening.

-He got his chance when Jeffery reared pack to deliver a finishing blow. Jason ducked in time to avoid it, and Jeffery’s fist went into the wall up to his elbow. Jason took advantage and stood while driving his fist upwards into Jeffery’s face with enough force to take the dark lord off of his feet.

-Jeffery rolled backwards but ended up on his feet. Blood trickled down from a gash on his cheek. Jason had split it down to the bone, but Jeffery only smiled as he wiped the wound away with the back of his hand.

-“If you only fight back when I back you in a corner, this isn’t going to be very challenging,” Jeffery said. His eyes were on Jason with the wild intensity of a jungle cat watching a water-buffalo. Despite his ferocious attacks, he wasn’t even breathing hard.

-Jason knew he was right. He didn’t want to fight Jeffery, but there seemed to be no other way of getting through to him. “Fine. if force is the only thing you understand, I’ll just have to beat some sense into you.”

-Jeffery’s response was a wide, sadistic grin and an unsettling noise somewhere between a sigh and a hiss as he held out his hand, and his blade returned to its master. The two men charged each other. They struck their swords together, sending sparks flying and the resounding clangs echoing off the stone walls. After several strikes, both blades shattered against one another.

-With no weapons to use, the two of them went at each other with their bare hands. Throwing punches and kicks, neither one taking a real advantage. The more they fought, the more feral they became. Jeffery dodged one of Jason’s punches and grabbed the outstretched arm to flip its owner onto his back. Jason cried out, but that was a mistake. Jeffery reached down and put his fingers in Jason’s mouth, and used it as a handle to fling him into a stone pillar.

-The column split in two from the impact. Before the upper piece could fall to the ground, Jason caught it and heaved it at Jeffery. The airborne chunk of rock exploded, and Jeffery emerged from the dust coming for Jason and screaming in rage. Rather than dodge or run, Jason jumped forward and drove his forehead into Jeffery’s nose.

-The impact nearly knocked Jason unconscious, but it sent Jeffery reeling with blood dripping from his face like a fountain. Jeffery looked at Jason and smiled as he reached up and pushed the broken cartilage back into place with his thumb. It made a sickening crunch, but Jeffery didn’t seem to mind at all.

-Jeffery held out his hand, and the spikes shot out at Jason again, but this time he was ready for them. He reached down for his power and channeled it out as a shield. The spikes were torn apart before getting anywhere near Jason’s body. Jason smirked at Jeffery, but Jeffery didn’t seem disappointed by the outcome. When Jason looked more closely, he realized why: Jeffery’s other hand was pointing down, but extensions had shot out of it as well, right into the floor.

-Jason didn’t react fast enough. Several black snakes shot up out of the ground beneath him. Four of them managed to pierce through his body and lift him into the air. They coiled around him, squeezing so tightly he thought his head would explode from the pressure.

-Jeffery walked over to Jason, his right hand hanging at his side with the tendrils still attached. The coils around Jason lowered him down to their owner and held Jason upright, as if he were wrapped in a giant cocoon. Jeffery smiled at Jason, but it was the cruel grin of a predator that had caught its prey.

-Jason didn’t see Jeffery move, he simply felt the impact of Jeffery’s fist into his stomach. Jason’s mouth went agape as he choked of air. It felt like Jeffery had driven his fist up into Jason’s lungs. Jeffery’s toothy grin widened as he ground his knuckles, twisting them into Jason. The cocoon holding Jason rocked backwards as Jeffery drew his fist back, and then the two raced towards each other, and Jeffery’s fist was driven up into Jason’s diaphragm again.

-Again and again, Jason was swung back and forth as Jeffery struck him in the stomach as though he were a punching bag. It was happening so fast that ten repetitions occurred in a matter of seconds. Jason coughed up blood, and Jeffery paused for a moment before striking him across the face hard enough to swing the cocoon and Jason down into the ground. Jason’s head hit the ground and he nearly blacked out.

-The tendrils slowly righted Jason again. Jason raised his head to look at Jeffery, standing before him with inhuman eyes. Jeffery was just as much a demon as his monsters. In fact, Jason realized that the monsters were just an extension of Jeffery. This whole damned world was a reflection of Jeffery’s mind, and when Jason realized that, he understood that there was no saving Jeffery. He knew what he had to do.

-Jason’s head dropped limply, and Jeffery took a step forward. “Not giving out on me already are you?” he said as he grabbed Jason’s hair and lifted his face back up. Jason opened his eyes to find Jeffery’s face inches from his own. He shot forward with his mouth open, and bite down on Jeffery’s nose as hard as he could.

-Blood sprayed from between Jason’s teeth as Jeffery screamed in pain and surprise. He pulled away from Jason, leaving most of his nose in Jason’s mouth. Jeffery’s hand covered the wound, and when he looked up at Jason, Jason spit the blood he was holding in his mouth into Jeffery’s eyes.

-Jeffery staggered back blinded and cursing, “You dirty bastard!” Jason wasted no time. He reached down for his power and roared as he brought it out. The tentacles that held him exploded, and Jason pulled out one of the fragments still piercing his body. He willed it to become a long, black spear in his hands. Jeffery was standing in front of him, blind and helpless. Jason had his shot, and he would put it straight through Jeffery’s heart to end this madness once and for all.

-“Good bye,” Jason said. He threw the spear with all of his might, and it flew true.

-Jason didn’t know where she came from, or how long she had been watching. He only knew that there was a blur of motion, and then Raven was standing between himself and Jeffery with her arms spread wide and the spear in her chest. She looked at Jason with such fierce eyes, as if she were blaming him for some terrible crime. A deathly silence fell over them as they stared at each other, until Raven’s expression became slack, and she collapsed to the ground.