i should stop writing stupid shit

It started simple. Darkness, as far as the eye could see. A void, the likes of which she was familiar with. The dreamless nights were peaceful, but left her no stories to tell come morning's light. But cognizance among that void was rare and foreboding.

The blackness around her was like a mist, a haze that drowned out the light. Only barely through it now could she see the ruins at which they had found that note. She felt that heaviness in her chest again, even moreso than before. It was painful, and it burned, it burned like the fires of the Nine Hells, like a horde of flaming hornets stinging and trying to break free.

The mist did not part as she walked on into the ruined town. The nightmarish fog hung over her head like storm clouds and the threat of death. Somehow, she was drawn to the temple in the middle of town, like metal to a magnet or flies to a corpse. Shining through the depths was a light, bright and golden. She was pulled toward it. Compelled by some unknown force.

The burning spread. Now she felt it on her neck. Those bite-marks may as well have been a countdown timer marring her skin after that. They felt fresh, like something digging down past her skin and draining the blood from her body and it wouldn't let go and it wouldn't stop and it would never stop. Never. And she would never try to remove it because she knew she didn't have the nerve to say no, she didn't want to say no, even after that, even after being sold to her own grave.

When she reached the light, she saw her on the ground, back turned, that damned halo over her head like she was some kind of paragon but of course she was a paragon, she didn't know, it wasn't her fault. Weeping. Sobbing over a charred black body, to the bone in some places, of a black fox.

And it looked like her, and she knew it could be her. It was going to be her. It was, and no one could stop it now, no one could take her place and spare her the pain, she was going to burn to death alone and miserable. Just like this, in a pitch black void of her own despair with no one but herself to blame for her gullibility and no friends and no sister and no family no anything it was all gone it was all worthless absolutely worthless there was nothing left nothing at all-

She stood there for a long while. Watching dearest sister weep. And she heard it and it made the burning hurt worse and it choked her so she couldn't say anything. It was pain. Sister's sadness was pain it was unfair she was just trying to help... she was... wasn't she? She was, she had to have been, sister was only ever trying to help even if it meant sacrifice painful sacrifice she was going to die gonna die gonna be nothing left no body no memory nothing it was all gone gone GONE--

Eventually, she tapped her shoulder.

A part of her thought that she would turn around and there would be something horribly wrong. But no. It was only dearest sister, reaching out to her, like she needed her, offering her embrace. And she moved to take it.

And she caught fire.

And it was as if she could actually feel the flames tear away at her skin as the world lit up and she saw everyone she had met in turn, felt their sorrow, watched them slowly forget she ever existed no please don't forget me no no no stop I'm still here I never left please don't forget me!! Sister no please don't leave me where is the recognition in your eyes please remember no gods no please don't let her forget don't let her forget don't let her DON'T LET HER!!

And in a jolt, it was over. Everything normal, nothing changed.

She didn't fall asleep again that night.