Novel & Cerita Illusion A Novel

“Just like always.” Her form melted into smoke. Another figure formed, and this time, my father. Then another my younger self, bloodied and crying. Then Matilda, whispering poison. Then Jeffrey lying dead on the ground, blood everywhere. “No,” I whispered as each illusion attacked my mind, flashing in and out, filling the crypt with faces I couldn’t bear to see. Lyra grabbed my wrist and wrote desperately: Don’t look at them! They feed off focus! “Right,” I whispered.

"We have come this far together. No illusion can break our bond." The figure's eyes gleamed with an eerie light as it waved a hand, conjuring a thick mist that surrounded them. The mist swirled, taking shape to form vivid scenes from their pasts. Shadows danced and whispered, taunting them with their deepest regrets and insecurities. Luna felt her heart constrict as she was confronted with an illusion of her late parents, their voices filled with disappointment in her. Tears welled in her eyes, but she fought against the illusion, reminding herself that it was not real.

As if the very air remembered things she had not yet lived. This temple was not a ruin. It was a record. And it was reading her. The light from the doorway shrank to a pin behind her, then vanished entirely. She did not summon flame. She did not need to. The temple glowed from within, a slow, steady heartbeat pulsing through its walls. And then, The first illusion appeared. Elara. Not the queen. Not the legend. Not the woman crowned in resistance. Just a girl. Blood on her hands. Kneeling beside a body Seren didn’t recognize, maybe a brother, a friend, a stranger. The kind of loss that brands without name. Elara’s shoulders shook, but no sound came. Just the hollow stillness of someone alrea

The ones who were still alive though all had the same lost, hypnotized look on their eyes, eyelids heavy and jaws dropped, they were all inside a similar illusion, one which was probably built around their fears, their pain, and their regrets. It was all but another trap, Rima thought to herself as she slowly started to notice the dewy fog surrounding them, it was the very first time she noticed it, meaning it wasn’t there before she started hallucinating, the fog itself was the enemy, the second line of defense around the center which she didn’t know off.

“They’re testing our perceptions. Our ability to see beyond illusions.” I stepped closer to her, my heart pounding. “What do you mean? What kind of illusions?” Althea didn’t answer. Instead, she pointed to the mirror in front of her. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary reflection, showing the five of us standing in a semicircle. But as I looked closer, I realized something was wrong. My reflection wasn’t wearing the golden gown from before. Instead, it was dressed in black, its eyes hollow and lifeless. It stared back at me with an intensity that made my skin crawl.

The water mixed with her blood would help me remain sane, preventing me from believing this was the real world, the way the illusion was intended to work. “I accept you, Pierce.” Ruelle’s haunting voice made me go still. “I want you to seal the mate bond. Mark me.” For one dangerous second, I forgot everything. “Won’t you say anything?” she asked with a smile. My eyes narrowed. “Stop it.” “Stop what?” I gritted my teeth. This illusion was insane, and I couldn’t allow it to get inside my head. She was fake. The real Ruelle was waiting for me in the real world. She was safe in my room, and the woman standing before me was nothing more than a phantom created from my deepest desires.

Too quiet. I can feel it in my chest... this buzzing. This change. Every time I blink, I see flashes that don’t belong. A cabin. A girl with lightning in her eyes. Her name hovers just out of reach. “Are we getting closer?” I ask. Elira turns, and her smile is brittle. “Closer to what?” “Myself. My truth.” She tilts her head. “Does truth matter, if it breaks you?” The buzzing gets louder. I step back. “What do you mean?”

Finally, Ilise blinked and released her, and Lena felt a great weight leave her body. "I do hope we can talk again soon, Lena. Enjoy the party," Ilise called. Lena stood still for several moments as she waited for the world to stop spinning. She hadn't realized that she'd been alone with Ilise—the room was completely empty. Lena blinked several times and sat back down on the lounge, in an attempt to convince herself that what had just happened...actually happened. Ilise had arrived and disappeared so quickly, that if Lena were any drunker, she could have convinced herself it was a temporary hallucination.

A hollow, twisted representation of her existence. Gathering the torn bits of her sketchbook, she gradually proceeded to take the pages out one by one, reducing her desires and visions to scattered ashes of oblivion. Soon, the once-vibrant space lay cocooned in a blanket of smothering silence, a little purgatory where she could simply cease to exist. The door suddenly burst open, shattering Lila's dismal bubble. She flinched involuntarily at the disruption, bracing herself for a verbal barrage of darts and spiteful hatred...

Problematic stopped me, but soon lifted my head when I didn't get her reply, only to find that it was just a mere hallucination. Yes, an illusion. Sometimes I get illusions, as the physician said it's all because of my hectic schedule, but the truth is something else. It's because of Nova, my ex-girlfriend, and I am confident that I imagined her stopping me from enjoying the wine and trying to seduce me. But let's not think about her for a while, as I am already trying to distract myself from some bitter memories of my mother. Thinking this, I stood up and moved towards the gallery, sipping wine and looking outside, but soon came back as there was nothing I could enjoy, even for a few second