Elara's hand clenched tighter on her lasso as Dark Elara's words sunk in. She looked at Alice, who was clearly struggling with the effects of low Sanity Index.

  Dark Elara took another step forward, her expression filled with dark delight. "Just think about it," she said softly, voice dripping with venom. "With your friend in this state… she'll be completely vulnerable. And completely under my control.”

  Elara's eyes widened at Dark Elara's implication. "You wouldn't dare..." she growled, stepping protectively in front of Alice.

  Dark Elara just smiled, slow and dangerous.

  "Wouldn’t I?" she purred. “She can barely hear you... but I speak the language of unraveling minds.”

  She tilted her head toward Alice, and with a soft, melodic whisper:

  “Alice… come here.”

  And to Elara’s horror…

  Alice took a shaky step forward.

  Elara's heart lurched as Alice stepped forward, as if drawn by some invisible thread.

  "Alice, no—!" she cried.

  Dark Elara smirked, eyes glimmering like a predator as she beckoned again: "Now, Alice… come to me."

  And to Elara's dread, Alice obeyed, stumbling toward Dark Elara like a puppet on strings.

  Elara felt a wave of despair wash over her as she watched Dark Elara claim Alice, her friend's free will seemingly slipping away before her very eyes.

  Alice's eyes remained glazed over, her expression blank as she stood motionless in Dark Elara's arm.

  Dark Elara smirked, clearly enjoying her victory. "Just look at how easy she is to control, now," she purred, running her fingers through Alice's hair like a twisted form of affection. "No more witty remarks. No more resistance.”

  Elara's fists tightened, her breaths coming short and fast. She couldn’t let this happen, not to Alice.

  “You think this is power?” she spat, voice shaking with fury. “Manipulating a broken mind? That’s not strength, that’s cowardice!”

  Dark Elara only laughed, unfazed. “Call it what you want. The result is the same, she obeys me, not you.”

  She turned Alice slightly and whispered in her ear:

  “Smile for your friend.”

  And like a puppet on strings...

  Alice smiled, a hollow, empty grin that didn’t reach her eyes.

  Elara flinched as if struck.

  Then, through gritted teeth, she raised the lasso high.

  "Then I'll break every chain you've wrapped around her," she vowed, golden light blazing brighter than ever. "Even if I have to drag you both back into the light!”

  Dark Elara's eyes widened in surprise as the lasso snaked towards her, and on sheer reflex, she grabbed Alice, swinging her like a shield.

  The golden beam hit Alice like a freight train, and just for a moment, her eyes cleared...

  For a moment, she saw Elara as if through a hazy mirage…

  And then Dark Elara let out a sharp, angry hiss, jerking Alice back into position.

  "Nice try," she muttered, wrapping an possessive arm around Alice again. "But I'm not letting go that easily.”

  Elara felt a flicker of hope. That brief moment of clarity in Alice's eyes, it was something, wasn't it? A sign that beneath the darkness, her friend was still in there...

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Alice..." Elara called softly, trying to reach her. "It's okay... I'm here..."

  But Dark Elara silenced her with a laugh.

  "Don't bother," she sneered, her grip on Alice growing tighter. "You're wasting your breath, darling. Alice can't hear you anymore. Her mind has been reshaped... molded to my liking.”

  Elara's heart lurched at those words. Reshaped... molded... the very idea was sickening.

  But she couldn't give up hope. Not yet.

  "Alice isn't yours to shape," she argued, golden light flaring in her eyes. "No matter how much you try to break her... she'll still find a way back to herself."

  But Dark Elara only shook her head, a cruel smile twisting her lips. "You're deluding yourself," she purred, her hand stroking Alice's hair almost affectionately, her fingers getting tangled in the tight curls.

  Elara felt a lump rise in her throat as Dark Elara toyed with Alice's hair. The sight was too painfully intimate, like watching a puppet-master toying with a helpless plaything.

  "I'm not deluding myself!" Elara protested, her voice rising. "I know Alice! She's strong... stronger than you think!"

  Dark Elara let out a sharp, sarcastic laugh. "That's a lot to say about someone you've only known for just a few days," she said, her tone mocking.

  Elara stiffened at that, feeling her cheeks flush with guilt. It was true that she and Alice had only known each other for a short while... but that didn't change how she felt.

  "It doesn't matter how long I've known her," she retorted, trying to defend herself. "I can feel her spirit, and I know she's strong beneath the surface. I still care about her, more than you ever will."

  Dark Elara's lips pulled into a cold smile.

  "Oh, I highly doubt that," she purred, running her fingers over Alice's cheek in a mockery of affection.

  Elara's cheeks burned hotter as she watched Dark Elara's hand caress Alice's cheek. The sight was so disturbingly intimate, like a twisted version of a mother-daughter bond.

  "You don't know anything about how much I care," she insisted, struggling to keep her voice steady. "I'd go to the ends of the earth for Alice... I'd do anything to get her back."

  Dark Elara's smirk widened, a cruel glint in her eye. "Anything, huh?" she echoed, the words dripping with mockery. "Would you...journey through Euphoria for her?”

  Elara flinched at the mention of Euphoria. The place was nothing but chaos, a land of madness and drugs, exactly where someone like Dark Elara would thrive.

  But she didn't hesitate.

  "Yes," she said firmly, lifting her chin. "Even if I have to walk through fire... even through Euphoria, I'll bring Alice back."

  Dark Elara let out a slow, impressed hum, then suddenly tightened her grip on Alice.

  "Then prove it."

  With a sharp twist of power, shadows surged beneath them, and in an instant...

  The ground gave way.

  Elara barely had time to cry out as the void opened beneath her feet,

  And with one final glance at Alice's hollow eyes...

  She fell into darkness.

  The fall seemed endless.

  Elara tumbled through the void, darkness swirling around her like ink in water.

  Then, impact.

  She hit solid ground with a grunt, rolling onto her back. Above her, no sky... just an endless black ceiling pulsing with faint neon veins. The air smelled like burnt sugar and static.

  Welcome to Euphoria.

  Around her: glowing mushrooms towering like trees, rivers of shimmering liquid light, and distant laughter, high-pitched, broken, wrong.

  Somewhere ahead, a figure stepped from behind a pillar of twisted crystal.

  A young woman wearing a black and red ōkuninushinese schoolgirl uniform with a short skirt and cobalt blue pantyhose stood there in the trippy glow. Her eyes burned electric violet, her hair long and raven with indigo highlights.

  "Name yourself," she ordered, deadpan.

  Elara pushed herself up slowly... heart pounding louder than ever before.

  Elara tried to catch her breath, scanning her surroundings warily.

  "Elara Moon," she replied, pushing to her feet.

  The girl in the schoolgirl uniform tilted her head, eyes flickering over Elara with intense focus. Her gaze was almost hawk-like, taking in every detail.

  "Why have you come?" she suddenly demanded, voice crisp and sharp. "If you do not have a reasonable purpose, you will be dealt with swiftly…”

  Elara fought the urge to shiver under the girl's intense gaze. This place... and this person... they were unlike anything she'd ever experienced.

  "I came here to save a friend," she said firmly. "She's been... manipulated. Taken over. I have to bring her back, before it's too late."

  The schoolgirl in the uniform raised an eyebrow. "A friend." She repeated. Her tone was mocking. "And why do you care to bring her back? Does she mean something to you?”

  Elara’s breath hitched at the question, not because it was hard to answer, but because it cut so deep.

  "Yes," she said, voice soft but unwavering. "She means everything."

  The schoolgirl stared at her for a long moment, violet eyes unreadable. Then, without warning, she stepped forward and grabbed Elara by the collar of her coat.

  "Then prove it," she hissed. "Euphoria eats weak hearts alive. If you truly mean what you say... then let your pain be your compass."

  With a sharp shove, she sent Elara stumbling back toward a pulsing gateway of liquid light that hummed like a heartbeat.

  "Cross through," the girl commanded. "Face what you fear most in here… or lose her forever.”