Kat could only watch with mounting horror as the memory continued rolling. She tried to move her arms, legs, even her wings or tail would be enou… *Did my tail just move a bit?*
"I did need that. I'm sorry Kat, that was very unqueenly behaviour from me. The possibility, the fear of those options was a bit too much. So, I suppose I should explain. The first option is that your presence somehow messes with the enchantment.
"It can't figure out if you're a friend or foe and so it's trying to lead us in a roundabout way so that I can lose you somehow. Honestly, I doubt that's the case, but it's the one I most want to believe. Secondly, the enchantments could be breaking, they have come somewhat unravelled and don't work correctly anymore leading us astray to be lost forever in these tunnels.
"And finally, that I am not my mother's daughter. Last time I tested the route she came with me, and the caves clearly recognised her, she always knew where to go but I only ever had a vague sense of direction and maybe, maybe they think I'm the intruder" said Shizuka
"Shizuka that third possibility might be the single dumbest thing I've ever heard" said Kat
"What would you know, my mother is a wonderful Queen and despite my best efforts I seem only to have talent in magic, the affairs of state constantly escape me, I'm forever walking in my mother's shadow" said Shizuka rambling away
*I guess I'm going to have to watch myself say it aren't I… the thing that started this whole mess…* Kat kept trying to move despite her thoughts, focusing her efforts on her tail. As she did so however, in the corner of her eyes she spotted something.
"Shizuka, have you ever looked in the mirror? I'm not sure what you think, but I have never seen a mother daughter pair that share their looks so completely. Plus your mother isn't an idiot, why would she let you use these tunnels if she knew you weren't her daughter. This is nonsense" said Kat.
Shizuka started cackling against the wall, tears leaking from her eyes. "Can it really be that simple Kat, I always feel so different from her, and I've never met my father… but what do you mean we look similar?" said Shizuka.
*Minor!* Kat realised who the figure in the corner of her eyes was. She looked concerned, but her eyes were firmly focused on Kat's tail.
*Let me see if I can show her.* Kat focused all her attention on her tail, moving it to point at Minor in three short jabs. *Yes!* Kat saw Minor's eyes go wide, and knew she had gotten the message.
"Have you seen yourself in a mirror? You have the same hair, the same face, same build. So much of you is the same it's easier to comment on what's different the only thing distinguishing you from your mother is age and that scar you have, on your left cheek"
"What are you talking about Kat, I have red hair, and certainly no scar" said Shizuka
Kat walked slowly towards Shizuka as she sat on the ground. *Don't do it me.* Kat lashed her tail around grabbing onto her arm and trying to pull it back. However just as she was about to stop herself from touching Shizuka's scar Minor shook her head.
*Dammit… do I just have to watch this?* Minor nodded as if she could read her thoughts, and Kat freed her hand, allowing herself to make the mistake she knew she must.
"It's right here, what are you talking about" said Kat. It was at that moment Shizuka screamed. Kat leapt away from the girl and watched as she started darken. Shizuka had her hand shakily reaching up to her face as the darkness bubbled, and slowly started to seep out of the scar on her head. Oozing out like a tide of ink.
"I ha, have a scar…" said Shizuka haltingly before she snapped her head around to Kat and whispered softly "It is your fault" before promptly collapsing to the side falling limp.
As Shizuka drop to the ground, the world shook and Kat regained control. "Minor I can move again what the hell do we do" said Kat careful to avoid the blackness spilling out of Shizuka's body as it lay on the floor.
"I don't know!" said Minor panicked, making her way over to Kat. "This isn't a memory anymore it's a dream, the rules are completely different if we want to move forward"
Kat grit her teeth "Moving forward isn't the concern, it's keeping ourselves in the dream"
"Oh we are fine on that front" said Minor
"What do you mean" said Kat with narrowed eyes "Isn't all this black gunk Nightmare stuff?"
"No" said Minor, touching her hand to the edge of it to prove a point. Sadly it was not the one she wanted. As soon as her hand came close to the black pool of sludge Kat had been carefully avoiding, the mass reared up and tried to attack Minor.
Moving instinctively, Kat's tail lashed out, wrapping itself around Minor and yanking her back away from the muck. Spreading her wings out, once Minor was out of harm, Kat placed Minor down before taking Minor in her arms and kicking off the ground.
As Kat hovered above the ground, she found herself out of reach of the growing sludge. Shizuka was no longer visible, and the surroundings were being slowly filled with black goop. *Huh… I wonder if I can fly comfortable because this is a dream, or if it is because I'm rank 2*
"Want to rethink how safe that black stuff is" asked Kat holding Minor close to her so she wouldn't fall.
"I… I… I don't know… it doesn't FEEL like Nightmares… like… they have this sort of… fear, as I mentioned and I just don't feel it from that" said Minor.
"Well, what exactly is the plan then. I can't actually keep flying like this for long" said Kat
"What?" Minor paled "You could glide at least for a while before, and you don't seem to be struggling… why can't we just stay here?"
"It still costs me a bit of energy, and I didn't exactly have time to recover much. I've got…" Kat checked her reserves "around a quarter left, and it's falling decently fast. I'd give us five minutes"
Minor frowned "So no cool tricks with demonic fire I assume"
Kat looked down at the roiling mass of darkness that hadn't stopped expanding, and was even starting to climb up. Kat wasn't exactly hovering far off the ground because of the ceiling, but it was safe enough.
"Nope. Though can you maybe give me some space to fly?" asked Kat
"Hmm… yes, because this isn't a memory any more it should be fine" said Minor, looking up. Kat watched as the ceiling gained a hole in it. Flying through revealed an empty dark space with an endless coating of stone as the 'floor'
"Don't touch that floor by the way" said Minor "It isn't exactly 'real' from this side, you'll fall straight through"
Kat frowned "How does that work?"
Minor shrugged "As I said, once the blackness started, we changed over to more of a dream like state, though even that might be a bit misleading, because it isn't like we were completely outside of a dream before… look it's complicated"
"Can you make it simple, seems like the ink didn't take too kindly to leaving it alone" said Kat as she looked down.
The mess of darkness had already spilled out of the hole Kat had escaped through. It looked to be spreading out and upwards, acting more like a pile of sand then the liquid it was supposed to be.
"Ok… um, so, we need to find the representation of Shizuka now that we are here. I'm not quite sure how to do that but… We can sort of warp logic a bit and force things to work" said Minor
"So, what we can go through a door and find her?" asked Kat
"Yes… but it would be really hard for me to make a door, and even harder to make it to the right place" said Minor
*Hmm… what about if I can make just like… a door of fire. Skip the details and pretend to open it?* Kat checked her reserves and saw that the plan might require some time, as she was still burning energy.
"Can we find a place to rest? I really need more energy for this" said Kat
"Maybe?" said Shizuka "Try flying up as high as you can. That should at the very least change the scenery"
Kat shrugged and took off, watching as the sludge beneath her seemed to get further and further away.. Though… it didn't seem to be helping the perpetually dark surroundings, but at least it wasn't moving at all.