a garden deep, a garden dark

Thrill. He moved through her cavern with an ease that bordered on insolence, that cool, collected confidence challenging the shadows themselves. Most who came here were marked by caution, eyes darting with that primal sense of self-preservation—but not him. No, he bore no trace of hesitation, his aura bold, as though daring her to reveal herself, to meet him on his terms.

It stirred something in her, an intrigue as she waited with bated breath. She watched with intent, her breath held in a way that wasn’t fearful but electric, on the cusp of laughter. She did not retreat, nor did she recoil. If anything, the idea of turning away now would be a defeat she had no intention of tasting. Let him press on. She wanted him to pursue, to find her, to face her. What might happen when he did?

When he called her sweetheart, the word slithered through the cavern, brushing past her ears like a lover’s insult. She could hear the coolness in his tone, the mockery laced beneath his charm, as though he was already imagining victory. Her smirk grew, a dark glint entering her gaze as she basked in his audacity. He was provoking her, coaxing her from her shadows, his every word a challenge. It was working, She was too hooked on the danger that lurked in the space between them to even think of pulling away.

A soft giggle escaped Illusion, her slender form pressed close to the rock, almost merging with it. The bright, golden markings along her body caught the eerie glow of the mushrooms—a dangerous calling card he was sure to see soon enough. “Oh, I'm not hiding. I'm waiting.” Her voice was a low jingle, soft and calm, yet every pulse of her being vibrated with an eagerness she hadn’t felt in some time. There was no dread here, only a delicious tension, an urge to see just how much his nerve would hold.

Closer, she willed, her claws tapping softly against the stone now, letting the sound drift his way. Each light scrape of her nails against rock was a message, a taunt, a lure to pull him in. The game had begun in earnest.



"Illusion Nightwing"