Mortal Magic: Broken

After we left the gates of Redgard we were quiet and kept to ourselves. I was mostly trying to avoid talking to him as he was sure to either make my face turn red from embarrassment again or he would ask me something that I didn’t want to discuss. Fortunately he didn’t try to start a conversation so we were just making our way to the village in silence.

The distance was great and with our feet only we were making little progress. The sun was high above our heads and the heat was unbearable. Not long after our departure we were sweating and I was getting worse with every passing moment. I was able to conceal my condition saying that it was just the after effect of the moon again, but Yuto was starting to worry too much. I needed to rest more frequently and that was proving a hindrance as my breaks lasted for half an hour every time.

That was not the hard part of our travel though as evening was upon us and the last time we ate was before the blood moon. We had no money to buy something from Redgard and no food from before. The only things we had were the clothes Yuto found this morning. Hunger took its toll on us when the moon started to rise and we had no more energy to keep going. Of course we had the choice to look for something in the meadows and we did look, but there was nothing. Not even a single sign of life inside the tall grass surrounding us.

We decided to stop and sleep the rest for the night after we were sure that we were about half way to Brickbourne. We used the cloaks as pillows as it was very warm at night and we would be unable to rest if we used them as blankets instead. My whole body was aching and the pain was excruciating from all this marching I did all day but I made sure not to let any whimpers escape me. I knew beforehand that Yuto slept light and even a cough was enough to wake him and make him alert of everything.

I was unable to sleep, not only from the pain and the dryness of my throat but also from the constant sound of the cicadas that knew nothing of the meaning of silence. They kept me alert and wary of the low growling from my stomach. But then I heard something moving in the grass a few meters away, and got up slowly to look. Yuto did too as he must have been awake the whole time and I was lucky that I kept myself silent. In the light of the moon I was able to spot a big hare with light gray fur exactly where the sound came from before and he was unaware of us.

I looked at Yuto for confirmation but I was certain of his answer before I even locked eyes with him. He nodded at me and turned his head to the hare again waiting. Finding my target again hidden behind the grass I used the little mana I managed to create and projected a dagger above the hare. As hares and rabbits had their eyes on the side of their heads it was difficult to spot a blade coming from above without hearing the sound of it materializing. With trained and experienced precision I fired the dagger like an arrow to stab the small fluffy animal on the head and kill it in an instant. I always killed my catches instantaneously because no one deserves a slow and agonizing death, it is better if you go without the pain and the knowledge of your death.

Yuto got up and went to grab the dead hare as I started coughing loudly. With the animal in hand he run back to me and examined my face looking for any signs of illness. I was sure that his hand was slightly cold as he touched my face but it might have been my imagination, and everything was getting blurry. I felt my body failing me and hit the ground bellow me before I heard someone scream what I figured was my name.

The voice kept calling and saying things to me but I could not discern what was being said. I was too lost too process what my ears picked up. I felt cold arms wrapping around my torso and turning me around to lie on my back. I saw Yuto through the fog that was now my sight and his voice was distorted for some reason. He was doing something to me and then I stopped feeling so hot like I was under the hot summer sun. Instead I now felt like I was close to a fire trying to get warmer.

Somehow he got me on his back and tied my cloak around our bodies as he lifted me of the ground the hare now forgotten. The sensation I had while on his back was upsetting my stomach. With every step I felt as if my insides were being stirred and whatever was inside my stomach was about to come back to my throat, yet I had nothing inside me to vomit.

Where was he taking me? We were hours away from anywhere and he was carrying my body to god knows where. After a while I felt a burning sensation in my gut and started coughing blood uncontrollably. The taste was awful and the liquid was a sting to my throat that hurt like it was being torn from the inside. The pain was unlike anything I experienced thus far. My whole body was aching and the waves of pain kept making me want to pass out. I was burning with fever for sure and sweating what little water I had inside me and my blood kept coming out of my mouth every now and then, but I knew no end to this suffering. I was dying and yet it was taking so long for it to happen.

I kept thinking how foolish I was to even think that I would be able to make it. I was foolish to think that my body would last long enough for me to find Lars and even more so because I know that I can’t defeat him. I know nothing about him, on the day of the attack he didn’t even get off his steed much less fight. I know not his abilities; I know neither his powers nor his weakness if he has any. And he knows mine. I saw him once in the crowd in the arena, smiling and watching me carefully, studying me. He was learning my strength and he knew my only weakness beyond my magic. Even if I had the time to heal and find him, I would be no match for him. My death was certain, one way or another.

I could hear Yuto’s ragged breathes and pants and I knew he was acting reckless. He was running, with me on his back to his destination. No one can cross the distance we had in front of us like this, and yet he was running for so long ever since he put me on his back and he still hasn’t given up or collapsed. My sense of time was dull but I still knew he was doing this for more than a few minutes; he was carrying me for longer than any normal person can, even with magic.

Suddenly I was hearing more than his labored breaths. A bell in the distance, voices loud enough to be heard but far enough to be indistinct, the bark of a dog far away, they were all closer than I thought now. Then I felt Yuto slowing down and stopping before he started saying something loud enough to be considered a scream. People gathered around and started talking but I couldn’t make out anything. It took me a while to understand what Yuto’s words where. “Is there a physician here”? Moments after the question I felt movement on our part and the voices faded away as the familiar rocking of Yuto’s running took the place of the stillness.

I heard someone knocking on a door hard and fast, pleading for the person behind to open. The person kept knocking until a noise was heard from the other side of the door. I caught a glimpse of the door opening and then I found myself entering the building through Yuto before he turned and looked at someone. I could not see the details on the persons face but I saw long blond hair when I was lowered somewhere and they lied me down on a cold surface. It was not wood since it was too cold and smooth for it to be, it must have been stone, flat and smoothed out.

That was when another round of coughing came with more blood and this time I felt like my head was going to burst. It was not pain but rather the pressure from the cough that caused it. Soon after it started a chocking sensation overwhelmed me and I was drowning in my own blood that must have gotten inside my lungs.

Everything turned black and cold as I lost what little contact I had with the world. It was cold in here, in this black and lonely world. I always thought that I death was peaceful, something that I shouldn’t be afraid of. And I was never afraid of dying when I faced enemies that proved to be stronger than me. I never feared death when my injuries were too severe to not be fatal. But I was afraid now. I was terrified of the stillness and emptiness that came with death. I didn’t want to die alone, not like this. I was alone for so long, the only person in my life was her before she was snatched away all in the name of a noble goal that would be nothing more than a sacrifice that would solve nothing. I don’t want to die in this unknown place where no one would care about me, alone and scared like I always am…