My little phallus is about to freeze off. Who left the damn window open? I winced as another icy breeze rudely made it's way into my room. Why not just get out of bed, you lazy troglodyte?
Well, you ill-mannered being, It is because I unable to move a muscle from the neck down. Been like this for years now. Probably from some weird magic fungus I ingested by accident, who knows. But it has turned my body into a performance of horror. In fact, I feel an apple-sized purple blister on my upper abdomen straining to burst, already leaking yellow fluids and shooting knives through my entire lower torso. Fuck me, my right elbow joints were now also a mottling into an ugly purple and black colour, a sign of necrosis.
This fraily frame was always isolated to this room in the house, due to how how easily I would become sick from the outside elements. Sunlight deforms my skin almost immediately on contact, as you can see from my beautiful, bark-like face, I have the texture of a damn oak tree.
Still wallowing in my self-pity, I heard a quick “pit-pat” pattern outside, in the hallway. The cadence was immediately recognisable as my mother, Laefella. Probably returning from her field work. It was always easy to tell her mood by listening to the pattern of her gait. For some reason, it was a more jovial one today. Maybe she has some good news?
After rummaging around outside, she poked her head around the corner and shot me a wide grin. Her freckled face covered in soot, but being outshone by her white-golden hair, she dusted off her maroon work garments and tossed her black gloves outside, revealing calloused palms. In those palms was a small white box.
“Sally guess what?” she exclaimed. I groaned at the name. Which dolt came up with this nickname?
I gasped out loud. “You shit your pants!” She arched her eyebrows in confusion, rubbing her bottom.
“Oh wait, sorry. That was me.” I chuckled. Her jaw dropped and she hurried off to grab some sanitary supplies.
“Wait. No mother, I jest. Please come back here.” I chortled. The blister on my abdomen finally ripped, blood and yellow discharge flowing everywhere. Fucking-shit-balls that stung like hell. The warm liquid trickled down my side as my mother ran for sanitary supplies again.
After wiping down my embarrassment and applying some dressing, she once again showed me the small white box.
“Look what I got for you, my little flare.” This nickname I don’t mind actually. Slowly opening it, She revealed an adorable, little cake with blue frosting.
I choked on nothing in particular. It left my mind completely that today was my birthday. 18. But, that is not important. Small or not, cake is not cheap.
“Mother. Why would you do this? You don’t have the money for things like this anymore.” I felt as if she already purchases too many clothes, replaced bedding and new supplies to care for this useless one.
She pouted. “What a snob! You think I would spend that much money on you?” She tickled the end of my nose with the tip of the frosting. I sniffed the cold frosting and some of it shot up the left nostril.
“OI?!” I spit through burning sensation of chilled sugar. “Is this how you treat your favourite son!?” God it smelt like heaven. I proceeded to furiously lick the tip of my nose to attain that delicious sweetness.
Mother snorted at my desperation and playfully slapped the back of my head, while taking a huge bite of my cake. The audacity.
She grins at me through crumbs and frosting. "Piece of cake." I rolled my eyes at her.
"Okay, frost of all --" I respond
"Ooh. That's a nice one Solas." She wiped the pastry off my face.
"Helos will be returning soon with your second gift."
"I hope he brought another cupcake so I may actually enjoy this one.” I sniffed to fake a cry, turning my head in the other direction in a pouting fashion.
I felt the rough surface of a gentle hand reach over and stroke my short black hair. Gently touching her forehead to mine, her golden hair fluttering over mine. “Happy Birthday, Solas Morningstar. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, mother.” I closed my eyes and felt her warmth somewhat numb the pain in my body.
“Brother. Good to see you doing well.” I looked up in response to the gruffness at the door. This hulking man child was Helos. He was like me, inheriting our father’s hair, the dark scruffy look. Which is an unlucky end of the straw, as with are both missing out on our mother’s aesthetic follicles.
I grin at him. “Mum says you have a second gift for me.”
He rubs his face in his palm, “Well thank youuuuu for spoiling. Would it kill you to keep a secret, please?”
She scoffs, shaking her head. “Impossible.” Helos sighs, and pulls out his own white little box.
“Cake again? Amazing family here.” I start making smacking my lips together, imitating a clap, since I am unable to in the conventional manner.
“Stop that nasty habit, you’re getting spit every Sally.” My mother complains.
“Yeah Sally. Chill out.” I shot my brother a look and settled down.
Helos reached into the box, and pulled out held a round orb of translucent glass, ebbing with different shades of blue, hanging from a silver chain.
“It’s beautiful. Where did you find this?”
“You’re 18 now. Father had this stored away in our attic upstairs. Told mother to give it to you once you came of age.” He carefully draped it around my neck. I felt the cold jewel lay on my thin skin, yet there was no sign of pain from contact.
My mother looked at me. “It suits you love." She lightly touched the orb, with wistful eyes.
"According to legends that your father would always recite to me, this orb formed the heart of a dragon beast found deep in the mountains. Of course, no one has seen one in 2000 years, but you know how much your father was into tales.”
While I was intently staring at the jewel, I finally noticed a short, bald man standing in the doorway twiddling his thumbs. Sporting a golden head band, he was garbed up in an assortment of different fabrics and colourful silk robes. On his right shoulder was an embroidered badge, depicting a flame eagle surrounded by stars. I raised an eyebrow.
“Why is there a constructor here?” These two looked very excited. They both smiled at each other.
“It is your final gift brother. We finally did it.” Helos nodded approvingly at his mother.
She responded in kind, “We found a constructor with healing abilities who agreed to treat you.”
My face immediately scrunches. Cake is one thing, hiring a Constructor magician was another thing entirely. My brother is only 15, making it unlawful for him to work. Father had passed, leaving mother as the only poorly compensated manual labourer, and Constructors would definitely be a fortune. Not a small one either.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Ahem.” The Constructor carefully adjusted his colourful garments.
“I will need some privacy with the client. I may only perform at my best alone.”
----------------------------------------
The thick wooden door made it so eavesdropping was impossible. Helos and Laefella paced around outside. Tracing a perfect circle for the thousandth time, the healer eventually stepped out, looked at them both, clasped his hands and shook his head.
“His condition is much too severe. Earlier, it would have been possible, but this is beyond a single treatment session.”
Silence encompassed the room. Stunned, my mother forced out a weak voice.
“How much longer?”
He lightly shrugged. “1 week. Perhaps less. It is of much surprise to me that he lasted this long without therapeutic support.”
“So what is the next step?”
“Well we could do something in terms of prolonging his life, but that requires a long term care plan.”
Without skipping a beat, mother grabbed the constructor’s robes. “Yes. Please.”
He quickly pulled his robes away, carefully re-adjusting the silk and cleared his throat.
“This care plan may require more coin, to ensure I have enough supplies to move from the central city to the town on a regular schedule.”
They began talking pricing, and with the door ajar, I could hear that my mother held none of the cards. While the healer began jacking up the negotiation, Helos poked his head back in, smiling at me, gesturing for me to go get some rest and sleep. He was actively maintaining a cheerful face, which he was always terrible at.
The door closed, and the noises stopped.
I looked up at the ceiling for what seemed to be an eternity. Slowly craning my neck, I stare at my motionless body, legs and arms, coloured with disease and death. My jaw started clenching, my neck muscles tensed and my shoulders started shaking. One by one, an endless stream of joyful tears dripped down his face.
Finally. It was time. This curse of an existence has reached its limit, this life of purely parasitic burden, on the one single family in this world that did not deserve such a thing.
Unable to move, unable to work, unable to provide a sliver of support to the people I loved most. I need to die. Brother can finally support mother next year. Mother can rest her tired body, knowing that she could just focus on herself.
Do not worry mother. Do not worry Helos. The pain in the coming days will feel long, but it will not be forever.
For the longest time, I had known that my spirit and will was all that was anchoring me in the realm of the living. My body started breaking down, bodily functions gradually ceasing, pain signals permanently coming to a halt. The soul began sinking into a growing darkness, pitch black. The umbra night began beckoning him to rest his body for the final time.
Finally. I was done with this.
----------------------------------------
Out of nowhere, a large pulse of force erupted from within the blanket of black, almost punching me in the back of the head.
That. Really hurt. The back of my head started throbbing, pain as deep as red.
What is going on? I thought my time had come.
Why is death so violent? I was looking forward to a long nap, uninterrupted by involuntary diarrhoea, the blistering headache dying down.
Suddenly, images of a raging battlefield flooded my mind. Surrounded by trees three times wide as me and ten times as tall, I was standing on my own two feet. But, it wasn't body. The large flora started exploding, and a large inflow of men began rushing my point of view, all with knives and sharpened sticks.
What strange outfits. These men were equipped with clothing that was spotted green and yellow and their black shoes were nothing like I have ever seen before. My observation didn't last long, as they were all promptly ripped to shreds by an invisible force. In my vision, black-red bits flashed past my face, splattering my face with entrails and bone. I did not feel anything, but it was still revolting.
It seems as if I am not in control of my actions. I looked down, my point of view changing once again.
What was this man holding in his hands? It was a heavy black device shaped like an overly decorated metal stick. The end of it began blasting a burst of fire, tearing the bushes apart, ripping in the trunk of trees and once the dust cleared, revealing dead humans.
The man only was able to take a few steps, right before a fiery blast of sand and air knocked the man of his feet.
Pitch black and eerie silence again. I have no idea what just transpired, but none of this was scripted in any books about the afterlife.
Before contemplating further, another random pulse punched the back of my head once again. More images. Of … guts and blood?
Almost had a panic attack. But, it was not mine.
This time, the man I inhabited was clothed in a strange blue cloth that covered most of his body. But what was even stranger, was that he was standing in front of an open stomach of another human. Spiritually vomiting, I also noted a group of people dressed in the same blue outfit, occupying a white room filled with large metal boxes blinking with light.
A sharp commanding voice emitted from my mouth. “The gallbladder has been removed and secured. Send it off to pathology and we will begin closing.”
Just gibberish to me. But after observing the process, it looked like some form of … healing treatment?
Again, my body was forcefully dragged away, returning to the darkness that swallowed him once more. I waited on another vision, and those irritating pulsations, but nothing came. Pure silence once again rested itself around me, and once more I was alone.
Processing what I had just witnessed, there was nothing I could make sense of. Images of war, and medicine? That was … a trip. I guess I was rewarded a show and a performance before my eternal nap?
A deity with a strange sense of humour. But this time it seems as if the true end is coming.
Eyes closing gently and laying back into empty space, I was ready for the hand of death to comfortably direct me to the afterlife.
But not before a flashing hot white light seared my eyelids, burning every part of my skull.
I WANT. TO. SLEEP.
I sat up immediately breaking out in cold sweats. I rubbed my eyes and tried to make sense of my surroundings.
Random thoughts started racing. It was the same room, the exact same bed. I thought I was corpse. Sure as shit was on my way to the underworld, but I guess this body has not expired yet.
Slowly, the first thing I took note of was the pain. Or lack thereof. Raising my arms, there was no more discolouration, blistering or necrotic tissue. No longer mottled black and purple. And. I was sitting up. Sitting. I looked at both hands, slowly made a fist, and opened them again. There was strength.
This body was shying away from the knife of death. As my hands touched the floor, a cold sensation pierced my skin, something I had not felt for years. This is going to be a challenge.
I attempted to push myself up in a single thrust, immediately wobbling in the legs akin to a baby deer, trying to maintain balance after being birthed. As if on cue, my legs tangled, tripping over nothing and I fell forward face first.
Opening my eyes and gripping the cold hardwood floor, heart-rending emotions pooled into my throat.
I can stand up. I can move. It doesn’t hurt.
Kneeling on both knees, holding my hands to my chest tightly, I started quivering with gratitude.
Thank you. Thank you to the nine heavens. My heartfelt appreciation is not worthy of this second chance at life. On my new life, I will not waste it. My gratitude is eternal, and I would do anything to repay it.
Ping.
[https://i.imgur.com/Il4rzmN.png]
BWAHH. What in the goddamn shit.
A dark blue window had appeared in front of my eyes. A ghost?? Oh hell no. I quickly scooted to the back wall, smacking my head on the shelf. The window floated neared his proximity, just hovering on thin air.
Racing thoughts again. Did I somehow awake a vengeful SPIRIT?! I prostrate myself on the floor. I’m so sorry. I promise I won’t poop my pants ever again. Is it at all possible that I am still dead?
Nothing is happening. Slowly raising my head, I once reviewed the dark window, with it was the words that sounded strange.
Calibration? System? What are these words? Is this part of whatever magic power that removed the disease?
I gently poked the window, and felt a vibration pulse back into my finger.
Ping.
[https://i.imgur.com/la99i0b.png]
Was it mocking me? All of these words are clearly made up.
“Status.”
Ping.
[https://i.imgur.com/gbCEPVe.png]
A lot of information all at once. Too much infact, I now have a headache. How does it know my name? Parameters? Skills? Okay. Some cake is sorely needed right now. I stare at the floating apparition, wondering what next.
Ping.
This pinging was very annoying, it was constantly reverberating inside my head. What are these numbers? [FORTIS: 10]? Is that short for fortification? There was no other explanation for this new strength. How very curious. I see that there are avaliable "points". Am I able to use these somehow?
I played with the screen, tapping the word [FORTIS] repeatedly.
Ping.
[https://i.imgur.com/QneYFZH.png]
Sharp pain tore through my skin. The bones in my body started to grind and sunder. Dislocating, re-locating. There was hot fire, as I could feel the muscles ripping and reforming around my skeleton. Sharp, electric pain shot throughout repeatedly over, and over again.
The 10 seconds that lasted an eternity was over. While a relief, that isn’t important right now. I was already on my feet, fully stable. This time, without imbalance nor unsteady deviations.
10 points made such a clear change. Impossible.
Ping.
[https://i.imgur.com/5L4YlpR.png]
Quest? This strange ghost has a task for me to do?
I gulped. Anticipation and excitement was swelling with this newfound strength.
“I accept.”
Ping.
[https://i.imgur.com/WeZymAl.png]
TO BE CONTINUED: BLOOD OF THE SUNRISE