Abel pulled himself out of the river as the sun dipped below the trees above him, violently coughing up water as he did so. With great effort, he dragged his massive body further onto the riverbank, before rolling onto his back. Terrified of what he would see, Abel looked down at himself and a choking sob wrenched its way from his throat. The screaming eels had gotten to him before he'd managed to escape the churning waters, and he'd pay the price for the rest of his life, however long that ended up being. Bloody chunks had been torn out his body, and his entire right calf was missing. More blood than he had ever seen flowed out of him onto the polished rocks of the riverbank, dying the grey stones crimson. His face broke apart into anguish as he screamed in pain.

Teris had ruined him. He knew the truth just by looking at his destroyed body. He would die on this riverbank, and the bastard would get away with it, having not dealt the killing blow himself. He doubted it would even get that far, as those cravens who had attached themselves to him would be too scared to bring up the matter to the Elders. It wasn't even worth trying to save himself. Even if he did manage to staunch his wounds, he'd be a cripple.

There was no place for cripples among the Cissic.

All of his dreams had been ripped apart along with his flesh. He would never lead a warband, never go to battle against the tribe's enemies, never explore the Myriad Seas with the wind at his back. All because of Teris.

He was very cold now, despite the warm water and humid air. Darkness swirled at the edges of his vision, and he could feel himself slipping away. His desperation faded into acceptance, and Abel died next to the dark waters that had killed him. He only hoped that the next bearer of his soul would have a better fate than him.

He was surprised, then, when he opened his eyes a few seconds later.

A man was crouched over him with his hand on Abel's chest. At least, he thought it was a man. The stranger had pale, alabaster skin, which identified him as a foreigner to the Northern Seas, and Abel could see unnatural black veins running up the hand on his chest. No. Not on his chest. In his chest. The pale man's fingers were completely embedded in Abel's sternum, and he could see the man's hand contracting and releasing every second or so.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

He was keeping Abel's heart beating by force.

He tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. Air wouldn't enter his lungs. His body was on fire, but Abel didn't even notice the pain the eels had caused him, feeling only the sick terror of having his life in the hands of another. He tried to look at the stranger's face, but it was... wrong, somehow. Blurry. His eyes wouldn't focus on the man's features, and all he could make out was the foreigners' long white hair. Even so, he could somehow tell when the man smiled at him.

"You're not done quite yet, are you little one?"

Unable to speak, Abel forced himself to make a barely perceptible nod. The man laughed, and it sounded like a funeral dirge.

"Usually, I offer better terms than this, but you don't exactly have much bargaining power here, so I'll tell you the deal I'm proposing: I'll restore you to full health and more, and I'll trigger your second Awakening tonight. In return, you give yourself to me. Utterly. If you never receive a command from me, you will die waiting. Understood?"

Abel knew something was deeply wrong. He had died. His soul should have left his flesh and re-joined the Cycle. Instead, there had been nothing on the other side but an abyss that stank of death. The deal was terrible. He knew nothing about this man save that he had power beyond Abel's imagining. Any Cissic warrior worth their bones should have laughed in the face of death and die with some semblance of honour rather than tie themselves to someone that they didn't trust... but Abel was scared. He was scared of what lay on the other side of life, and he knew then that he'd do anything to keep himself away from that empty void for just a bit longer. He nodded again. The stranger sighed.

"Not enough, little one. Say it. Say you are mine." His voice was different now, hungrier, and his grip tightened on Abel's heart. It was almost enough to make him accept whatever was on the other side rather than spend another second in this... thing's company. Almost.

With an almost superhuman effort, Abel took in enough air to speak.

"I... I am yours. Please save me."

The man's unseen smile grew wider, and Abel caught a glimpse of needle-sharp teeth through the haze that obscured his face.

"Good. You will certainly regret this decision. Now lay back and enjoy yourself. This will be excruciating."

Abel's screams echoed across the riverbank as night took over the day.

————————————————————————

(Thanks for reading! Please don't forget to vote if you enjoyed the chapter, and if you have any thoughts/suggestions don't hesitate to let me know!)