On a dark ocean.
I am worthy, huh? The thought drifted through his mind, lazily. A spark of pride, warm and golden, flickered in his chest. He remembered Valaar's voice.
Of this void? The bitterness followed immediately, a cold shadow. He felt himself drifting, his consciousness a thin vapor. It is like my soul has been remade, he thought. A phantom laugh echoed in the hollow of his mind. Funny. I never knew I had a soul. And now... I feel connected to something. Something so much more… To the world.
The darkness began to bleed light. Not from a single source, but from everywhere. Eyes closed, he felt it as if he could see it. His own ethereal body, as much as all these spirals of energy, fluxing and spiraling like rainbow solar flares.
The nothingness was gone, replaced by a cosmic web—a trillion glowing ley-lines weaving into a nebula of infinite color.
It is not void, he realized. I am diluted in an… everythingness…
Chaos.
His fingers, made of starlight, slowly twitched and grasped the ether. It passed through him with no resistance, yet he felt it. He was a drop floating in the ocean.
It felt good. It felt great. A symphony he was finally part of. I will never worry again.
Yet, an echo of his flesh called him out of this sea of peace. He heard his heart beat, and felt his broken body's sufferings. Woven and stitched together by a thin thread, on the verge of final collapse, it was pulling him out from here with this very thread.
If I open my eyes, it will all break apart.
I will live…
And suffer…
Poundings intensified.
He braced himself.
His eyes opened wide.
The cosmic web shattered. The nebula died.
Cold. Stones. Masks.
Hooded figures leaned over his immobilized body. Metal prongs pried his eyeslids wide. Holding his eyes ready for the syringe coming to them.
He breathed heavily.
The long silver needle glinted and plunged into his eye, twice.
Unbearable fire. White-hot glass pushed into his jelly.
Blackout.
Everything blurry. Sharp. Light too bright. Other children's screams and cries and silences.
Blackout.
Syringes and flasks, and colorful mixtures. They came again, for his arm, for his neck.
Blackout.
His body refused the mutations. Nausea and acid vomit. Flesh bleeding, in and out.
Blackout.
A mage tending to his wounds.
Blackout.
"This one will live."
Salazar was ejected from the darkness. His eyelids tore open against a stark light that seared his retinas. He bolted upright, his back arched, fingers clawing desperately at the mattress. Air rushed into his dry lungs with the violence of a cold blade. For a moment, he was nothing but a silent scream. Then, the world took shape. Too fast. Too bright. Too loud.
Blinded by the light, he heard but the storm blowing. He held his arm against his visage to protect himself. But no wind blew at him, except a fresh summer breeze. Eyes squinted and adapting, he looked above his arm and saw the curtain snapping against the wall and making this thunderous noise.
The curtain's danse was letting in and out sun's beams in quick succession, making his eyes suffer. He sheltered them behind his arm, and held his aching head, trying to calm the folly of his senses, in vain.
When the wind ceased its howling, he heard far away footsteps as if they were running on his brain. Metal clatter from outside, clashing swords and laughters, the bird's singing his demise. It all drilled in his head and when he covered his ears, it was the rush of his blood and the drums of his heart that drove him crazy.
As if it wasn't enough, his nose too was overwhelmed. The sour oily scent of human sweat nearly made him puke. He breathed through the mouth to appease his nausea, it urged him to drink before his dried throat tore apart.
He at last looked around. Although his sight was still blurry, he realized he was in a sort of big hospital room with a lot of empty beds.
New scents made their way to his nose. Bread and meat. He heard his stomach roar like an ogre's.
Lead by hunger, he slowly rolled out of bed to get up. As his feet reached the cold ground, he was struck by an intense vertigo; making him stumble and miserably fall on the floor after a few steps. He felt weak. He was.
Trying to recover, one knee down, he heard quick footsteps approaching.
As he looked, a shape appeared in the doorway, a blur of soft colors and shimmering hair. Salazar recognized the beautiful sorceress.
"Hey, you are finally awake ! Stay calm, Salazar, it will be alright."
Her voice bounced in his skull like an echo. He looked down after a deeo breath, still dizzy.
She got closer.
"This, drink this, it will help."
She said as she extended a vial to his mouth. But before the flask could touch his lips, Salazar's hand snappedout like a spring-loaded trap and clamped around her wrist with a force that made her bones groan.
Stupefied by his own gest, he forgot to let go.
"Oh… Impressive. Your muscles are already adapting…"
She seemed to take it well. Salazar felt awkward. He opened his hand and released hers. This was his right hand, it had healed he realized. How much time did he pass in coma ?…
"Don't worry Salazar, it will just soothe your senses. You will need it, until you fully adapt to them."
He hesitated, but finally drank. It was bitter, but he didn't care.
The effects were nearly immediate. After a few seconds, he was able to relax all his tensed muscles. Damn… What a relief… I could barely think…
He sighed loudly and leaned against the bed behind him. The sorceress came back with a big glass of water. He drank it all in a flash. It washed off the potion's taste. He sighed again, in relief.
The sorceress elegantly sat on a chair in front of him. She wasn't blurry anymore. She wore a green dress matching her emerald eyes. Was she an elf as well, he wondered. She looked at him, he looked away.
"How do you feel, Salazar ?"
Her voice was soft and warm now. He looked up, timidly, and cleared his voice.
"I… I feel fine… now…"
He flexed his fingers, closing and opening his palm, thinking this little hand shouldn't have so much strength. How strong did I become ?
A screen appeared to him, making him flinch a bit.
Stats:
Strength: 42
Agility: 44
Magical Power: 10
Gift: Unknown
???
???
Damn…How much did I have at first ?… Flickering "(+30)" appeared at the end of his physical stats, and "(+10)" for the Magical Power. Damn ! My strength tripled ? It's insane. And what is this gift thing ?
"Are you sure ?"
He flinched again, and looked back to the worried sorceress. Damn, she can't see that screen right… The screen disappeared. Salazar nodded towards her.
"Yes… Yes… A bit hungry… Maybe…"
"Only a bit ? Then you are not fine."
He smiled.
"A lot hungry, actually… How long did I sleep ?"
She smiled too.
"Seven full days."
"Seven… Where are the others ?"
This question brought a more urgent one to Salazar's mind. A reality slap. Who are the others ? Who survived ? The laboratory memories quickly passed in front of his eyes. It startled him for a moment, he didn't hear her answer.
"What ?" he said, lost.
"In the fortress, Salazar, just in the fortress. Discovering the place at their pace. We were waiting for Vivaerys and you to awake for the guild master's speech."
"Oh…"
"If you are ready, we will go now. We are already late for the meal."
Salazar slowly nodded.
"Can you walk ?"
"Yes."
He got up on his feet and rubbed them against his calves one after the other, the ground was really cold.
"There are sandals under your bed."
He took them and realized he was now wearing trousers and a grey tunic. Better than these white robes they had.
They walked out of the infirmary.
"Come out Vivaerys, he is awake. We have to go now."
Who is this Vivaerys? Wondered Salazar as they were waiting her to come out of another room.
"She is shy…" said the sorceress, smiling.
A few seconds later, the girl showed up. Salazar's lips parted. It was the elf girl, she survived ! Salazar contained a nervous smile. Her hair had kept this lunar white shine, but she was obviously diminished, dark circles bruised the porcelain beneath her eyes. She too went through that hell… He bit his lips.
"You should thank her, Salazar, she looked after you these last hours." smiled the sorceress.
Vivaerys looked away, head down. Salazar felt heat rush his cheeks.
"Hum… Hum… Thank you… I guess…" he mumbled awkwardly.
"You didn't need to say that, lady Esperanza… I was just helping you…" adressed Vivaerys to the sorceress, without even looking at Salazar.
Her voice was so delicate, so pure. Salazar didn't even get mad for being ignored.
"I believe we have to always give credit where it is due."
At this moment, they heard heavy footsteps coming closer. And an angry voice.
"I swear if this bastard is still asleep, I'll wake him up myself with a punch."
"If you do that, it's miss Esperanza who will knock you off Thorvir. And we'll eat without you !"
They appeared at the other end of the corridor. A blonde boy with messy hair and a blonde girl with cunning eyes. The boy aimed his finger at Salazar and yelled at him.
"Ha ! You are at last fucking awake motherfucker. Move the fuck up now, we aren't getting to eat because of y hmh… Hmmmhmbll!!…"
It looked like his lips got suddenly glued together. This Thorvir was fuming, his rage now directed towards the sorceress. Salazar looked at her, her hand was extended towards the mad boy. She cast a spell !
"You will never learn, Thorvir, won't you ?" sighed Esperanza.
"I tried to stop him, miss. He wasn't listening !"
"Hmmllm ! Hmmhmbll !!…" he agitated his fist towards the girl next to him.
A second later, another young boy appeared casually walking. Salazar recognized him, it was that singing elf.
"We all tried, lady Esperanza." he said, shrugging his shoulders.
Thorvir redirected his fury against him now.
"I know Clovara, Rhadamanthe, it is all fine. Let him try to eat with his foul mouth closed."
Salazar looked at Vivaerys, seeking complicity in this odd scene, but she was just looking at this Rhadamanthe. He felt a pinch of unease, a sort of jealousy.
"Welcome to The Watch." then said the sorceress to Salazar and Vivaerys, amused.
Salazar finally smiled, looking at the group of blondies. His guts whirred with excitement, eager to make his own group of friends here and go to adventure.
I hope Dario survived…