Something Familiar

I continued to memorize the spell, against my body's will.

My progress before was slow, but right now, it was far slower. There was something about how slow it was that tortured me.

My body had been maimed, yet I still remained standing. Yet for some reason, just this minor persistent pain was enough to slowly wear me down.

It felt... bad

Really bad.

I let out a heavy sigh and rubbed my temple with my knuckle. My eyelids fell shut and just a few moments later, they reopened. It was as though my head was repeatedly banging against a brick wall, trying to demolish it entirely just like that. 

It was not something satisfying to complete. It did not give me a sense of achievement.

After all, I hardly got anywhere.

My body gradually felt cold. It was as though shadows seeped into my body, trying to erode it into nothingness.

It was hard. But why was it hard?