Using Treat on Herself

With all eyes on her, Elin felt nervous. True, she'd felt like a spectacle earlier, with whatever it was sticking out the back of her head, but she wasn't sure if maybe it was because she had her Intelligence reduced or whatever, only that she was struggling to maintain her composure from the terror that threatened to take her over.

Up to this point, she'd been able to mostly keep that terror inside by not reacting at all to what was happening around her. She had been able to say a few things, but now she wasn't sure if she'd be able to manage that again with everyone looking at her like they were.

Initially she'd been unable to contain her fears, but after a minute of that, she was able to get that under control, only to find that it was taking all of her focus to maintain that. Even responding to questions directed at her had felt like her control was in danger of breaking.

So, now that she had to do something other than let everyone else talk around her and move her body around, she felt a new fear come up: that doing this would unravel the control she was barely keeping herself from descending into the terror that felt like it would just swallow her up, leaving her in a shell that was only her on the outside.

Even just feeling this new fear was eroding her control and she felt her breathing start to quicken and she was vaguely aware of others talking around her, but she wasn't hearing anything at all.

Not that it mattered to her, she was busy trying to keep from descending into the fear that she felt certain she wouldn't be able to climb out of once she fell into it. That it wouldn't matter if the devourer was removed or if it burrowed deeper into her, because she'd never be able to climb out of where she'd end up anyway.

Suddenly she felt warm arms wrap around her, startling her back into awareness around her, creating an opening in the fear that was starting to drag her down. While her mind wasn't sure who the arms belonged to, the warmth and comfort she felt from them almost made her want to cry in relief. That she finally had a lifeline with which to hold onto.

"Take your time, my gem," Kim whispered in her ear. "Don't worry about anything other than getting your spell through. We'll take care of everything else."

Elin couldn't be sure if she nodded or not right then, just that the arms removed themselves from her, though the warmth from them lingered. As well as the brief sense of comfort that they had provided.

She no longer felt like her control was barely able to hold onto the terror she had been struggling with, nor was there the fear that had come over her when she learned that she needed to use her Treat spell on herself.

Now she felt strong enough that she could actually speak again with everyone staring at her, ready for the devourer to come out of her head. Although, that mental image made her feel a little queasy.

Still, she braced herself as she mentally prepared to use her own magic on herself. Which she couldn't help but wonder if it might not feel the same as she'd always imagined others felt when she'd used it on them. Because from what it sounded like Elmo had said, it would likely feel different.

If only this time, at least.

Yet, even if it was unpleasant or uncomfortable, she knew she'd need to push through it. If she didn't, she couldn't be certain that she'd still be herself once the devourer was done.

Or if she'd even be able to really use her system to help the others in her group, especially Kim. The one that she wanted to help the most.

Which in turn would make all the effort she'd gone to, to build up her spells a complete waste of her time. Time she could have otherwise spend enjoying being with Kim and being alone with her.

She had had half a mind to check her stats instead of using her magic first, but she'd rather get this over with. Especially if the feeling she had at the moment wasn't permanent. If it was temporary, then she worried that she'd end up again spiraling downward into the depths of her own misery, unable to escape it on her own.

Taking a deep breath and pushing all other thoughts out of her mind, Elin closed her eyes and said clearly, "Treat."

As she focused on herself, she suddenly felt like the path the magic takes from turning from her MP into the spell she had in mind was hitting a block or something.

It felt like if she was pushing it against whatever the block was, like it was trying to push her back, even though she could feel herself gaining round on the block, slowly, but she could feel the progress she was making.

At the moment, time ceased to exist for her. As she fought against the block, she suddenly felt like something was moving inside her head.

At first the sensation was peculiar, but it soon started to hurt. She hadn't known that anyone could feel anything move inside their own head, but not only that, but whatever was moving, was clearly not happy.

Still, she continued to pushed her magic against the block and soon got the block out of the way, although that merely made whatever was moving inside her head very unhappy. It first tried pushing in deeper than it hhad been, but as soon as the spell fully engulfed her, whatever it was moved as fast as it could to get out of her.

Elin wasn't sure what it was about, but as she felt it leave her head, she couldn't help but feel relief. Relief it was over and she could relax.

However, at that moment, she felt the world start to darken around her. Like it was a fire dying out. Where she could see around her, but as she fell so slowly towards the ground, the light kept getting dimmer. Like any fire untended will do in a fireplace.

Elin never felt herself hit the ground, but that's what she expected to happen as the world around her went completely dark.

+++

The next thing she became aware of was how much her head hurt. Not the typical headache she'd have every so often, from various things she'd done in the past, but rather one that had her eyes aching as well as her ears ringing lightly, in addition to the pounding inside her skull.

She wasn't sure if there was anything around her, just that her head hurt like never before.

Even as she could feel something soft beneath her, she couldn't get her mind to focus on anything other than the pain she felt. It encompassed her entire being, pushing out almost everything else that required her to so much as think about.

Still, as she lay there, she suddenly realized that the pain was fading. Much like the glare in your eyes does when a flash of very bright light gets reflected in your eyes.

Elin slowly opened her eyes, partly afraid that she'd look into a light that would start getting them to hurt again. That she'd have to endure that pain all over.

Even though she knew that logically it wouldn't be the same pain, she still felt scared that her entire head would hurt again. To the point where she wouldn't be able to even tell anything about her surroundings.

However, fortunately, when she opened her eyes, she could tell from the little light entering the tent she had been placed in, that the sun had either set already or was about to rise. Either way, there wasn't too much light for her eyes to deal with.

As she had that realization, she felt the ringing in her ears subside, leaving an almost desolate quiet around her. Which made her worry about the others in her group as well as those in Kim's army. She couldn't tell if something had happened while she was out or not, just that it didn't sound like there was anyone around. She couldn't even hear the sounds of birds.

However, as she slowly sat up, it felt like something was slowly taken off of her ears and sound returned. The sounds of birds and insects outside the tent. The sounds of people moving around, some talking with one another, others muttering or humming to themselves.

Yet, as she reached the entrance to the tent, she felt the pain in her head completely go away. She couldn't say why, but she did feel a little more clearheaded than she had before this.

That whatever had been inside her head was gone, and so she was able to move around without having to worry about it affecting anything she was thinking about.

She could also feel her magic was hers to control completely again, so she wouldn't have to deal with a block again. Or at least she hoped she wouldn't have to. Which meant that she was ready to help get rid of this parasitic infection inside their camp. That she'd be able to deal with the devourers before she had to go to sleep again.