REWRITTEN

Pain.

It's about all I can feel.

"uuuugghhhhhhh..." My voice croaks as I try to speak. Every vibration in my throat wracking my body. But at least I know I'm still alive.

The ground beneath me is cold, my cheek pressed flat against what feels like wet stone. I peel my eyes open. And when I say peel, I mean PEEL. My lids stuck together with something dry crusted over them. Vision is so blurry. But I can make out what looks to be feint rays of sunlight shining down in some spots. 

I blink a few times to clean up my vision. The blurriness fading bit by bit until I can make out the floor I am currently laying on. Old cracked stone tiles. Beige in color and covered in moss. Weeds growing between the gaps and collecting in spots most open to the sunlight coming in above. My eyes tracked the rays up to the ceiling. Which is hardly a ceiling now. It takes a moment for me to realize that most of what I see up there is just the intertwined roots of the trees above ground. I am basically looking at the underside of the forest from 15 or so feet below it. The cracks in between the roots letting the sun in.

My eyes widen. The sun. That means the sun is up! Just how long have I been knocked out? Panic fills my heart as I move my arms weakly and try to lift myself up. It takes several tries. I feel so drained. And it appears I feel like that for a very good reason as my head lifts up from the stone finally. Only to see the stone beneath me stained with dried blood. Not just around my head but lower as well. 

I was laying face down so I grunt with effort as I manage to roll myself over. Causing me to squeal in pain as I had been weighing down the boney spine still embedded in the side of my abdomen. My hands shake as I reach for it. Grasping around it. I want to pull it out but I recall the last time I tried it just made it hurt worse.

Now that I have a moment to think about it the spine likely has some kind of barbs on it to keep it from being removed easily. Which really sucks. But at least it seems to be keeping the rest of my blood inside me where it belongs.

"L....eh...o..." I try to call out but my voice comes out as just a quiet rasp. Even sighing in defeat makes my chest hurt. My legs feel numb as well but at least I seem to be able to still move them. 

Taking as careful of breaths as I can. I start scoping around my surroundings more methodically. It seems I have fallen into some sort of ruin. The deliberate stone floor was evidence enough of that. And by the state of the tiles it has been untouched for a long while. Looking back at the end of the room towards my feet I can see a steep pile of old stone wall structure and dirt leading up to a crevice through some roots. That must be where I fell in.

As much as it sucked rolling down, I am certainly glad the mound was there or else I probably would have just died on impact with the floor.

Taking a scan around the walls of the room it looks like it might have been some sort of gathering hall judging by how open it is. The walls are stone as well but are much more dilapidated. Even more than the floor. Almost completely deteriorated other than a few shattered sections and collapsed columns. The light from above barely letting me make out some sort of carvings across their surface.

"W...hat...s...all...this..." I croak out absentmindedly. My eyes finally drawn to the front of the room where a round stone alcove is dipped dead center into the wall. A rusted metal statue standing tall and looming over a stone pedestal below it. The statue being so rusted over I can't even make out who it's supposed to be representing. They seem to be human in shape, covered in armor and grasping onto a sword with the blade stabbed into the ground. The hilt of the sword and the figures hands are pressed deep against the statues face. Masking it from sight. The only indicator of the figure not being human is that it seems to have four arms instead of just two.

My eyes scan down the blade of the statues sword to where it's embedded. The end of the blade seeming to be stabbed not into the ground like I thought before. But instead into the severed head of some reptilian creature with several pairs of horns.

I am sort of awestruck by it. Unlike anything I've ever seen. Momentarily making me forget how much pain I am in.

But it's as my eyes settle back on the pedestal beneath the stature where I see something that catches my interest more. Squinting my eyes at it for a moment. Recognizing its shape. 

It's a book...

Gritting my teeth. Knowing there isn't much else I can do at the moment. I use my hands to start crawling myself backwards towards the front of the room. Which is definitely not ideal. It's slow going and the room is quite large but at least the floor is pretty flat down the center.

My skirt tears in a few more places as I get closer. Getting caught on jagged stone ruins and plants. But eventually I make it up to the stone pedestal. Getting a better look at it. In fact it seems to be the most well preserved piece in the room other than the statue.

Each surface of the pedestal is covered in carvings depicting winged serpents that coil together into latice-like patterns. Serpent heads with horns affixed to each top and bottom corner. Reaching my hand out to run it over the smooth surface of it. Feeling so warm to the touch. 

Since I am on the floor I am not able to see the cover of the book itself. But my arm reaches up high enough to grab it's spine and pull it down. The book is much heavier than I expected as it nearly bonks me on the head. Which would definitely not help with the already existing head injury.

The book is massive, wider than my body and bound in aged metal and dark scaled leather. The writing on the front isn't any language I've ever seen before. A clasp on the side keeps the yellowed pages sealed tight but there doesn't seem to be any lock. And with just a flick of my finger over the latch it pops open with a CRACK.

The pain in my body almost seems to just fade into the background. Muted. My attention focused on the book in front of me as my fingers grasp the hard cover and lift it open to the first page.

My brows knit in confusion. The page is blank. In fact as I thumb through the pages briefly they all seem to be the same way.

My heart sinks a bit. I thought I had found something at least worth while after all this trouble. But I guess the book can be sold or something. The material it's made out of looks expensive.

Still thumbing through the pages just to see if my eyes are playing tricks on me or something when some of my dried blood that was stuck to my fingers flakes off onto the page. The flakes landing on the parchment before seeming to sink into it.

The pages suddenly begin to turn on their own quickly until reaching the first page again. Reflexively pulling my hands away from it.

The book is quiet and still for a moment before strange black letters begin to quickly scrawl out over the page. Filling the empty space.

The strangest thing is that as the letters were written, it felt like something was scratching my mind. As if I could feel each pen stroke on my brain.

Then the page turned to the second and third. More letters writing out. More uncomfortable scratching making me shudder but I can't seem to look away. Fourth and fifth page. Repeated again quicker this time. Sixth and seventh. Again and again. Each page scrawled faster than the last but my eyes followed each letter just as quickly. My brain pounding painfully as the scratching gets louder and louder. 

My hands grasp the sides of my head, unable to shut my eyes. Teeth gritting as the pages are flipping through swiftly now. The pain excruciating. My sight hyper focused on each word.

I can't take it. I scream. First only coming out as a rasp before it breaks through into a shrill ear piercing screech that echoes in the ruined hall. The taste of blood filling my mouth from my dry throat. 

But then the book finally snaps shut after the last page. My body limply slinking to the floor. My head feels as though its been set on fire. I can no longer move.

And right before my eyes the book laid out beside me begins to glow in shades of vibrant purple before it turns black and crumbles into dust.

And if things couldn't get any worse my blood runs cold as I hear a familiar howl up above.

Tears welling up in my eyes as I can't help but sob. The only thing able to move is my eyes, tracking the sound of swift paws padding towards the crevice where I fell in. Two sets of eyes flashing in the dark at me as it peeks its head into the hole. Letting out a cackle before starting to viciously tear at the roots and dirt to widen the opening.

"...pl...eas...hu...lp." I sputter out weakly. To God. To anything. Even as the Horned Wolf finally gets enough wiggle room to squeeze itself through. At least it also seems to misjudge its footing as it comes tumbling out of the hole and rolls down the dirt mound to hit the stone pretty hard. But unfortunately for me the monster is much tougher as it shakes its head out and rises to a stand.

I can't even try to crawl away this time as it slowly stalks towards me. It's spines rattling. Stopping to lower into a pouncing stance. I can see another shape sliding in through the crevice and down the mound behind it. Likely another one of it's friends to join this mornings meal.

My lip quivers, teeth gritting as I see it pounce. Almost as if it's in slow motion. It's jaws open, claws extending.

My ears ring. Strange flashes momentarily obscure my vision. Violet flames. Words on the tip of my tongue but don't have the strength to form.

But a shape leaps into the air behind the pouncing wolf. A flash of steel.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" A blood curdling war cry from above as the shape strikes down with great speed, slamming the wolf into the floor with their blade piercing through it's body and nailing it into the floor. The stone tiles beneath it cracking under the weight. The wolf comes to a halt. Letting out a painful whine before Leo twists the sword, causing the wolf to cry out again.

Yanking the blade out of its body before stabbing it back down. Repeating the process over and over. Blood splashing with each plunge as every stab is emphasized by a hoarse vicious roar from the teenager. "GET! THE FUCK! AWAY! FROM HER!"

The wolf long dead after the second stab as it lay motionless beneath the boy. His dirty, beaten, and exhausted form panting like an animal over it's hard won prey. But his stupor broke as his eyes locked onto me. Leo leaving his sword as he stumbles to the floor off of the wolf to rush over. Keeping himself from grabbing me too hard in a panic.

"L...Liore? Can...can you hear me?" The vicious deep voice he had before now stripped away to being that of a frightened boy. His hands gently lifting me up. I grimace, my face soaked in tears.

"L...e...o.." I croak weakly, stuttering each part of his name. The boys face scrunching up in pained relief as he pulls me tighter to him. He looks like he has been through hell as well. Has he been searching for me the entire time?

"It's okay...I've got you. Just hold on and I'll get you home." Lifting me up, my head resting into the crook of his neck. All the adrenaline and survival instincts leaving my body. Unable to force myself to stay awake.

Held by a beacon of safety. I shut my eyes.