twenty-nine
. . .
raea
The gripon my body feels inhuman, an unyielding force that seizes me with sharp, piercing pain as though claws have sunk deep into my sides. I can sense something tugging at my legs, pulling me deeper toward an abyss. At the same time, a weight crushes my chest, like a heavy band constricting my breath and pinning me in place as I attempt to fight back.
Power surges through me again, a chaotic energy burning like a wildfire, consuming everything in its path. I can’t be certain, but I think I’m screaming, though the sound is lost in a cacophony of whispers. It’s as if there’s an iron dome encasing my mind, but the whispers grow louder, hammering against the walls of my mind, demanding entrance. The whispers grow louder, the indistinct voices fill my ears, pulling me further into this nightmarish struggle for control as I battle the darkness threatening to keep me.
“Soraea.”
“Light-bringer.”
“The new dawn.”
“Give it to us.”
“I’ll destroy them all.”
Over and over, the voices repeat, overlapping and driving memadder than I already feel with the hammering in my head, the loud buzz of the planet, and well…everything else. I’m tapped out on sensations, overwhelmed, while my heart continues to pound violently against my ribcage.
Darkness continues to envelop my vision like an endless void. I’m haunted by vivid flashes of war, scenes of death and destruction unfolding before me as I watch helplessly. I see homes and villages engulfed in flames while horrific creatures born of nightmares gnash their teeth in a frenzied display of hunger. A strangled sob escapes my lips as I lie here, powerless and lost in images I can’t comprehend.
“Give it to us,” the voices echo around me, some demanding furiously, others with a voice laced with deceit and false sweetness. Their incessant demands twist my insides, fueling my fear.
Desperation wells up as I cry out, “I don’t know what you want!”
In my search for something to hold onto, my hands grasp at what feels like a root, its rough bark biting into my palm. I can feel the damp ground beneath my fingers, the solidness grounding me even as my body writhes in agony as I teeter on the edge of unconsciousness. My fingers intertwine in an attempt to anchor myself.
“Give us the light!”
The command reverberates through my mind like a thunderclap, leaving me gasping. A chill settles into me, bone-deep and unending, as the darkness around me deepens, consuming me whole.
“Have strength, Soraea, daughter of the forest,” a sweet, calm voice murmurs softly from somewhere nearby. It brings a sense of quiet comfort despite the unending pain and terror.
“Who are you?” I manage to bite out, the grip on my chest escalating to unbearable levels. “Please, make it stop,” I plead, desperation clawing at me.
Suddenly, a gentle hand rests on my head. The soothing touch momentarily eases my torment. The relentless pounding in my skull subsides, and the disorienting buzz of distant planets fades into silence.
“We cannot,” she replies softly, her voice soothing like a lullaby. “This is your path. Have strength; he’ll be here soon.”
“Who?” I sob.
My voice trembles as I feel jagged claws dragging down my legs. The presence of whoever is hovering over me begins to pull away, leaving me as the whispers surrounding me turn taunting and vicious. They chant their malevolent refrain, repeating words about light and a new dawn, twisting them into a cruel promise thatshe’llmake me suffer if I don’t comply.
The band around my chest feels like it’s constricting further, the pressure building as the tugging on my legs pulls me deeper into despair. I scream, the sound leaving my throat raw as it echoes through the void. I grip the root beneath my fingers with all my strength. I can’t let go—not now. I just have to hold on, that’s what she said. Then, without warning, the darkness envelops me once more. Utter and complete nothingness.
I wake to more haunting visions of wastelands stretching endlessly through my mind, but these desolate landscapes belong to no planet I’ve ever known. The people who inhabit this miserable realm are different—taller, faster, and more beautiful. I feel like I’m glimpsing at a photo of a long-lost family. There's something familiar about them, but I know my parents were both the only children born to my grandparents, just like me.
A profound sadness settles against my heart as I silently plead for this torment to cease. This is just another ploy to get me to break. I can’t discern how long I’ve been unconscious, or even how long I’ve been trapped in this hellscape. I can feel my strength dwindling, and the reserve of energy I felt earlier seems to drain faster than the well can replenish. A soul-rendering sob escapes my lips, my vision still shrouded in darkness, and all I can feel are the deep, sharp talons raking mercilessly into my skin, leaving behind a burning trail of agony.
Poison.
It has to be some kind of poison that makes those claw marks burn with indescribable heat.
Maybe this is death. Or perhaps I’m merely caught in a dream. Idon’t know, but I cling desperately to that root, a fragment of something real and tangible in this sea of cold darkness.
Seconds stretch into minutes, minutes spiral into hours, and hours blur into a formless expanse that renders time meaningless. Those eerie whispers penetrate my thoughts like an insistent wind. My mental shield holds strong, muffling their cries of outrage.
