The God's Game

Reunion

The first thing River noticed was the rhythmic pressure on his chest, as if someone were violently orchestrating his heartbeat.

Sounds came piercing through the hazy fog clouding his mind—muffled at first,then clearer. Someone was calling his name. Everything around him was in chaos, but he felt strangely calm.

His body responded sluggishly, his limbs heavy, each breath pulling him further into consciousness. Awareness dawned on him,and he realized that he was back,anchored in the tangible present.

The bone-crushing pressure on his chest lifted for a moment. He lay there, breathless for a second before he felt something soft and pillowy smothering his lips, sending a warm rush of air into his lungs.

River wanted to resist, but his body was far too weak for that, and he could only manage a pathetic croak. The lips lingered there for a minute, firmly sealing his own mouth shut as their breaths mingled together. And then they were gone.

River coughed violently, choking up a large mouthful of bitter,salty water. It immediately cleared his airways, and he breathed in the most delicious gulp of air of his life. His eyes fluttered open, and the world came into focus like a hazy dream lifting.

Raven Alistair's face was hovering above his, mere inches away. His visage was twisted with worry as his eyes scanned River over,as if to reassure himself that the latter was indeed alive.

Raven's shoulders slumped, every tense muscle of his body going limp with relief when River groaned in discomfort.

"Hi to you too, motherfucker," he scoffed, looking in equal parts relieved and pissed.

Wolfram's panic-stricken face emerged in his field of view. His gray eyes were wide, and his bottom lip was quivering—a split image of his five-year-old nephew on the verge of a meltdown. Water dripped down his nose and hair and onto River's face.

"You good, buddy?" He asked, wiping River's mouth.

"No," River groaned.

River suddenly felt warm all over, and he realized that it was Wolfram's divine essence working its magic on him. He focused on the soft, warm glow above his head to distract himself from feeling like two horses were tap dancing together on top of his chest.

"He almost fucking died," Raven yelled at Wolfram. "The fuck you were thinking, pushing him down a fucking hill like that?!"

"Well, he lived. Didn't he?" Wolfram retored, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Better than being gobbled up by a snake! Last time I checked,that was certain death."

"He can't fucking swim for sh*t! That's one surefire way to die, you fuckface!! "

"How am I supposed to know that?!"

Raven snorted angrily. "Common fucking sense? He can't even fucking walk on a level road without breaking a fucking limb!"

"This is relaxing," River croaked.

Raven glared at him, seemingly wanting to throw him back into the ocean, but kept mum.

River noticed that his eye patch was gone,probably lost in the previous struggle to save him from drowning.
His eyelid was shut and sunk in because of the hollowness behind it. The eyelid looked slightly mangled as well, an appalling defect on his otherwise perfect face.

"The fuck are you looking at?" Raven barked at him, his face flushed in anger.

River titled his, mimicking a bow, "I owe you my life,My Lord. Thank you"

Raven made a face. "Shut the fuck up."

River felt the sharp pain in his body ebbing away into a dull ache, allowing him to breathe easier. He tried to raise himself into an upright position, but every fiber of him strummed in resistance.