A Pair to End The War

Ongoing Corruption

The food was delicious, Holly really knew how to cook. I set the plate aside and rubbed my greasy fingers on my pants, "Alright, time to go," I stood up and adjusted my leather straps. "I wonder what Hjan is doing?" I thought about it for a moment, "Probably talking with the other dragons right now,"

I opened my door and started walking, hoping that I remembered where the training room was located, I was really paying attention yesterday to where we were walking.

"I think it was this way?" I turned down a random hallway at a three way intersection. I turned my head left and right and paused. "Dang, they all look the same,"

I felt a sharp sting in my chest and heard a crack behind me. It was strange, I could hear in images behind me, like echolocation. There was not a soul behind me, but where did I hear that crack come from? As I decided I was going crazy I heard the sound of eyelids fleshy blink below me. "Hello Ellie," I said, which was too loud because my own voice hurt my ears.

She poked her head out of my shadow, "Huh? How did you know I was here?"

"You made a sound," I whispered.

Ellie cocked her head in confusion, "What? How did you even hear?"

"You'd be surprised on what I can hear," Hjan's soul must be increasing my senses; what was that sharp pain in my chest though? I took a deep breath through my nose, and flinched, stopping inhaling mid breath, which made me cough. I could smell everything in the castle, from the most pungent of odors to the softest scent... it was overwhelming.

I covered my nose and wiped my watery eyes, did Hjan have to deal with this?

"Hey are you ok?" Ellie asked, pushing her face into my sight.

I nodded, her hair smelt of cynderwood and gentle volcanic flowers, If it weren't so pungent I would've loved it.

I took a deep breath through my mouth and held it. I nodded my head with tears streaming down my face. I gave her a quick nod of affirmation and quickly walked away from her. The sounds of everyone in the castle was so loud. It hurt, everything was so loud, I couldn't pinpoint any of the specific voices, everything was just jumbled up.

I covered my ears, but because I did I left my nose uncovered and the pungent odors around the castle made my eyes water. I closed my eyes and took another deep breath, running down the hallway. "I have to find my way back to my room!"

I stopped suddenly, my momentum carrying me across the floor until I screeched to a stop. I pivoted my feet and bolted back down the hallway, trying to cover my ears and breath as little as possible. I ran past Ellie, waving as I did. The halls all seemed shorted as I sprinted through them, but then again I was busy with everything else going on.

Then came touch.

A shiver went up my spine as the pain from my step shot through my leg. I collapsed to the ground, the pain was unbearable! Everything hurt, each little touch hurt! I ripped off my shirt, each strand of fabrics slicing across my skin.

I cried out in pain, which was a bad idea because that only hurt my ears. The salty smell of my tears only made me gag, which in turn hurt my throat. I didn't know what to do!

I placed my hand on the ground, it hurt, but I needed to get to my room, to my bed. I dragged myself across the floor, each little flaw and bump in the flooring scraped across my skin, each one felt like a dagger being plunged in my skin and sliced through my muscle. I couldn't cry, I couldn't even let my eyes water because the smell of salt.

Hjan! Where are you? How do I deal with this?

Each pull only hurt more, my body going numb, but the pain quickly gave my body feeling again. I took deep breaths sweat forming on my forehead and my palms getting clammy. The area of irritation started turning red and began to itch. I resisted the urger to itch them with all my being as I crawled my way up the door to my room. I reached up and grabbed onto the metal handle on the door. I shivered as the handle broke off the door sending shivers across my body. I dropped the handle and felt my body freeze in shock, the metal handle was completely crushed and bent. Did I just break the handle on my door?

I struggled as I opened the door, pushing it open. The moment it was open enough I jumped, it was going to hurt if I landed on my bed, and probably kill me if I landed on the floor, but I didn't want the pain of walking into my room.

I closed my eyes and prayed for the best.

I was right, it hurt, a lot, like dozens of little needles stabbing me all over; the pain quickly subsided though. I froze still, laying in the fleeting pain, my body eventually got better and became numb, the bed was rough, but it was soft. The pillows stank, but it was my stink, so I was used to it. I held a pillow over my head, which dulled the sounds around me.

Then came taste.

I almost gagged when I tasted my spit, everything in my mouth has a taste, from the bits of food to the bacteria itself, it was disgusting; luckily my sense of taste wasn't as bad as I thought it might've been.

My body began to settle, everything started calming down, my body, the sounds around me: the smell of everything was just a bad as it was before, but it was masked slightly by my own stench.

I was too scared to move, scared that my body would flair up again. "So, am I just bed ridden for the day?" I thought for a little bit and sank into my bed with a sigh, "Yup, I'm stuck here forever."