Eternal Awakening

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Lord of Lies

Richard opened his eyes slowly as a wave of pain rippled through his tired and confused mind. He appeared to be in his bed back in his small room, and the sound of someone breathing softly nearby announced that he wasn't alone. Looking to his right he found Aura sitting there next to his bed, her head bent in concentration and a serious look on her face. She no longer wore her hair in a tight braid down her back, but instead had it flowing freely over her shoulders; which made her look younger.

“W... what's going on?” he croaked, finding that his throat was dry and his voice cracked slightly.

“Richard! You're awake!” Aura suddenly leapt up from her seat and stepped closer to his bed, placing a gentle and warm hand against his forehead like a mother would. “You're okay, so don't strain yourself too much. You collapsed in the arena and were brought to your room. How do you feel?”

“Like a truck ran over me... repeatedly,” he admitted and sat up slowly, every muscle in his body groaning in protest.

“A what?”

“Never mind.”

Aura smiled softly and then pulled her chair closer to the bed, sitting down in it once more as she looked over him. “I didn't expect you to wake up for at least another night.”

“How... how long was I out?”

“Just a few hours, which is impressive. I thought you would have been unconscious for at least two nights given how much magic you used in the arena.”

The memories of fighting in the arena flooded through his mind and he remembered everything that had happened. The things that stuck out the most were the light shield, the ball of pure light, and the ghost of the pain that still haunted his body. He could hardly believe everything that had happened, but the amount of pain he was still in was proof that it had indeed occurred.

“How's Lythia?” he asked, remembering that she had been caught in that duel from hell with him. Though, the fact that Aura was with him in that moment was a pretty good sign.

“She's perfectly fine. She was treated for some minor scrapes and bruises, but I think the worst injury she sustained was from your slap,” Aura explained, and suddenly Richard felt horrible about hitting her in the heat of the moment. “Thank you, Richard... for protecting her.”

“I was just doing what you asked me to do.”

“No, you did so much more than that. You went above and beyond what I asked of you, and I really appreciate it,” Aura replied gently and placed her hand on his for a moment, smiling happily at him through the small amount of light that was filtering through the tiny window.

“How did all of this even happen?” he asked, and now Aura's eyes went hard and she pulled his hand away from his. For a moment she remained silent, simply staring intently at him like she was trying to decide if she should answer his question. She must have decided to do it though, because a moment later she spoke, her voice tense and harsh.