Arwick (A Light Of Roria Sequel)

Chapter Thirteen

Addisyn

Pain. Although it was dull against my skin, the feeling struck me by surprise, forcing me to press my hand against the stone wall for support. My mouth fell open, and I drew on a long, sharp breath. An image overcame me, and my surroundings began to fade until a dark room came into view. The circular room had low ceilings, and when the screams began, it ricocheted off the walls, carrying the agony down the long tunnel.

A man with a long whip cackled, enjoying the violence he bestowed on whoever had screamed. I was afraid to look toward his victim, a part of me recognizing the voice of those cries. When I finally had the courage to turn my gaze, I gripped my chest, moving toward Elijah, whose hands were bound and raised above his head. A deep gash lay across his back, and I watched in anguish as the whip struck his flesh for a second time. Pain. Again, it swept over me, residing on my back in the same place Elijah had just been struck. Another scream escaped his lips, and the sound was deafening to my heart.

"No!" I cried aloud, moving between them both. With the whip raised above his head, the man cracked it as the end came barreling toward my face. My eyes blinked instinctively until I seemed to be back in my cell, swiftly turning from side to side, my heart pounding furiously against my chest, causing the blood in my veins to rush and my vision to blur.

"Addisyn," Aziel called out to me in concern. I turned to face him, trying to catch my breath while Elijah's emotions clouded my thoughts. Pain. Agony. Pain. It plagued me until tears streamed down my cheeks uncontrollably.

"Eli-Elijah." I could barely speak, gripping the bars that separated us.

"Breathe, Addisyn," Aziel said firmly. "You must breathe." With a long breath in, Aziel motioned for me to follow his lead. "Like so," he said before taking another slow breath in and releasing it.

"He's—" I started out before Aziel raised a hand to silence me.

"First, breathe."

With a nod, I closed my eyes, listening to his breathing, forcing my own to follow suit. It hadn't come easy, and I doubt I'd been able to at all if I hadn't begged for divinity's help, but soon I was able to imitate Aziel's inhales and exhales.

"Now," Aziel started out, "what of Elijah?"

"He's being whipped," I cried. "I saw it. I—" My voice caught in my throat, and I pressed my fist into my chest, feeling it was the only thing keeping my heart in place. "I could feel it," I whimpered.

Aziel closed his eyes for a moment, his head turning away from me. When he looked at me once more, his naturally fierce eyes appeared as gentle as his boldness would allow. "Your bond is growing, but you must not let this vision overwhelm you," he instructed me sharply. "Instead, you must use this during our battle."

I shook my head. "What?" His words perplexed me. "H-How can I use this? He—Why?"

Aziel gripped my hand. "You wish to save them? To save him from this place?"

I swallowed, trying to understand his point but failing to see. "I do, but he's in pa—"

"Yes or no will suffice," Aziel interrupted.

"Y-Yes," I stuttered, the tears still flowing.

"You cannot do this if you fail. If you wish to save him, and all your friends, you must use what you've seen. They need you now more than ever. Fight, Addisyn. Let their pain be your will to survive." Passion exuded from both his words and expression, removing my hand from the bar and holding it with both of his.

I nodded, but it wasn't what I wanted. I wanted to scream, fall to the floor, and let the anguish of his pain take me as I wept, but none of that would change my fate or his. The only thing I had left was to fight.