Your Shield - Arcane Male Reader

New Understandings

Pain racked your body. A pain that you had never thought you would ever feel again. Your chest heaved up and down. Your lungs expanding slowly as they tried to let you breathe with the aid of your machinery. But it pained you to even let in any amount of air. You felt your throat constrict and your heart burn. It was dark and you were confused. You tried to recollect yourself. Remember where you were and what had happened. Trying to think you felt a voice in the back of your head. The familiar sound of your sister whispering in your ear.

Sister: You left her. Like you always do.

Trying to think you felt a pain rise in your head as the voices started to rise. Accusing and berating you. The giggling of your sister joining them. You felt your breathing pick up as you began to panic again. Everything suddenly coming back to you like a flash of lightning. She was right there. She was right there, and you had done nothing. You just watched as Powder tried to fight off her demons. Watched as Vi tried to bring her back. And you hadn't been able to do anything. Because you were to cowardly and weak to face your own demons. All of these thoughts raced through you as the voices rose like an unending typhoon. You tried to deny them, but you couldn't find the strength to disagree. She had been right there. And you did nothing. Unable to subdue the voices or fight them in your mental state. You slowly tried to block them out and go to sleep. Maybe they would leave you alone. But as you slowly drifted into unconsciousness you knew they would be back in your dreams.

(Time skip - An hour later)

Slowly regaining consciousness, you arose from your slumber. You felt something touch your lips as its contents were poured into your mouth. Your eyes opening wide as you shot up from your lying position. The liquid tasted horrible. Sitting up you grasped your throat as it went down. Slightly gagging you tried to steady yourself as you looked around. You were lying on a bed with a blanket placed over you. Calming down you slowly looked up seeing an unfamiliar bat like creature standing above you holding a cup in his hand. Seeing you awake he growled slightly as he turned to exit the room. Looking over as he left you saw a chair on the far end of the room across from you. Your eyes softening a little as you saw a familiar young white-haired boy sitting there.

Y/n: Hey Little Man.

Quickly raising his eyes from the floor as Ekko heard you. He looked at you from his sitting position and smiled slightly as he saw your face. Worry and exhaustion seeming to melt away as he saw you. Even in times like this it was nice to see a familiar face.

Ekko: I. . . I thought you were dead.

Y/n: Can't get rid of me that easily.

Ekko seemed to chuckle softly at your comment. Smiling to yourself, you took a moment to look around the room. It was modestly sized and decently furnished. To your left was a window set into the wall with the curtains drawn. On your right was a small dresser and desk. Your spear lying on the wood. And in the back corner next to the door was a coat hanger. Your gray cloak and your hat situated on it. You then felt a deep pain in your chest. Slowly you moved the blanket off of you. Seeing your metal chest exposed beneath your unbuttoned shirt. Bandages had been wrapped around your chest. A slight green tint staining them as they kept the green ooze from dripping out. Ekko slowly noticed you examining your injuries and spoke up.

Ekko: We got there right after you collapsed. You were in pretty bad shape when we brought you back.

Sighing to yourself you held up your hand as you listened. You could still feel the gash across your hand from Sevika's sword under all the bandages. Breathing in and out you felt the core inside of you pumping out ooze and helping your heart circulate blood. It was almost like a second heartbeat. The Doctor had said any excess damage to it could result in its destruction or at least cause your body to shut down. You had expended too much energy today. Put your mind and body through too much stress. And the core had failed. You felt all of the past few hour's flash in your mind. The voices rising again as you heard Powder calling out for you. You tried to push them down and refocus. Looking back at Ekko as something dawned on you.