Lily Flower

Healer: Origins

TW: Buried alive, minor descriptions of injuries

There were two backstory chapters for the Dark Enchantress/White Lily, and this is the first of two for Healer/Pure Vanilla.

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Several years ago...

His first memories were of darkness and pain.

He had drifted to consciousness and tried to stand up, only to realize that his lower body was trapped underneath a large rock. His side was burning with pain, and when he struggled fruitlessly to get out something wet seeped out from the cracks. He groaned. A part of his body had definitely been crushed. The feeling subsided somewhat as magic tried to fix it, but when he (a healer, surely, with magic like this) tried to cast a formal spell, nothing occurred.

He was trapped in a cave-in of some sort, with a severe injury, and had no idea who he was. Great. This is about as bad of a situation as one could be in.

At least the crevice he was stuck in wasn't in complete darkness. There was a gem near him, glowing a brilliant blue. Tendrils of magic swirled from it, encompassing the healer. He knew, deep in his gut, that he could not let go of this strange and powerful gem. It was important. Even with most of his memories gone, he understood that. Unfortunately, when he attempted to use it to cast a spell, it still didn't work.

He slowly clawed away at the vanilla plaster, until his nails wore away to nothing and he was bleeding from the tips of each finger. He could not use any spells, so devoid of any sustenance that even his magic was directed at keeping his organs functioning. Without spells he couldn't get free, and without being free he couldn't do anything about his health and magic. The terrible cycle kept swirling.

He was completely trapped. There was nothing he could do except wait. A rather indeterminable amount of time passed while he was trying to dissociate before he heard the faint sounds of movement. It was rather far from him, but something was moving above him!

He tried to speak but only made a breathy cracking noise. The healer gave up on trying to call them and instead dragged himself closer to where the noises were coming from. He pounded on the rocks, desperately praying that whoever was out there would hear him.

He hit the broken pieces for several minutes, until his fist was burning. Just when he was starting to believe that they must have passed by him and moved on, someone knocked back. The noise was muted, through several layers of castle and rock, but it was still audible. Three hits, with a clear second of pause after each strike. Healer took a deep breath, overcome with relief. He returned the pattern, three times with a moment to tremble in elation between each. It was the sound of hope.

There was a drawn-out silence, and something in the distance creaked. He waited as it grew longer, joined by a symphony of cracking, grinding, and crumbling of stone and waffle plaster. The debris was being cleared, not quickly but not in a lethargic manner either. Someone was mechanically breaking through the rubble to get to him. The knocks sounded again, and he returned it, loud and clear as he could. They were getting closer. He carefully listened as they carved their way to him, nearer and nearer until the scratching was practically beside him.

The first crack appeared on the knocking rock. The man withdrew as much as he was able and covered his head with his arms. The rock shattered, small pieces flying in the cramped space as a glint of light invaded the space. The flower squinted at the sudden change in light level, its leaves twisting in discomfort.

His dark-haired savior pulled herself through the break, peering around for whatever poor wretch was trapped under all this junk. Healer slipped the strange gem into his ragged robes. He quickly got out of his defensive position and shifted closer to the opening, into her view. More problems may occur, but at least someone knew he was here.