The Obsidian Empire

Chapter 18: Borrowed Time

Chirping birds and the rustling of leaves as they dance with the wind greet Llwell as his senses slowly return one by one. First hearing, then the scent of plants and pine joined by the lavender sage filling the air. Then sight with the light shining through the windows casting the afternoon glow across his eyelids.

Touch takes longer than the rest of his senses. His body remains mostly numb save for the return of the sharp stinging on his back as the lash marks have yet to fully heal. But the pain is far from as bad as it was when it happened. It's been treated for the most part and now it's up to his body to mend the rest.

And for the first time in what feels like forever, there is no pain at all in his right arm.

Before opening his eyes, he tries to flex his fingers to maybe feel if the burns across his hand have been healed, but the numbness remains even as the rest of his body wakes up. He waits a moment, taking a small breath and blinks his eyes open to squint up at the wooden ceiling with vines and leaves sneaking through the branches of the structure. A familiar sight. Ildilyntra's dwelling.

He stays where he is and tries moving his left hand, finding that his fingers move with ease. But after another attempt with his right hand, still nothing.

Llwell turns his head slowly to look around the room through blurry vision, and he thinks he's alone here but can't be too certain since he doesn't know if he can fully trust his senses right now if he's unable to feel his right hand.

He then angles his head down to look at the blankets covering his body. Since his left hand is the only one he can feel, he uses it to slowly push himself to sit up, finding that his body feels a lot more sore than he had initially thought, so sitting up takes more than a few tries before he's able to support himself with his back against the pillows.

The linen and fur blankets pool around him, and he looks down to see the state of his right arm. Of the Siphon and the corruption that he was certain would kill him any day now.

But it's all gone.

Llwell stares blankly at the bandaged stump that's cut just above where his elbow should be.

It takes him a few minutes of just staring at the sight of his severed arm before it really clicks in his mind that he's not dreaming this time. It's gone. The Siphon is gone.

He can't really form any reaction aside from just sitting there. Aside from staring at what's left in silence.

He's so trapped inside his own head that he hardly registers when he hears footsteps from across the room as Bella walks towards him with a wooden tray that holds a steaming bowl of soup, but the moment she sees him sitting up, she gasps.

"Llwell!" Her eyes light up even as her brows arch in worry.

Llwell has to blink a couple times and force himself to look over at her as best he can with his head down to watch her rush over while still being careful to not drop her tray. She sets it down on the end table beside the bed and stands at his side with an anxious smile.

He can't look at her for longer than a few seconds before he looks down at where his arm should be.

"...What..." his voice is weak but surprisingly steady all things considered, "...happened?"

Bella also spares a brief glance at the bandages covering the end of what remains of the elf's arm before she quickly looks away from him entirely with a small sigh. She's ashamed to want to stare and he knows it. He used to feel strong when people would stare at the Siphon. Now he's fragile. No. He's been fragile for a while now.

Now he's broken.

"...No one knows exactly..." Bella starts which gets him to look at her again. The girl silently sighs before turning and sitting down at the foot of the bed. Llwell watches her, but she still doesn't look at him again, probably out of fear that she'll catch herself staring.