WMMAP - [S2] Shelter You

23: Within My Possession

The once-stilled body on the bed brought in movements. Red eyes shining in the middle of the night, mysteriously brighter than they should have. He lifted his left hand, balling into a fist, then released. He repeated the process again and again, testing.

A smile painted faintly but surely on his face, unexplainably malicious.

It worked. It finally works.

Hah...

Hahaha...

I did it...

His smile grew wider and he couldn't stop the joy of his first succession that somewhat broke into a small laughter in the middle of the night.

"Finally... I di-Urg...!"

His raised hand that was once in the air came down to his chest and clutched what he thought was his heart.

The pulsing pain wouldn't stop. Each beat of his heart stroked another throbbing agony.

What the fuck. It hurts. Why does it hurt so much? And why can't I heal myself?

He took a sharp breath in, fighting the throbbing pain as he looked at the trembling of his hand. His thoughts stopped racing for a bit as he heard a whimper right below his legs.

The man blinked as his eyes made contact with this familiar... Beast from his memory.

Growing slightly irritated with the way the animal was rubbing its head to his leg, he gritted his teeth and raised his hand again. His palm facing toward the animal.

The beast tilted its head as if it was expecting something to happen. Or perhaps it found it strange to see a different 'Command Signal'.

"My mana... What the fuck... I can't feel it anymore... Why-"

Words cut short as he lay still on the bed, watching the animal rise from the mattress. It stretched as it yawned before coming toward him. Each paw that paced forward left a dent in the soft cushion below.

"I will blast you to pieces, you filthy mutt...," he said weakly yet left hostility in his voice.

"Don't come any closer...," he added, but unfortunately, the tightness of his throat only made an inaudible voice command that failed to reach.

Paralyzed in pain, he was, and a tad of fear crept down his system for how useless he felt in this situation.

"I said Stay away...!"

The beast abruptly paused and sat down. It panted, its tongue drooped to the side. The tail, the shiny black fur sailed on the breeze side to side, waving.

The man was clearly amused, assuming it was his magic that stopped the beast.

He looked at his palm, thinking perhaps he just needed to get used to this body before he could use his magic again. Maybe he-

The coldness and wetness of the animal's snout touched the back of his hand and startled him slightly. He wasn't aware that the beast made its move again. Now frozen in one place the beast loomed over him.

Frightened, he shoved the animal off the bed with full force, and the black canine yelped in return.

There was confusion in its eyes, the man could see. As it got up on its four legs, the beast's snout wrinkled, sniffing from a distance.

The pupils of its eyes shrunk. The back of its fur stood up rancorously. Its jaw hung loose and white teeth emitted, fangs displayed. The beast snapped a rumble from its throat. Drool spattered on the ground.