Emotions (REMASTERED)

Chapter Eleven; Aftermath

The forest was nice. The leaves hid him from the sight of the burning sun that gave him a headache. He was curled underneath a tree within it's root complex. His body heat warmed his makeshift den. Distantly, he heard voices that steadily grew in volume. His eyes flickered open and he shifted, turning his face towards the opening and the ray of sunlight that trickled into the den. Then, water rushed into the den, shifting into an ocean. His eyes widened as the cold water seeped into his fur and skin, drenching him, burning him. He thrashed and padded, trying to fight for the surface, but despite his efforts he only sank deeper and moved more and more sluggishly as the water shifted from a deep blue to a vibrant purple.

With a small jolt, Sigils gasped and woke him. He blinked and searched his surroundings. He was facing a wall, lying on a warm bed underneath a thin blanket. His burn pain was dulled, cooled. Bandaids covered his cheek where he was scratched by Biffle.

Biffle.

Eyes, angry eyes.

He shook his head. Sigils sat up, wincing as he felt where each wound of his was. He exhaled and glanced around. One of his eyes was covered with a bandage, minimalizing his vision. He was in the treehouse, the same place he had woken up the last time he experienced a major injury. Florian and Rafessor were cleaning the area, silent and paying attention only to the thoughts going through their heads. Sigils spotted another cot and tilted his head, trying to see it better. There was a patch of red on the center. He didn't get a lot of time to process it before the sheets were snatched away by Florian. The admin glanced up and locked eyes with Sigils, then quickly snapped his sight away, back to the bed and the bloodied sheets in his hands.

"Sigils, you're awake," Florian murmured stiffly. Rafessor tore his attention away to the desk he was neatening. He saw Sigils, but didn't dare meet his eyes.

"Don't look at me like I'm a freak." His voice sounded wrong.

Florian risked a glance at the enderman, "I'm sorry- I didn't mean to. I thought you were still..."

"What, a monster?" Sigils snapped. He lifted his arm, "This stupid bracelet stops that."

"Do you, um," Rafessor started, then cleared his throat, "Do you remember what happened?"

"Yeah I do, dimwit," Sigils hissed, "You guys have to stop acting like I'm some feral beast. I'm not. It's been over a year now. I'm not going to randomly snap."

"That's not guaranteed," Rafessor replied softly yet sternly, "Remember, you're the only known enderman to be able to become human."

Sigils held Rafessor's gaze before turning away, "Where's Henwy and Jerome."

Neither responded.

"I'm, um, I'm going to go wash these." Florian whispered, turning and briskly leaving.

Sigils turned to Rafessor, "Raf."

"Dead," He murmured, "Jerome's dead."

"Oh."

"Yeah," Rafessor whispered, barely audible.

"Henwy?"

"Not good. He pushed his limits immediately after losing Jerome. He used his powers and he fought Biffle. And he won."

"You make it seem bad?" Sigils asked carefully.

"That's because any normal person in his state should be dead," Rafessor replied, "Jerome was murdered, and he immediately pushed himself physically and mentally to attack SSundee and Biffle. You probably would be dead if not for him."

Panic started to rise in his chest, making his voice break as he spoke, "So...so he might die?"

Rafessor turned back to the desk, "Yeah."