Golden Child [Rewriting]

*Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

Ignis didn't wake up that night. His sleep felt everlasting, and that night Vayu's worry began to show on his face. Nuri was in a panic as Vayu tried everything to wake Ignis from his dream-state, but it was no use. The mage simply collapsed into Vayu's arms, and he let himself assume the worst, just for a second, before completely discarding the thought.

"We need to get him back to Mr Milo." Vayu said quickly, "help me get him up."

"What's Milo going to do? He probably... perished in the mind-world." Nuri said gravely, while Vayu glared at him.

"If anyone can wake him up, it's Milo. You need to stop assuming the worst, and help me get him up, and then we need to drag him down this mountain." Vayu repeated with a stern voice, as Nuri swallowed his fear, and nodded. It was a struggle returning to the Manor, but they made it back just before noon the next day. Milo's face looked stricken with grief as he saw Ignis in the state.

"This is bad." Milo muttered, "set him down on a bed, I'm going to try my best to try and revive him, but I cannot promise anything." Nuri chewed his nails down to their skin while they waited for Milo to attempt to revive Ignis. The calming tea Vayu had given him all but knocked him out, because before he knew it he was pacing around the room in frantic little steps from left to right, left to right, left to right. He couldn't bare the thought of losing someone like Ignis, or any of his friends for that matter.

"Where are Avani and Meri?" Nuri asked after he'd paced around the room for probably the hundredth time.

"I don't know," Vayu answered truthfully, "I suppose they're running errands for Mr Milo."

"Have you ever known Avani to be an errand girl?" Nuri replied, shaking his head, "where the hell are they?"

"I don't know, Nuri, but you need to calm down." Vayu almost warned, this only seemed to plunge him deeper into panic.

"I can't calm down, Vayu! One of my best friends is in a coma and I can't do anything about it! I'm about at my damn breaking point." Nuri shook his head furiously and planted himself down on the couch.

"Just... try and sleep. I'm sure by morning Mr Milo will have fixed everything." Vayu tried a smile, but it was half-hearted and Nuri saw straight through it. He sighed, and placed his head down on a couch pillow, closing his eyes. Sleep overtook him easily for once, and his dreams were a dark black void, a big, giant night filled with nothing but a panicked grey aura. He assumed it was simply his aura projecting itself into his dreams, or perhaps his spiritual energy was grey at the moment. Just a big mess of panicked grey, that's what Nuri was for the rest of the night. His eyes were closed, and he assumed he was sleeping, but he couldn't quite get rid of the gnawing feeling that Ignis might never wake up again. The thought ate him alive for the rest of the night, he absolutely could not get it out of his head, no matter what dream he tried to force into his subconscious. Even when he attempted to dream about the night it all happened, the big, panicked mess of grey seemed to linger around the corners of the familiar village that he'd scorched. He hated it, but at least it was sleep.

The next morning felt like someone had dragged him through the mud, literally. The deep ache of panic still rested in his bones, and it still felt like his world was crumbling apart. Ignis still hadn't woken up. It was a routine Nuri clung to in the week to come, wake up, eat, panic, sleep, and repeat. He kept at it, clinging onto it like one might cling to one's sanity. Avani returned the two days after they came back, with determination shining in her eyes.

"Where's Ignis?" She had asked Nuri, who still looked stricken with panic.

"He hasn't woken up from his trance." Vayu had answered for him, "where have you been?"