Break The Ice

Chapter 12

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Chance:

Darkness. Who could ever have guessed that it would be so brilliant? So contradictory. It seemed endless and vast,yet it felt restricting. Despite the obscurity, everything was bright as day. Again,contradictory. Was this the end? Did my journey reach it's destination? I felt light, airy, almost as if nothing was tying me down. The silence, normally deafening, felt so comforting, so peaceful.

I was walking in no particular direction,simply feeling relaxed. Feeling as though tension had never existed. I could more than get used to this.

 "Is this death?" I thought. Not that I would have felt bad about it, just having some closure would lighten the weight of curiosity that was on me.

"No," a voice rang out, soft but strong. Turning around to the source of the voice, I came face-to-face with a man. I was literally speechless at the sight of his magnificence.Each muscle was given special care and attention, further defining his massive stature. This was a warrior. 

The first thing that captured me was his eyes, they glowed with a wild orange, emanating an air of sincere authority. It was almost impossible to tear myself from his gaze, it was meant to hold you hostage to them.

I was then captivated by how his hair hung in light wisps, dancing with a wind that only they felt. The weaving hues of red,yellow and orange flared, as enticing as a fire on a snowy night. It was only when I took in how his golden skin seemed to emanate a light, fiery and awesome, that I realized this being, was pure power.

He looked so alike to....who did he look like. The name was on the tip of my tongue.

"Then where is this?" I asked, finally getting past the shock.

"That isn't essential," he replied,"you took from me and so, there is a price," he walked closer to me, putting a rough, but gentle hand to my face. His smile was radiant, yet so full of lament and regret. My brain tugged again,trying to  remember who his touch reminded me of.

"I only wish you hadn't taken so much.For someone so new," he lamented,"please understand, I don't control this."

"Wait," I began,"what do you mean?" This discussion was beginning to worry me.

He didn't say anything, but rather, he pulled me to him and brought his lips to mine. The sudden action had me tensing to pull back, but I was held there by a feeling that was just to reminiscent. There was something about how his lips moved with mine,passionate yet timid,as though he thought I would shatter. Something about this being, was familiar.

It reminded me of something,of someone. 

As he moved from me, I felt an immense force as it started to tear me away from the man. Something changed inside me, I didn't know what it was, but something was different.Missing.

"You need to let go." he advised,"you're waking up." Waking up? But I was so peaceful and at ease here. Not to mention, he wasn't awful company.

"I'm flattered,but you do not belong here," he laughed. Wait. I said that out loud? Joy. I felt my face flush.

"But I don't even know who you are." I complained. He simply removed his tunic, leaving his chest bare. Such definition, such tone, it was definitely that of a warrior. But, in the centre, just above his pectorals, was a figure, upon closer inspection, I saw that it was a C, swirling with hues of blue,green and silvery-white, surrounded with wispy tendrils of fiery colours. I reached out to touch it,fascinated by the mystifying beauty of it, but the man's hand had grabbed mine, stopping me.

"You'll remember in due time, moe serdste lubyov." was all that he said before giving me the light nudge that sent me bolting on the current of awakening.

Nikolai:

One week. It was already one week since Chance collapsed. I watched him everyday, unmoving from my seat at the side of the bed he was lain on. I scanned thoroughly for any sign of life. Were it not for his unmoving chest, I would have believed that he was asleep, as he held the same restful visage. For my sake, I still kept to the belief that he was asleep.

He had to be asleep. He could not be...I couldn't even think about it, I refused to register the thought.   His arms were still not healing, we changed the bandages everyday and  cleaned them to at least prolong any pestilence.

I had run out of tears, maybe it was from refusing to eat or drink, not wanting to tear myself from him in case he woke up or maybe it was from crying every night for the past week. I had given up on sleeping, because it only brought worry and nightmares. Nightmares, that my Chance was really gone.

I pressed a hand to the mark on my body, the mark that signified that Chance and I belonged to each other and prayed once again,for my love to come back to me, to come back home. I wasn't angry, I didn't care anymore how irresponsible he was that day. I just wanted him back, him and only him.

I felt hands wrap around  my neck as my sister embraced me. Everyone stayed with me, also expecting Chance's return. I was grateful, they were probably the only thing keeping me in one piece at this time.

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked her, hoping she could give me some advice. She just pulled me closer. I honestly did feel lost without him, as though there was nothing else for me to do in life.

"I wish I knew," she sighed," this isn't anything I think any of us have encountered before," but we can't lose hope. You can't lose hope, he'll be back." I buried my head into her neck, letting the sadness out as I sobbed.

"Nik," Ella began somberly,"please, go get something to eat, go shower, he'll still be here. I hate having to see you destroy yourself like this. That, and I don't think Chance would want to wake up and see you like this." She was right, but I couldn't do it, I couldn't bring myself to leave.

"If for anyone," she continued,"do it for him,for Chance." She placed a mirror in my hands and I could not belive what I was facing. Dark,purple rings circled my eyes,now dull and lifeless. My hair was a nest of chaos and my facial hair had grown wild.

I was a broken man. This wasn't the man who Chance fell for and I certainly was not going to be this shell when he came back to me. Sighing and nodding in agreement, I made off to the bathroom, surprised there was still enough energy for me to not collapse.

I did everything. Shave, shower, freshen up. I came out the bathroom feeling less empty as I looked in the mirror. The hot shower had slightly relieved the circles around my eyes and brought some lively color to my skin. I  changed into a pair of jeans and just slipped on a button-down shirt. It was only from moving around, did I finally feel as hungry as my week caught up to me.

Almost instantly, Ella appeared in the doorway, holding a tray packed with sushi from Mochi Banzai, Chance's favorite restaurant and water. I downed a bottle, feeling even more invigorated at the rehydration. She just smiled and walked out of the room. Before I could even pick up one piece of the roll, Chance's body convulsed, arching to an extreme angle.

I wanted to reach out and hold him, but I found Ella's hands holding me down. There was something radiating from him, like a glowing radiance. His eyes were wide open and as brilliant as the night before. Everyone else had filed in and were now just waiting to see what happened next. No one even tried to touch him,the power coming off of him was signal enough.

What was happening? That question brought many possibilities with it, none that I even wanted to register,other than that he might be waking up.

After what I counted as half an hour, all the convulsing stopped. He was as still as he was before and with that, came a feeling of hopelessness. Back to square one. Before I could surrender, Chance gasped,his eyes, opening wider as he shot up into an upright position.

I was petrified with joy, seeing how his face lit up when he saw everyone. There was no boundary to  the relief  and overall euphoria I was experiencing.

"Who are you?" the question sounded innocent, but looking into Chance's lost and curious eyes as he asked me, sent my world into a collapse.