Chance for a Prophecy

Chapter 34 - An End of an Era

Disclaimer: Naruto and every character of the Naruto universe belongs to Kishimoto Masashi and companies I don't know.

Applause goes for my precious beta reader and friend Duesal Bladesinger, and also a big thank you for the Awesome Authors Coalition members.

Original upload date: 24th of December 2016.

Last update: n.a.

Chance for a Prophecy

Chapter 34. – An End of an Era

Important author's note: I want to emphasize once more that the happenings of the manga have been ignored since chapter 629. This part was written almost 4 years ago together with the first chapters of this story. Many things happened in the manga and I couldn't keep up with them or I would have had to rewrite everything from scratch. So please keep this in mind while reading.

There was no sound, no movement, only a devastating emptiness. It was as if time itself had stopped. His head was light and he vaguely remembered that he needed to breath. He tried to inhale a lungful of oxygen, but at first nothing happened. His mouth didn't part at his will, his chest didn't move. A second later, the world righted itself and the stillness was gone.

Muffled voices echoed around him like he was dunked underwater; even the feeling on his skin was painfully familiar to all-encompassing sensation. Something was wrapping him from head to toe, something scratchy, cold and hard was cocooning him.

He tried to move his mouth, but it was like it was bound by hard fabric that resisted the tiny movement, tightening around his cheeks, his throat, biting into his adam's apple. He tried to suck in air, but something stuck to his mouth, blocking his windpipe.

He twitched and it cracked, a small split appearing in front of his mouth. He sucked in a mouthful of breath, the air whistling as it slipped through.

It gave him some air, but not enough. His mind swam, his lungs were screaming. He violently jerked at the lack of oxygen, and a much harsher cracking sound followed his movement, then the dam finally disappeared from in front of his mouth.

Coldness hit his exposed skin and he immediately tore his lips apart, his chest hungrily expanding as he sucked in a ragged breath. But the attempt ended in a fit of coughs, his body still lacking the oxygen it was desperately screaming for. He tried again, this time succeeding, but his throat was so dry. He literally felt the dust in the air milling his windpipe as it rushed into his lungs.

He jerked and something cracked around him again. More and more of his skin became exposed to the frosty air, and something began peeling off from his body by each movement. Another violent jolt and something broke above him. Gravity pulled him down with its full force. He collided with the hard ground and it knocked out the hard-earned lungful of air right out of him.

He braced himself against his instincts and drank once more from the ice cold oxygen, slower this time, but still feeling it all the way, rasping against his inners as it slipped into his chest, chilling his already cool body. His back was pushed against the hard frosty surface beneath him by the motion. He shivered at the sensation and let out a groan as he tried to arch away from the feeling.

The carving sensation stayed for two more breaths, then subdued into an itching feeling at the back of his throat. He finally gathered the energy to peel his eyes open, but the only thing that registered with his tired mind was a foggy picture with abstract forms. Something blue, spotted with some white blobs and a binding, but warm golden spot at his periferia.

He slowly tried to move to rub his eyes, but the only thing he managed was a pathetic twitch of his arm and a jerk of his head. His body was aching, not with pain but with an overwhelming numbness and cold. His limbs were in a stupor with his brain. Something fell upon his face when he moved again and he immediately tilted his head toward the heat, hungry for the warmth.