My eyelashes cracked from ice when I opened my eyes. It took me a few minutes before my eyes could adjust to the area's brightness. I shielded my eyes from the light with the back of my hand, clueless of where I was. I abruptly sat up, feeling the area in front of me, getting snow on my fingertips. I let the snow melt and stream into my palm. Squinting at the ground, I stood up; only to stumble back down in the process. All of a sudden, a strong hand reached out for mine. I tried to look up and recognize the face that stood before me, but the piercing light shattered my view. Instead of asking anything, I reached out for the hand that welcomed me and took it. It was surprisingly warm, especially for being in an environment like this. I was swiftly pulled up with surprising force I ran into a buff arm instead. My lungs collapsed as I let out my final breath of air.
"Oh, whoops, sorry!"
He stood me up straight, and patted me on the back, again, a little too hard and made me cough. Energy rushed through my entire body, leaving me paralyzed for a split second.
"That should do it."
Surprisingly, I was able to breathe again. Putting my hands on my knees, I inhaled and exhaled quickly, filling my lungs with the cold air. After a moment, I paused and wondered,
"Wait, you hit me in the back on purpose?"
"Yeah," said the man, "It gets your body to realize that you need to breathe, that's all."
I stood up, now able to get a glimpse of his face. He was pale, with black eyes; dark as ash. He was powerfully built; no wonder he lifted me up like I weighed like nothing. Black wings emerged from his back, dusted with snow, but were beautiful. I exhaled as I took a step back and looked around. It looked like a cave with a layer of snow, and lighted in the centre from a hole in the roof. I looked back to the man who had started to depart the room.
"Wait!" I shouted in alarm, reaching my hand out to him, as if to bring him back with an invisible string.
He turned around. I stood motionlessly at how still he stood, patiently waiting for my response. I startled at the sound of something in the cave and turned quickly in that direction.
"Hm?" He questioned.
"Oh." I looked back at him, "Please, take me with you. I-I have no idea where I am."
I started walking towards him, but as I took another step, life shot out of me. Surprised, my eyes closed and I prepared for impact as my body hit the ground.
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YOU ARE READING
Ataraxia
FantasyDarkness washes over me like a sluggish wave, caressing my soul in its hands. Negative energy runs through my veins, making me feel different, like I'm someone else, or someone else is inside me. My back aches with pain, the muscles throbbing to the...
