Dusk and Ash (In Progress)

Chapter 3

Get up.

Durmhain rose. Or rather, his body pushed itself off the ground to standing. Durmhain watched numbly behind his eyes. He had been unshackled and left to drop to the ground. He vaguely thought it must have been fairly recently, given that the manacles still swayed slightly just above him. The room was dark now, light from the thaumatic crystals on the walls diminished. It occurred to Durmhain that they must have given off some heat as well, given that the room was even colder than before, though Durmhain only faintly registered the drop in temperature.

Move forward, the voice in his head said. Durmhain compulsively shivered. Though the voice was not that of Omnox, some undercurrent reminded him of the demon, like darkness at the bottom of a lake.

Why... am I?

The voice sighed impatiently. This will go a lot smoother if you just let go.

A part of Durmhain wanted to crawl back into himself, to hide in his shame and anger, but he clung to his experience like a starving hound.

A stubborn one, eh? The voice said. Tsk. As you wish.

A sharp pain pierced into Durmhain from all sides. He couldn't move his body, but tears still welled up in his eyes. But the pain gave something for Durmhain to fight against, and he pushed harder.

I don't care what happens, he thought to himself. But I won't let you win.

Buuuuhhhh, the voice groaned. You already did. Look at your chest.

Durmhain's head lowered of its own accord to the glyph carved into his chest. The wounds of the intricate incision and where Jeroth had stabbed him in the heart looked as if they had been cauterized. His heart thumped strongly, even stronger than normal.

You already belong to Omnox, just like the rest of us, you cannot escape his clutches, blah blah blah blah blah. Cease your posturing and give up.

Without thinking, Durmhain raised his hands toward his chest, quivering as he gaped at his wound.

By the Passing, you're annoying. And have a strong unconscious mind to boot.

As Durmhain realized he was moving his arms, he tried to do so intentionally and the pain returned, but this time his body contorted violently, causing him to collapse on the floor. Gripping the stone tightly, Durmhain continued to push against the pain.

Ah, rather clever, the voice said. Climbing the ladder back to self-awareness, are we?

Suddenly, Durmhain felt the feeble grip he had on his body begin to be pried away.

Wait! Durmhain pleaded.

Like I said, this will be easier-

"No," Durmhain growled. "I'm... not..."

Huuuuuuurrhhhh. Fine. You can be a Thrall. But you still have to follow orders.

The pain receded, and the sudden relief almost pulled Durmhain back into the darkness he had emerged from. He retched as the room undulated, emptying the bile and blood that had been pooling in his stomach.

When he could finally open his eyes, the room blurred and spun before him, overlapping with itself in his vision. He closed his eyes again, vertigo washing over him.