The Rise of Light (Book 3: Together Forever)

Reality

Night's POV

*Flashback*

"So... We don't know what might happen?" I asked.

"Well... it's painful. And we know you'll survive, but..." Uncle Hiccup said.

I sighed. I could suffer from any number of side effects. But... I would die if I didn't... Was it worth the risk?

I looked up at them. This solution offered hope, that any other course of action would never have, for my future. "I'll do it."

*End of Flashback*

I was trying to hold in my tears as I struggled to stay awake through the pain.

My vision was starting to waver as unconsciousness started to win. I bit down harder as I forced myself to stay awake.

The waves of fire had started at my wing where I had been shot. And had quickly spread from there.

Who knew potatoes could cause so much misery. I swear I will never eat another potato again.

"Night," a faint voice said. But my ears stopped working again as I screamed in agony. But it felt distant. Like it wasn't mine but someone else's from another lifetime. I writhed, trying to smother the fire in my veins, but to no avail. In fact, it almost felt like the flames were growing.

A splitting headache left me reeling and dizzy beyond anything I had felt before. If my eyes weren't half-closed right now, I probably wouldn't be able to tell up from down. 

Loud bangs rang through my ears, leaving me almost deaf.

And my throat was parched. As if I hadn't drunk anything in a decade.

As I opened my eyes lights flashed everywhere and the world remained unfocused. Or was the world just a figment of my imagination? That sounds accurate. This pain is all I have ever known and they weren't real, were they? They were just a distraction that ended up bringing me back here.

I saw no movement. And the only colours left in the world were red and black. Like blood and the night sky. No. Like a night sky without stars to light the way. 

Like pools of blood and shadows.

The pain increased as I felt like I was swimming in my own blood. Which would explain why there are no colours. Or maybe all I've ever known is this. 

An ear-splitting boom echoed throughout this eerie place. The sound left a deafening lack of sound in its place. As my lungs started to fill with shards of rock and earth and salt. As my veins continued to flood with fire and ashes and my head shook from the dizziness.

What is real? What is fake? Did I imagine Vera? Was she not real? Was Falcon real? What about my parents? Do I even have parents? What were their names...?

Who is Vera?

My head hurt even trying to remember. So I stopped. Stopped trying to remember anything. Stopped trying to fight unconsciousness. Stopped trying. 

And everything, true and false blended into an inseparable mix before fading out. Until there was nothing left except unbreakable darkness, leading to an impenetrable sleep.

Rowan's POV

I tried to get Night to concentrate. To eat some plants that would lessen pain and help him focus. But his eyes stayed firmly shut.

Then when he finally did open his eyes, his pupils were contracted and had stopped adjusting. I could do nothing as he panicked before slumping over in an unfocused daze.

"What do we do?" I heard Hiccup's demand.

"I don't know. I can't help if he won't focus. I don't know what's happening exactly, but he is obviously in a lot of pain. And right now he seems... defeated. By what, I don't know..." I trailed off, seeing his claws start to flex again before he roared in pain, yet again.

"There's nothing we can do if he won't focus?" asked Heather as she stood beside me.

"There's one thing..." I started.

"But...?" Hiccup continued.

"But, I don't know if it will negate the effects of the cure," I finished.

"Isn't it worth a shot?" Vera asked as she sniffed him. Hiccup pushed her out of the way just in time as I watched Night rake his claws down Hiccup's dragon head. Right in between his eyes. Hiccup laid down.

"That hurts. You okay, Vera?" 

She turned to him, eyes wide. "Fine. But... that doesn't look so good."

"Lucky we're in a healer's hut then," he said with a smirk while turning towards me.

"I'm on it." When I returned with supplies to fix Hiccup's face I continued, "And to answer your earlier question, Vera, we've experimented enough on him already... If it does nullify the effects then he might still die. Making it is unsafe and unwise to try." She nodded in understanding. 

I touched Hiccup's wound with a wet cloth. He didn't even hiss once as I cleaned it prior to applying a bandage with sap, to keep it on, and a healing mixture. He sighed in contentment as I placed the bandage on his wound.

"Thanks," he said as he laid down. 

I punched his shoulder. "You're my brother and you were hurt. I'm a healer. So you know what I would have healed you anyway, Muttonhead. I like to help people and dragons." He chuffed a laugh.

"And I'm still going to thank you."

My smile faded as I turned my gaze back to Night.

He began writhing again. His eyes remained unfocused and bloodshot. And his rasping breaths told me he was in pain and dehydrated. His claws were flexing. Digging into the dirt and leaving deep crevices. His screams hadn't stopped entirely but had at least become hoarse whines.

This time though he seemed to calm down quite quickly. It was only a couple of minutes before he slumped over, unconscious.

"Great. He's out," I said sarcastically.

"That's a bad thing, why?" Heather asked.

"Well, I can't check out if anything is wrong. I think it might've messed with his mind... somehow..." I trailed off.

"Wait. What do you mean?" Vera demanded.

"The way he was acting. He was fighting something and his eyes wouldn't focus on anything. His senses probably weren't working because he couldn't hear, see or feel us. Hiccup was just unlucky, getting caught by him."

"Oh. That. Is bad," Heather said.

"Thank you captain obvious," Hiccup replied sarcastically.

"We should get some sleep. He won't be conscious, nevermind awake, for a while." They nodded before Hiccup and Vera curled up, just out of Night's reach.

A/N

So I actually, somehow made myself dizzy while writing Night's POV. I don't know how, but I did. Is that normal? Probably not.