Awakening
Page 199
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A single crack appeared in Barsch's crystal cocoon. It was tiny, almost invisible, but it was a start. Nearby, Alza was also struggling against the ç'aether, but, despite her great strength, she was losing...
The darkness calls for me, trapping me in its suffocating embrace. I'm cold, so very, very cold. I can feel the numbness begin to spread, claiming my fingers, then my hands, crawling up my arms, before finally paralysing my heart. The darkness is all around me, robbing me of strength... robbing me of life. I reach out with numbed fingers, searching for the light. But my questing hands find only cold, hard glass. I'm trapped, trapped in the endless darkness. Am I not worthy of the light? Am I not allowed the chance to live, to struggle through life alongside everyone else?
No, SOMETHING IS WRONG, this can't be the truth.
The darkness parts for an instant, showing me a single image: a crystallized, violet flame. The power to destroy. The power to be destroyed. The darkness soon reclaims its throne, and the image is blotted out, like ink falling on paper.
Suddenly, I start choking, as a strange, viscous liquid fills my lungs. It hurts... it hurts so much! My lungs are on fire! Please, someone... anyone... help me!
“She is a reject, a failure. She will never work. She will never survive. Dispose of her.”
No! I'm not a failure. Please, let me prove it to you! I beg you, don't get rid of me. Don't leave me! Silence. The speaker is gone, his harsh, cold voice now just a faint echo. When he spoke, my frozen heart shattered, and was consumed by fear. Maybe it's better to stay here in the darkness, than leave this cage and face his wrath. I know that he will kill me if I leave. I'm scared. I'm scared. I'm scared.
I’m so scared.
Please, won't anyone come... won't someone come and save me! Please, keep me safe from that man, that commanding voice that fills me with dread. Don't let me die here, in the endless darkness, alone and forgotten. Don't let me die here, without ever having seen the light! Don't let me die here, without ever having truly lived!
“She is a reject, a failure. She will never survive. Kill her.”
No. No. No! NO! Please... Barsch... save me...