Song of the Piper

::30:: In the Pits of Darkness

Music is Trial of the Grasses from The Witcher 3 soundtrack. Play it!

******

I was in Erstürnach. The wind whipped my skin, and the Fountain was churning and brimming with pure magic. I stood strong and straight and tall. A legion of sorcerers filed in behind me, looking to me for guidance. But even so, I barely managed to stop my limbs from trembling.

On the other side of the Fountain was a young blond man. Energy sparked off him in fury; his Core pulsed with wild magic. And yet I immediately knew who he was, although his aura was near unrecognisable.

Hans.

Or Lord Himmel.

I saw myself raise a hand.

The sorcerers charged at him.

Then I saw their magic being stolen by Lord Himmel.

Horror overcame me. They were all reduced into shrivelled husks—every single one of them. No one was spared. Gone. Here one second, then gone.

It was a massacre.

I held a pipe in hand, staggering towards the field of corpses. But then Lord Himmel started to cast a spell. The Fountain glowed a brilliant white—possibly brighter than the sun itself, and I threw my arms over my eyes to avoid being blinded.

Only when the light dimmed out did I slowly put down my arms. And I wished I weren't able to see anything at all.

The Fountain was empty. Its magic was gone—gone.

No. Not exactly gone. It was all in Lord Himmel's Core. His entire being was practically brimming with magic. His face was radiant with all the power he just absorbed. My grip around my pipe tightened; although I knew that this was a dream, I still felt fearful.

I wanted to sink to my knees in despair, yet I kept upright. I looked down, noting that I was wearing breeches. I also felt stronger, faster. Then I saw why—I had no limp.

Before I knew it, Lord Himmel was right in front of me, attempting to sneer over me. But I was almost as tall as him. He flashed me a malicious smile.

"It's time for your reign to end," he said.

He put his pipe to his lips and played.

Pain seized every fibre of my muscles. My knees finally gave way beneath me, and I fell face-first onto the ground. But the pain of falling was nothing compared to the agony in my Core. It was burning, burning, burning, reaching a fever pitch. Numbness rooted itself in my stomach. It could be pain, for all I knew. I couldn't feel anything else but the heat.

Then I felt like my Core was being compacted into a ball, being ripped away from my body.

My Core rose upwards and was ripped out from my throat.

An empty scream escaped me.

******

I jolted awake at the clanging of metal.

Cold sweat was running in rivulets down my neck, and I was trembling. It was a nightmare, but it had been so vivid. The feeling of having my Core being ripped out of me...I shivered in the darkness.

Then I noticed the figure standing at my cell door. I pushed myself backwards and curled into a timid ball by instinct. Although the steinliohts were weak here, I could recognise my visitor.