HORNS (BoyXBoy)

Chapter 194

Chapter One Hundred and Ninety-Four

I was standing on a mirror.

All around me was darkness.

I could see almost nothing, and yet everything at the same time, reflecting endlessly. Ripples touched my consciousness and I felt, deep down, the shifting of the universe as the ice crept through my chest and spread outward. Flickers of gold manifested, reflecting the black, and suddenly, I wasn't alone. Standing before me in the dark, eyes rippling blue, he glowered.

Huang.

Bloody and battered, but alive. Still alive.

I would have sighed in relief had I been in the right mindset to do so.

His eyes pierced my soul like sapphire blades.

"My magic has returned to me, full force," he told me, voice echoing everywhere and nowhere all at once, reverberating through me, "with pieces of your own magic still attached to it. Our connection is fading, Horst. You've made a wish... one that I very clearly did not grant."

Feelings bubbled up in acknowledgement of the words he spoke to me. Language was fading from my consciousness, and his golden scales flickered slightly. I wanted to reach out to him, to ask him to save everyone, but somehow, he already seemed to know because his eyes glinted.

His voice practically thundered when he lowly uttered, "do not move. I was already on my way when my magic returned, but I will now be able to arrive in less than an hour thanks to the unexpected burst of strength. This boost is also the sole reason I am currently able to speak to you despite the fact that my connection to you is already fading. So, listen carefully. Do you understand me?"

Dazed, I sent mental confirmation his way.

'Anything you say, Huang. Tell me. Please.'

He snorted fire from his nostrils, pupils contracting into slits.

"You are currently in a critical situation," he rumbled into my soul, hissing. "You must not move or do anything at all until I can get to you. If you regain consciousness, you must lie still and flat and focus on breathing calmly until I can return my magic to you."

My consciousness roused and I felt more lucid, mostly because I was confused.

'Why?'

'Can you do that?'

'Why would you do that?'

Green fire snorted out of the dragon's nostrils even as his visage faded, becoming translucent.

"You'll likely die if you move," was his answer. "Your heart needs to remain slow and even. From what I can sense, it is actively bleeding, as are multiple parts of your body and brain, so the slightest of movements could kill you, werewolf healing or not. Having my magic ripped out of you during its acclimation period did serious damage. Just, rest. I'll be there soon and I'll be sure to fix it. Then, we need to move. We're all in danger."

My entire consciousness shuddered, and his eyes changed, staring at me different. I wanted to tell him what happened to me, but the darkness undulated and without warning, he--

My body twitched and I juddered awake, ears rushing with so much sound I couldn't hear much of anything. My chest was in agony, and my entire body felt like lead. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't, it was all I could do to breathe considering how much pain I was in.