Almost Hollow

Part 1 of 1

Something appears in me. I don’t know what it is but I know that something is missing despite knowing that I am whole. What is it? It grows into something I’ve never felt before. It slowly slithers through my veins and into my hands. It feels… natural yet foreign at the same time. It pools into my hands.

Pain. Hot. What do they mean?

There is an explosion from my hands and liquid fire pumps and courses through my veins! I feel it all! The searing of my flesh, the incineration of my organs, and the boiling of my blood. A primal scream forces its way out my throat and into the air. The fire within fades and icy water slithers onto my back.

Pain.

I snap open my eyes to see a white blanket over the land and something else. Ash, cinders, bonfire, safety. My joints flare in waves of pain as I make my way to the bonfire. The embers spark into flames as I approach and the pain turns to joy. My blood simmers as I take a seat and stare into the dancing sparks. Strength... comfort. 

“How did you get here, little flame?”

The flames recede into embers, albeit with more strength than before. I stare deeper into the bonfire, hoping for answers.

There are none.

I close my eyes, delving into the empty abyss within my mind.

Who am I?

I delve deeper. A sound comes from the blankness. It’s there, but I can’t decipher it. The sound becomes words as I grasp it with my mental hands. There is a pull from the abyss, and I grasp it, cling to it, depend on it. The blankness becomes a scene and the abyss comes to life.

***

“I promise that I will return,” A figure says to another figure beside him. However, the other figure is blurred, distorted. The two figures fade away and a large staircase appears before being lit on fire. The smoke consumes the scene, leaving only darkness behind. 

***

The spec of smoke licks my eye as if demanding my attention. The smoke drifts over my face and to the side. There is a flight of stairs shining in the moonlight. I push myself up and leave the safety of the bonfire, escaping the heat and into the cold again with determination. 

The stairs lead to a large door on a frozen castle. The door is a faded brown and the hinges are rusty. It has a message on it. “Through death, there is life. Never one without the other.“
The door opens without a sound as I enter. Red carpets are torn and ruined, banners laid about the walls and the ground, and snow poured in through the cracked windows. I can't help but shudder at its familiarity. A tall figure in a black cloak comes into view. It is just standing in the middle, staring me down.

“Hello?” My voice cracked.

It releases a scream. A scream of pure, uncontrollable rage and life. It grabs a scythe on the ground and sprints at me. “Vaoshu!”

A name? The booming of its boots frees me from my momentary paralysis. I turn and sprint towards the door. If I can just make it out, then I- 

There is no pain as something tears through my hips. I can't feel my legs. The room is spinning. Then there is a thud and the world comes to a standstill. Death. The warmth in my veins escapes, pouring from me like water.

Blood, it was called.

I crawl towards the door, using my nails as hooks to pull me closer. My nails snap against the stone floor. Still, I climb to that fucking door!

“Shhhh, sleep~,” a voice whispers to me.

"Quit," a voice whispered in my head.

However, my muscles quickly grew tired. The world grew darker and the door had flown so far out of my grasp, and the floor suddenly became so cold, so nice, so inviting. Where else is there to go? I accept it and let go, embracing the frost.