Three Lies, All True || ONC2021 Longlister

Chapter 9: Deafening Silence

No matter what he did, Peter's head spun.

He tried opening his eyes, then closed them immediately. He shook his head, sat up straight, or even tried to grab even the thinnest thread of magic. Yet, no matter what he did, he could only feel dizzy. It was like he was floating and spinning in his own mind.

He lost count of the times he stretched his arms, trying to catch the ray of magic that was just within his palms. It was so close, his fingers brushed on the warmth. But just when he thought he grabbed a hold of it, only cold emptiness touched his skin.

Before he could have another thought, he held his breath. Something passed through his body, maybe his mind. Almost like lightning that pierced his thoughts, only that it made him stiffen.

And with a snap, it all disappeared.

Peter opened his eyes and gasped. He sat up, stopping when he felt his blood rush to his head. He let his mind spin for a while before pressing two fingers to his temples and--

"Agh!"

Peter retracted his hands and held them close to his chest. He removed the gloves from his hands and placed them in front of him. There was nothing wrong with his hands, maybe apart from the fact that they look paler than before. Apart from that, they looked perfectly fine. No scar, no bruise, and it didn't feel like he broke his fingers.

Yet something felt... wrong. He reached for his magic again, trying to summon even the smallest of fire to keep him warm.

But as soon as he snapped his fingers, hands burned in pain, almost like lightning zapped his skin. He hissed and placed his hands closer to his chest again.

What happened?

He furrowed his brows and retraced his steps. Adrien woke him up, back in Elderis. Everything was cold, and he must have passed out.

Peter pressed his fingers on his temples. Those seemed sensible, but that didn't explain the weird colors that nearly blinded him. Was that perhaps a dream?

He shook his head and sighed. Maybe he could ask Adrien for an elixir ir--

His eyes widened.

Petra and Adrien...

Peter blinked again and tried to stand up, only for him to immediately sit back down. He could feel his legs, fortunately. He probably just needed to sit and rest.

Rest and maybe take in his surroundings...

He lifted his head and looked around. It looked like he was in a forest, with only a few leaves remaining on them. They were enough to provide shades, but at the same time empty enough to see the night sky. The stars dusted the purple sky, making the snow look like stars slowly falling down.

"Good to see you're doing well."

Peter looked down, only now noticing the fire crackling in front of him. The orange flames burned bright, yet the snow below it was untouched. If it weren't for the fact that he felt tired, he would have tried to see if the flame wasn't dangerous.

Behind the fire, he could barely make out his sister's form. Her cloak covered her body, though her hood remained behind her. Even so, he couldn't see her expression. Petra's hair covered her face, and the shadows from the fire didn't help.

"P- Petr"--he flinched at his own voice--"Petra... where are... where are we...?"

She sighed, fog forming in front of her face. "Somewhere in the middle of Nuryyn. You've been out since yesterday, so I had to stop and rest."