CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER 39 - THE NIGHTMARE PART 4

Gabriel continued down the corridor.

Halfway down the corridor, something inside him snapped.

For a moment, the world tilted.

A sharp heat crawled to the back of his skull, then blood poured from his nose, warm and thick. Splashing onto the wooden. Floorboards. He took a deep breath, resting his hand on the wall to hold himself up.

The room seemed to pulse with each beat of his weakening heart.

His fingers released their grip on the hilt of his swords. He couldn’t hold the weight of them.

What’s happening to me?

His vision blurred, first at the edges, then inward. Darkness leaked into the corner of his sight like spilt ink spreading across parchment.

He forced himself forward, placing one hand on the wall for support.

The robe and sheath Gabriel had folded lay neatly stacked in the middle of the corridor. The demon-eyed adventurer walked past it without slowing, his boots dragging against the floor.

Hanitz! Hanitz!

Gabriel called out for the giant. But the words never left his mouth.

Sweat began dripping from his forehead, mixing with the blood before falling off.

The front door loomed ahead, its outline warping as though the wood was bending from the weight of something pressing against it.

Hanitz! Gabriel attempted to shout again.

His knees buckled.

Gabriel’s body hit the wooden floor with a heavy thud, the impact bursting through his ribs. The shock forced his eyes half-open.

Warm crimson liquid flowed from his nose, pooling beneath his cheek.

He attempted to push himself up, arms trembling violently, barely able to lift a finger before giving out.

He raised his head slightly.

Through the haze, a silhouette took shape in In front of him

A slender figure, small, still.

The fog in his sight thinned for a second, and then he saw her. Long pitch-black hair cascading like the night sky. Illuminating purple eyes, glowing faintly against the dim corridor light, stared down at him with a calm, gentle expression that did not belong in this world.

Ariya.

She stood barely an arm’s length away, her soft shoes silent against the wood, her posture relaxed as though she had been waiting for him to fall.

A faint, familiar hum drifted from her lips, the same humming that once echoed through the chamber, the sound that had lulled him into stillness moments before she tore him apart.

His fingers twitched uselessly against the floorboards.

His mouth tried to form her name, but only a faint rasp escaped.

Ariya tilted her head slightly, her purple eyes shimmering with that same impossible warmth that never reached the truth beneath them.

"Gabriel," she whispered, almost lovingly.

"Shall we begin?"

...

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Open the door!" Fitz’s gruff voice boomed through the wood, rattling the hinges.

"Up!" he barked, Training starts in two minutes."

Gabriel sucked in a sharp breath, gripping the thin blanket with trembling fingers. His heart hammered in his chest.

Tears gathered in the corner of his sapphire blue eyes.

Another slam hit the door.

"Gabriel!" Fitz roared. "Now!"

Gabriel jolted, nearly falling off the cot. He shoved the blanket aside and scrambled upright, chest tight, breath shaking. His bare feet slapped the freezing stone floor as he pushed himself off the bed, the cold shooting up his legs like a warning.

He wiped his face quickly with the back of his hand, trying to hide the tears even though no one could yet see them.

His small frame shuddered as the carved runes across his torso pulled faintly with each breath, thin red lines, arranged in precise shapes and spirals. He didn’t look at them. He never did. He just grabbed his trousers from the end of the bed with shaky fingers and stumbled toward the door.

Bang!

Fitz’s fist cracked against the wood again, dust falling from the frame.

"I swear to the Commander, boy, if I have to drag you out of there-"

Gabriel fumbled with the latch, hands shaking so badly he missed it twice before finally catching it.

He pulled the door open.

The torchlight from the hallway spilled over him, harsh and blinding.

Fitz filled the doorway like a wall of muscle and rage, arms folded across his chest, jaw tight. His eyes ran over Gabriel, small, shirtless, trembling, the fresh ritual sigils carved across his skin.

Fitz’s lip curled with irritation, not sympathy.

"You’re late."

His huge hand clamped around Gabriel’s thin arm and yanked him into the hallway. The boy stumbled, nearly falling as his bare feet slapped against the cold stone.

"Pathetic," Fitz muttered, hauling him forward without slowing.

Gabriel winced, the carved sigils across his chest stretching painfully with each jerking step. He tried to keep up, but Fitz’s stride was too long, too fast. His shoulder burned where the older man’s grip dug into bone.

They turned down a corridor lit by dying torches, shadows crawling across the walls. Soldiers stepped aside as Fitz marched past, not sparing the trembling boy a glance.

Gabriel kept his eyes down.

If he looked up, someone might see the tears still clinging to his lashes.

"Move your feet," Fitz barked, jerking him again when Gabriel tripped on a loose stone.

"I- I’m trying." Gabriel said, voice trembling.

"Try Harder."

They reached the stairwell, descending towards the courtyard. The ocean air grew colder, carrying the distant shouts of soldiers drilling below. Wooden training poles echoing loudly with each strike. Followed by grunts and barked orders.

Fitz dragged the boy down the steps two at a time. His grip never loosening.

Gabriel’s breath came in tight, small gasps. His ribs hurt. The sigils carved into him throbbed, spreading from one to the other.

As they reached the bottom step.

A voice cut through the hall.

"Fitz."

Fitz froze mid-stride.

Gabriel stumbled into his side, catching himself on trembling legs as Fitz’s hand finally loosened.

The Commander stepped out from the adjoining corridor, golden hair tumbling over the polished plates of his armour. His sharp eyes fell immediately on Gabriel, before moving towards the sergeant.

"Did I not tell you he is our ally?"

Fitz lowered his head, avoiding the commander’s gaze.

"Did I not tell you to treat him with care?"

The Sergeant’s jaw tightened. "Yes, commander."

The Elf took a step forward, the faint clink of his armour echoing down the corridor. His presence filled the narrow pass.

"Then why," the Commander said calmly, almost softly, "is my ally trembling like a hunted animal?"

Gabriel stared at the floor, chest rising and falling too quickly, each breath pulling at them with a sharp sting.

The Commander let the silence linger for a moment... long enough for Fitz’s shame to settle thick in the air.

He placed a hand lightly on Gabriel’s shoulder.

"Gabriel will be with me today." He announced, gently guiding the boy.

Fitz lifted his head in surprise. "Sir? The mornings are-"

"Are irrelevant." The Commander’s tone allowed for no arguments.

"His blood is soon to be awakened."

Gabriel’s breath stopped.

His throat tightened so violently it burned. A cold rush flooded down his spine, followed immediately by a tremor that seized his entire body. His knees gave a small, involuntary buckle he barely caught.

Not her. Not again. Please

The Commander noticed.

His grip on Gabriel’s shoulder tightened, not painfully, but with absolute control.

"Calm yourself," he said, though his voice carried no warmth."Soon, Gabriel. It will be over."

Gabriel’s lungs fought for air, small, panicked gasps slipping out despite his efforts to swallow them down.

Fitz looked away, jaw tightening. He had seen the boy afraid before... but not like this.

The Commander, however, did not look away.

He studied Gabriel’s trembling with the cold focus of someone examining a weapon mid-forging.

"I take great care of you," he said, as though offering reassurance. "And when we complete the awakening."

His eyes narrowed faintly.

"You will understand why this fear is unnecessary."

Gabriel shook his head rapidly, once, twice, unable to speak, unable to breathe.

The Commander ignored the gesture entirely.

"Come," he ordered, turning toward the deeper corridors of the castle.

"She is waiting."

Gabriel’s stomach twisted violently. His legs felt like water, and yet he followed.