Dedicated to The_Superwoman as she is one of the most genuine people and a very supportive person I've met on Wattpad. And her poems, they are soul-touching. I could totally relate to them. Make sure to check out her poems in 'Fragile'.

The chapter is not edited!  

Chapter 13

Ryan's POV

My body hurts. So does my mind.

I can feel the blood rushing to my head at an almost agonising speed, causing a throbbing ache. An unspeakable pain invades every inch of my body, making me want to tear it to shreds.

I grimace at the thoughts occurring to me. All I want is for my body to shut down, for this agony to go away.

I just want it all to stop.

That's when I become aware of a certain kind of sensation. A touch as soft as a feather on my forehead is caressing my head in an utmost delicate, caring and affectionate manner. It's a touch that feels right at home, safe and hidden away from the cruelties and worries of the world.

My eyes flutter open. Blinking away the slumberous haze hovering above my eyes, my eyes roam around the place.

Aunt Cora is sitting to my left with her back against the headboard of the bed, caressing my head delicately. Dad is sitting to my right on a chair, gently holding my hand in both of his and resting his head on it.

How long was I out?

"Father?" I try calling out to him. But it only comes out as a breezy whisper. But seeing as his head snaps up to look at me, I know he heard me.

"Ryan!" He exclaims in a tired and relieved tone and tackles me into a bone crushing hug. I embrace him back with as much strength as I could muster, which is very less due to the exhaustion taking over my body.

"I was so scared, son." I hear him saying, as I realise how worried he must've been.

"I almost thought I lost you too," He mutters under his breath, and my body goes rigid hearing his words. It was not meant for me to hear, so I pretend not to. He places a tender kiss on my head before pulling away and smiling down at me. Aunt Cora gently embraces me next. I relish the warmth and motherly affection surrounding me, which is putting me at peace.

Just then my vision goes blurry for a moment due to the head rush and my head lolls backwards. A gasp escapes her, as she makes me lay back down.

I hear the door in the room burst open and slowly turn my head in its direction. One by one, people pour inside the room. Relief and concern are written in bold letters on everyone's face on seeing me. I offer a small smile to them, letting them know that I'm feeling alright.

"I'm fine. Just a little exhausted." I answer everyone's unspoken question lingering in the air and watch as a relieved look crosses their face.

• •• • •• •

"So, do you want to tell us about what happened?" Uncle Seb asks once I'm sitting comfortably with my back leaning against the headboard. 

"Yes, Ry. I mean, you've been out for 4 days now-"

"What? Four days?" I interrupt Aunt Cora in shock. 

Was I out for four days?

Everyone exchange glances before looking back at me.

"Yes... I mean, you did wake up two days ago. But, you just, screamed like you were suffering and passed out..." Dad trails off. I think hard about that day. Everything comes back to me, as I slowly lift my head and look up at Alpha Nolan, who's watching me with a soft and concerned gaze.

"Yeah... About that..." I trail off, no knowing how to start.

"Just tell us from the start. From when you collapsed in the hallway of Ridgeview High," I think hard about that day.

"The.... school had ended. I was walking down the hallway alongside Iris." I say as I try to recollect the events that happened.

"The hallway was over-crowded and people were pushing past us and moving around. We were just talking. Then, suddenly I'm falling. It's like some outer force had caught hold of my body and was pulling me inside. And then everything's black. And-" I abruptly come to a stop when I realise something. 

I was in the hallway when I collapsed. And Iris was with me. 

Iris...

"What happened after I passed out in front of Iris? Is she alright? Did she freak out? And I had been out for four days! She definitely would've freaked out. Did she ask what happened to me? What did you say to her?" My eyes roam over everyone's face expectantly, as I wait for them to tell that she is indeed doing fine. That my heart is racing inside my chest in worry for no reason. 

I look at Bennett and Meredith with a questioning gaze. They exchange a look, before looking back at me.

"She's fine. She did freak out when you collapsed all of a sudden. We told her that you passed out due to inanition." It is Tristan who answers. I look up at him in confusion. He's standing beside his father, who hasn't spoken a single word since he entered the room. That is so unlike him. He looks in his father direction and sighs, before looking at me.

"I had come to school that day to get you, Bennett and Meredith, straight to the Royal Palace so we could discuss the recent happenings in... Verba Atramento. I was looking for Y'all when I heard Iris screaming. I followed the sound's direction and saw her. And you. She was leaning over your motionless body and was shaking your shoulders to wake you up. She was really concerned and worried. And so was I.

"Bennett came exactly at that time and we carried your limp body back home. Iris had called a few times. And I told her that you were fine. Just inanitiated and needed rest. And I told her you'll be back to normal in no time and also start school next week." Tristan finishes, and I sigh in relief. 

I think about how worked up she might have been, and make a note to myself to call her later on. 

After a moment, I look up to see everyone exchanging amused looks. Dad even looks at me and mouths 'Iris' followed by a wink. I don't react, and try to keep a straight face. I also command my blood to not rush to my cheeks and stain them pink. 

"Okay anyways, what happened after you blacked out?" Dad says, breaking the awkward silence that befell upon us. I clear my throat and begin from where I had left.

 "After a long time, well it felt long, I woke up. And when I did, all I could see was pitch black. I realised I was surrounded by a very thick blanket of darkness. There wasn't a single noise there, everything was silenced to death. And I was free falling. I was very confused. I had no clue as to what was going on and where I was. So, I freaked out at first, trying to hold onto anything to stop my fall. But then I felt this, calming presence and I felt calm. I stopped struggling.

"So for hours, I kept falling and falling. The stretch of darkness and silence felt ever-lasting. After what felt like an eternity, I saw a light. And then, my surroundings slowly lit up and I stopped falling.

"I kept looking ahead of me when something started to take shape in front of me." I pause and look at dad. He's looking at me with expectancy, encouraging with his eyes for me to go on. 

No, I cannot say what I saw. Or whom. It will break him, again. 

I take a deep breath and embrace what's coming next.

"Memories of my past started to pop up in front of me. It was like some film, playing in front of me, pausing when I wanted, changing on its own accord. I saw them, reminiscing my past, cherishing the times I had." I whisper the last part, as I almost replay whatever I had seen. Internally shaking my head to get rid of the thoughts, I look at everyone.

"And then suddenly I started falling, and everything was back to dark. I kept slipping in and out of consciousness several times. I didn't really know what to do.

"Then one time, again everything around me lights up. And for the first time in that time, did I finally feel my body back in my control. I tried to escape the clutches of whatever was holding me and succeeded. I had finally awoken. I was back to normal. I saw y'all and was also talking to everyone.-"

"That was two days ago," Dad mentions. I look at him and nod. I remember exactly what happened that day.

"I still don't know what sort of a hellish place I was in," I shudder at the thought of the confined dark and silent place I was trapped in.

"It was your subconscious," All heads snap to the owner of the voice. Mr LaGray finally looks up at me and I find myself staring into his olive green orbs, swirling with mystery and doubt.

"What do you mean Mr LaGray?" I find myself asking, wanting to know what exactly he means.

"You fell unconscious?" I nod.

"So when you woke up, your mind instead of sliding into the conscious state, slipped into your subconscious mind. So whatever memories you saw in there, were what your subconscious mind had conjured up for you." I nod in understanding. 

So it wasn't hell... I silence the ridiculous voice in the back of my head.

"So what happened two days back when you woke up? Why did you pass out again?" Meredith asks.

"The day I woke up, I couldn't remember anything about what had led me to my predicament. I was thinking hard about what may have happened. And something inside me snapped," I slightly flinch at what I had gone through.

"It was like, all my mental barriers broke down. I completely lost control over my empathic ability. I was able to feel everyone's emotions. And they were clashing inside my body, battling to take over the other. It was intolerable. It felt like my brain was going to explode with all types of emotions crashing into me.

"It was just like the first time I learned about me being an Empath..." I trail off and look at Alpha Nolan in silent gratitude.

"It was Alpha Nolan who had helped me to control my supernatural ability back then. And when I felt that I had lost control over everything, I asked you to call Alpha Nolan as I thought he would be able to help me. But before that, the pain became unbearable and I passed out. And I woke up just now." I conclude and look up for everyone's reaction.

They are all silent for a while, thinking about what I had just said. 

I let out a groan when I feel the pain in my body intensify a bit. Everyone tenses and a concerned look crosses their mind.

"I'm fine," I close my eyes for a while and lean my head back against the headboard. Opening my eyes after a while, I look at everyone with a calm expression.

"Seriously, I'm fine. I'll rest for a while and be back to normal." Their face breaks into a grin, and Meredith comes forward and wraps her arms around me. When she lets go, I'm shocked seeing Bennett throws himself at me and embraces me tightly. I have not seen him acting so caringly towards me in a long while, so I don't let go of this rare moment and embrace him back. He pulls back after quite some time but then behaves indifferently, as if he did not just hug me. Everyone chuckles at his behaviour.

"Hey man," Tristan says, as he too comes to give me a hug. I open my arms, but then Tristan stiffens. Dropping my arms to my side, I look at him in confusion. He is frozen in his position, but the expression on his face is anything but calm. And his eyes- it's like a storm is brewing up behind those grey eyes, worry clearly evident in his eyes.

He unfreezes soon, and stands up straight, muttering an 'it's not possible' to himself.

He looks back at Mr LaGray with a pained expression.

"I feel it on him too," He tells him, and my mind floods with innumerable questions. Mr LaGary looks at me, then back at his son. Stepping forward, he takes a hold of my hand and closes his eyes, muttering something under his breath. I look at everyone else in confusion and look back at him when I hear him gasp. My eyes widen when I look into his wide open eyes. His olive eyes are glowing a darker shade. The glow soon fades away, as he stumbles back. Tristan catches him and balances him. 

Straightening his back, Mr LaGray turns to look me dead in the eye, before turning back to his son. 

"We need to talk about this, son. Maybe take you to the Eminence Grises..." He trails off, as we look at each other in confusion. 

"What are you talking about Alby?" Uncle Seb asks him, who turns to look at him.

"Remember how Tristan wanted to talk to me about what happened in Verba Atramento?" Mr LaGray asks, completely disregarding his question. Uncle Seb feels offended but just nods his head.

"What if, I told you that the destruction caused in Verba Atramento and your nephew's condition are connected? What if their cause is same? That Prince Ryan falling into unconsciousness and then losing his control over his ability, and the events that took place in Verba Atramento were caused by the same thing?" We all stare at him in utter confusion, not knowing where he is taking this.

The are connected? How so? And even if they are, what could have possibly caused this?

I voice out my thoughts, and everybody awaits his answer.

But the next two words that come out of Mr LaGray's mouth shakes the very core of my existence.

• ☆ • ☆ •

Did I just, end the chapter in a cliffhanger? How cruel of me? (inserts devil's laughter)

Anyways, what are your thoughts on the chapter? Let me know through the comments.

And hit the '☆' button if you like the chapter!

May 27, 2017