Come Back Witch

As air finally filled his lungs, the pain also returned. Robbing him of his breath once more, his muffled scream filled the garden. Lysandra stood next to him staring at his shaking body.

Her face was caught somewhere between worry and guilt, but it was just too much for Vinces to understand or care about at the moment. The poison felt like it was burning through his blood, as if lava were running through his body.

As his screams slowly started to dim down, Lysandra finally spoke up. "The poison isn't lethal; it's just to paralyze the body with pain. We should rather worry about your blood loss.''

Vinces could barely understand what she was talking about, but she was right. Pain was only temporary; survival came first. Grinding his teeth, he tried to move. As he pushed himself into a sitting position, his tainted and ripped student uniform barely clung to his body.

His green tie was nothing but shreds and his shirt had not a grain of white color anymore. It was surprising it hadn't caught on fire in the fight.

"Come stand up; we need to find something to bandage you," Lysandra spoke softly, her voice filled with worry, but he wasn't sure if it was towards him or her own survival.

Letting out a sigh, he tried to stand up but failed miserably. His broken leg had turned numb to any of his will, not because of the pain of destroyed bones but rather something else.

Vinces instantly caught onto the problem, as he fell, he wanted to hold himself against Lysandra but instead felt right through her.

"That's the price for warping, most likely," Lysandra told him, quickly stepping a few steps away from him. "People of your rank shouldn't be doing this." Her lecture continued, reminding him a bit of PE with Dr. Cloves.

He knew he had paid some price for warping space, but he didn't expect it to be this harsh. Was he never going to walk ever again? That can't be it; the price was far beyond anything he had expected.

But before he could even ask, Lysandra simply shook her head as if she had read his mind. "It will only stay like that for a few hours." Once again, talking as if she were his teacher and not somebody his age.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

But he shouldn't focus too much on this right now. "Then how do I get away from here?" He asked, his voice hoarse from screaming; the witch simply shrugged at him, letting her ribbons on her hair shake.

Not hearing any solution from her, he decided to create his own. As he slowly began to crawl onto the ground toward one of the trees nearby. It was a perfectly grown apple tree, round as if it had been cut every day, but he didn't care too much about this perfection.

Perfection always irritated him. Real things carried scars, rough edges and mistakes. A tree cut into flawless symmetry looked less alive than an already long-dead tree slowly withering away.

Using only his arms, he pushed himself into a handstand. Just a few days ago he was barely able to hold one and was only able to enter it from standing; now he simply lifts himself up while lying on the ground.

But to push his amazement even further, he tried to jump, sending his lower body up into the tree, where he was easily able to grab one of the branches. His new control and agility were still shocking him.

Lysandra, meanwhile, stared up at him hanging in the tree; from the ground, her gaze was filled with confusion and curiosity. As if she didn't take the situation with full seriousness anymore.

Vinces didn't care too much about her amusement; instead, he slowly balanced himself onto the biggest branch he could find. Staring at the hanging apples, he felt like he should eat something, but the memory of poison burning through his body and wood piercing his body made him lose his appetite.

Instead, he was searching for something different, a wooden branch no thicker than Lysandra's arms. Finding one around the length of two meters, he grabbed it, wanting to break it off.

But he put in way too much power, pulling himself too close, as the branch finally broke. Losing his balance, he crashed down the tree with the stick together.

Lysandra at the bottom just took a step forward, letting him crash right behind her to the ground. "What was the point of this climbing experience? Finally fully becoming a monkey?'' Her voice was filled with laughter at his painful fall.

Vinces stared up at her in annoyance. How did she dare make fun of him? When all this even happened because of her, but being mad wouldn't change his situation. And the fall wasn't even as painful as it looked, at least compared to what he had endured this day.

Instead, he also just let out a laugh. "All this power, and you have never heard of a walking stick?" His voice was filled with mockery as he slowly began to rise towards a sitting position again.

Lysandra instantly turned away from him at his mocking words, her head blushing red. "Of course, I know what a walking stick is. But how could I expect you to obtain one from such stupidity.''

Vinces wanted to laugh at her defensive lies, but the pain made it really hard. Not only was he suffering, but he was also denied any fun. What a horrific world.

He positioned the stick straight up, using it to lift himself up. He had to be precise; just a bit too much of his new power and it would easily snap in half. Slowly rising to his legs, Lysandra stared at him in astonishment.

Standing once more, he felt like he should've died in that cave today, No, he should've long ago on the mountain together with his brother, but he still made it.

He felt so much better, as if air could finally reach him truly again. Remaining still, appreciating the beautiful garden. The colorful mix of flowers felt much more relaxing than ever before.

He finally understood the saying that you only appreciate something after nearly losing it. The last time he was close to death, he drowned himself in sorrow about his loss, but today he made it; he had survived.

With his survival,

The people in the village can watch another morning rise.

He had to get there, no matter what.

''Which way do we go now?''

He asked, his voice filled with joy.