Chapter 6: Cold is Reality
Splash!
"Haa... haaa... haaaa..."
The young man’s eyes snapped open as icy water seeped into his bones. He blinked hard.
"Rise and shine," a voice cooed from somewhere above.
His vision was hazy, not just from sleep, but perhaps from the excessive blood loss. He couldn’t tell what exactly was blurring his sight—it all blended together into a nauseating swirl of confusion.
"Haaah... haaah... Who are—"
His lips parted, the question forming—but before the words could escape, something slammed into his face with the force of a sledgehammer.
"Ugh—cough... cough!" Blood sprayed from his mouth, the sheer violence of the impact leaving him stunned. For a moment, he felt as if he’d glimpsed death—then was yanked violently back into life.
Ether.
The realization came instantly.
That hit—it was laced with ether.