Chapter 22: Compelled
It seemed like Raiden suddenly ceased to exist.
For almost three days he remained dormant. The others checked on him constantly—his breathing low, pulse moving steadily, yet he showed no response. Even pinching his skin hard wasn’t enough to wake him.
However, all Raiden saw was absolute darkness within, but it made his nerves relax, freeing him from the sharp pain and high-pitched sound of his headache. So he slept.
It was sudden, but he began to feel something inside him—a startling pull, slowly at first, but before he knew it, it became abrupt. He pulled himself up in his seat and began panting heavily.
His bed was soaked in sweat as he stared at it, confused, before glancing at his body to see how pale and thin he had become. Blood stained his mouth and shirt as he tried to wipe it away.
Just as he sat there, he instinctively reached for his head, clutching it in agony, and then his stomach rumbled.
"How long was I out?" he muttered as he tried to get on his feet. He clutched his head even tighter. "Aw..." The sharp jolt of pain made him wince.
"It feels like I’ve slept for years..." he began making his way out of the room. "Did I somehow die again?" He smirked to himself.
"Leo?! Ash?!" Right at the top of the stairs, he began calling out names but got no response. Still, he shrugged and headed to the kitchen for some snacks.
"Levi?!... Aeris?!!" No response.
He returned to the living room, headed down the pathway to his right, and checked the training room. There was no one, yet he took the initiative to examine the floor closely. The floor was slippery, hinting at drops of sweat or water. He knew someone had been training recently.