In the middle of a small, slightly cramped room, a dirty young child with somewhat-shaggy hair sat, curled in a ball on the wooden floor, his hands and feet cuffed together with a set of intricate, metallic restraints.

On top of the dresser to his left, was a silver tray that was populated with empty jars and dishes, however, most of them had cracks or dents of varying sizes, along with strange black marks that ran across their surfaces.

A minuscule amount of moonlight protruded from the barred window on high, gently casting its glow over the opposite side of the room…

The oak door, which had once been extremely plain, and had had its visage ruined by a number of vicious cuts and splinters, all coated in red, now slowly creaked open, allowing a small amount of light to mask the moon’s glow…

[Creeaaakkk…]

A petite hand slowly reached through a small gap, grasping the edge of the door’s frame, but one of its fingers suddenly made contact with one of the splinters, causing the hand to reel back in pain as a bit of blood began to leak onto the floor.

However, despite the sudden escape, another hand soon replaced its injured counterpart, as it now pushed at the portions of the frame that weren’t as damaged, opening it fully and allowing the light to fully envelop the young man on the floor, who didn’t seem to respond to it...

???: “My young lord...it’s finally stopped…?”

A young girl’s voice filled the narrow space, a mix of contesting relief and suspicion that both seemed to be driving her toward the sleeping boy, as she cautiously tip-toed forward…

The boy remained still, his breathing barely noticeable, and showed no signs of waking up from his apparent sleep…

???: “Are you awake…my lord...?”

She was nearly upon him by now, but neither her advance nor her calls caused him to stir. Underneath the dresser, however, something seemed to be responding, as a faint, yellowish light flickered, though it was so minuscule that it went unnoticed by the girl…

Soon, she had arrived by his side, kneeling down as she began running her eyes over every inch of his body, her brows sadly curling as she noted his injuries in her mind.

His fingernails were bloodied and chipped into what resembled the disgusting claws of beats, his clothes were torn and riddled with holes that seemed to have been made by some sort of blade, a number of yellowish bruises were visible through the holes, his skin was even paler than before, and his hair had grown to the point where it hid his eyes and was littered with dandruff, patches of dust, and, a large red blotch that seemed to have emerged around his forehead.

The boy truly looked like a wreck, one might even question if he was a corpse, but the girl didn’t seem to be concerned with this, as she cradled him in her arms while parting the stiff hair that covered his face…

???: “My lord...can you hear me?”

She spoke, seemingly to herself, as she lifted the boy off the floor, now directing her attention towards a pile of torn cloth and wood that had once been a cot, which now served to cover a series of spherical indents in the stone wall.

???: “I don’t believe that the young lord will approve of these conditions once he wakes, no sir! Should I just let him rest his head on my lap…?”

The girl slowly shook her head with a slightly red face.

???: “If he woke up in that position…*giggle*...he would most certainly have such an adorable spout.~ But...I don’t want him to have to do anything stressful…”

She sighed sadly as the boy’s face was exposed, a bloody gauze covering his forehead and trails of blood that had long since dried, around his mouth. Soon, though, she had left the room, shutting the door behind her and quietly walking down the hall with the young boy, gently nestled in her arms while she gazed at him with a smile...
…
-Ughhh…it hurts...everything hurts...why…?

These were my first thoughts as my consciousness seemed to take hold of my body. I had suddenly felt burning and stinging pains, radiating from a multitude of places across my body…

-...Why...why the hell...can’t I see?! Oh god, d-did...did I go blind somehow?!?

My thoughts were...erratic...I couldn’t quite get a grip on myself...I felt...sickly...weak...afraid. However, the thing I felt the most was…

-...Pathetic!!! I was a motherf***ing, scared little sh*t, just trying to act cocky...and she didn’t even get mad at me!!! I could hear her...when my ‘EGO’ was fighting her...she actually got mad, she took him...IT, seriously!!! But I was only worth DISAPPOINTMENT, WASN’T I?!! And...now I’m...hahahahahahahahahahahaha...F***ING BLIND!!!
For a while, I swore at the Witch...I swore at the copy of my past self who could act the way he wanted and went out fighting...and...I swore at myself an inordinate amount...the actual me, not the doppelganger me...for I can’t even remember how long…

-SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE F*** IS WRONG WITH ME, WHY THE HELL COULDN’T I JUST BE TOUGH FOR ONCE IN MY DAMN TWO LIVES?!??!

I felt myself, shedding tears...then I cursed at myself for being a crybaby...and then, after the hatred faded...the fear set in…

-Is this her...is this what the Witch really meant by…‘punishment…?’ W-w...will I ever...see again?! No, no, no, no, no, no...NOOOOO!!!

I tried to come up with ideas on how to see without...seeing, but...they sucked.

-Echolocation...no, I wasn’t reincarnated as a bat! Find a mole and somehow learn how to sense everything from vibrations...no! For f***’s sake, where the hell would I even find a mole in this damn, insane asylum of a world, assuming that they even exist?! Try to see using mana...NO, I WOULD BURN MY EYES OUT AND KILL MYSELF!!!

I prayed to God...but he didn’t answer…

I thought about everything that had happened that led me to this point, to try and gain some perspective...but that just led me to realize what a sh*tty person I was, in both of my lives…

-I lied...I cheated...stole...and lied again and again...I made everyone hate me because I thought I was destined to end up like that anyway…

I was alone...in my previous life, no one was there to help me when I died, and no one was going to come to save me now...that’s what I told myself…

But, right when I was about to give up, about to accept the pain and the fact that I wouldn’t be able to see the world as I struggled through it...it happened…

-I tried to doublecross her...I’ve acted like a prick from day one here...I pissed off everyone back home and they killed me for it...is this really how it ends...?

I felt it...someone else...there was someone there, next to me...I felt their hand...it was warm...soft...comforting…

???: “Please, don’t cry...I’m here…”

And suddenly...I could see! It all flashed before me, like an explosion of colors inside of a tunnel that was also exploding! Weird, I know, but that’s what it was like for me! I saw a girl lying next to me in a small bed and, although hazily, I could see a gentle smile on her face and a pair of hazel-brown eyes focused on mine.

I felt like I wanted to scream, or cry, or laugh...but I just couldn’t seem to bring myself to say anything…It somehow seemed...like she understood that.

???: “You don’t need to be scared...I’m here...You don’t need to force yourself...just sleep now.”

Her voice seemed to calm my nerves, but I didn’t want to sleep...I thought that if I did...I wouldn’t wake up again. But her hand wrapped around mine, enveloping it in her warmth…

???: “You can close your eyes...it’s fine. I’ll be here when you wake up...I promise.”

And with that...I finally managed to sleep. I slept well for the first time in, well, ever…

...

Sorry that it took me so long, guys. Next chapter will be out soon, since I'm somehow feeling the juice today!