Viska stood before me, his white fur glistening in the sunlight filtering through the open roof of the private battle arena.
"How did you get in that tome?" I asked, stripping off my top clothes as he had instructed.
The arena was a large dirt square, with a pile of wooden swords in one corner and a number of worn practice targets—makeshift dummies made of gunny sacks scattered about. Earlier, I had entered the place with a small white puppy in my arms, and to the casual observer, Viska appeared as just another pup.
He said it would be strange for someone to hear a low intelligence creature like a dog speaking, as only divine beasts like himself possessed that ability. So I had to clear the arena of any witnesses.
"I don't know," he replied, sidestepping my question. "I lost my memories before I was trapped in that book. Now, sit down, cross-legged."
Without waiting for a response, he bounded over to the pile of wooden swords and returned with a palm-length stick clamped between his teeth.
"Here, bite down on this," he said, tossing the stick towards me. "You don't want to die from biting your tongue off. Do you?"
Reluctantly, I placed the stick between my upper and lower jaws, not sure what he had planned for me. All I knew was that I needed every bit of help I could get. If I could just do a little bit of magic, maybe my lifespan would last a little longer.
Brace yourself. This might hurt a bit. Viska's words echoed in my mind as I waited, tense and anxious, for something to happen. Moments later, the air around me began to swirl and lift, the dust swirling off the ground as if caught in a whirlwind. I could sense the presence of great magic at work as Viska's chanting grew louder and more intense.
I shivered as the dense mana in the air flowed into my body, filling me with a burning, searing heat. Sweat dripped from my brow and my muscles tensed as I clung to the stick held tightly between my jaws, gritting my teeth against the pain.My veins bulged as I tried to endure the excruciating pain, feeling as if I were being cooked alive from the inside out.
In addition, time seemed to crawl as the mana twisted and pounded through my body in waves of unimaginable intensity. Just when I thought the worst was over, the mana shifted its movement, causing fresh waves of agony to wash over me.
"Argh!" I screamed through the stick in my mouth as I stumbled forward, my arms collapsing beneath me.
The pain was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. It felt as though the mana was tearing through my bones and organs, restructuring them with brute force. My cells sizzled and renewed at an alarming pace as the pain wracked my body.
Suddenly, the cough came unbidden, wracking my body with its violence. Wetness spilled from my lips, and my hand came away from my chin stained with the murky red of blood. My head swam with dizziness, not just from the sight of the blood but from the cacophony of noises that seemed to echo within my skull. As my strength ebbed away, the stick slipped from my mouth. Viska's red eyes seemed to mock me from the periphery of my vision as I struggled to rise. However, the darkness closed in, swallowing me whole.
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