Burning.
I'm burning.
Am I on fire?
No.
I'm not.
But oh, X'hal, I burn.
I can't even scream anymore.
Just...
Just in my head.
The screams echo around in my skull.
My head...
My head is pounding.
And I'm burning.
It's coursing through my veins, this fire.
It's crawling up the sides of my mind, consuming all.
I'm burning on the inside out.
And I can't stop it.
I'll never stop it.
One day, maybe I won't burn anymore.
Maybe I won't feel it as much.
But I'll still be burnt.
I'll have scars.
The scars—they don't leave you.
The scars are memories, forever etched into my brain.
The scars on my skin healed.
If one looked at me, they would never guess I have a past.
A past consumed in darkness.
Because I'm happy.
I don't have problems.
I don't get sad.
Or angry.
Or depressed.
I don't ever think about ending it all.
I don't think about putting out the flames.
Because even now, on this third anniversary,
I still burn.
Because it's never going to stop.
The burning hasn't stopped.
The burning?
It...
Will...
Never...
Stop.