Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT or any of the characters. No profit is made here.
Prologue
The hot sun beat down against his skin, the breeze lightly playing with strands of his hair. He loved this feeling more than any other. Birds called out to each other; their wings fluttered hard to keep in formation. He took in a deep breath so his nostrils could catch all the smells. He felt sweat trickle its way down his jaw.
All these years later and he still couldn't get enough of it. He felt the pull of muscle and response of bone as he stretched his arms up over his head contently. This was paradise.
A sudden, sharp pain shot up his left leg. He let out a surprised gasp of pain and instinctively clutched the spot. He felt pain before but this was different. This time it felt beyond his skin, muscle, bone. Down to his very core.
His very core… He was almost afraid to look. But curiosity got the best of him and shakily his fingers pulled up the cuff of his pant leg.
A brief glimpse was all he needed. He jerked down the leg again to cover it.
"Damn," he breathed out. "Guess it's finally time."
His watch read 8:15.