Ch. 6

Darkness…

Utter Darkness….

Magnus tried to move. His arms flailing slowly and his legs trying to reach for solid ground. His hair floating up across his temple.

Magnus tried to breathe. Big mistake. His lungs filled with a liquid. Water. A tangy metal flavour mixed with the water, hurting his eye. The water filled his lungs and Magnus choked.

He felt like his insides were on fire, like someone had just stabbed him in the chest. Magnus tried to look for a light source, to go up and get air. His arms and legs flailing, trying to move.

A thin stream of light pierced through the water as if it could hear his struggle. The water pushed him toward the light and Magnus swam upward, bubbles rising above him.

His head burst out and inhaled oxygen, the air clear and cold. The light source was like a beacon around him. Where he went, the light followed.

Magnus swam forward. until his hand scratched something. He hissed and pulled his hand back. A thin cut ran across his knuckles below his wrist, blood slowly seeping out of it.

Magnus' eyebrow raised. How could he feel pain in a dream? It shouldn't be possible.

H carefully moved his hand to where it got scratched and grabbed a hold of something. A rock. He grabbed onto it with both hands and pulled himself up, dripping water off him while he was still gasping for air.

The tangy feel in his mouth wouldn't go away and when he tried to drink the water it only got worse.

Magnus stood up on the rock and tried to look out farther, to see if the rock was land.

At that moment the light beams went out and something beneath him began to glow. A city.

There below the rock Magnus was standing on was a city. It's buildings stood high and proud. The glow from within the city was a soft red and the sound of trickling water could be heard in front of Magnus. The red glow went away and everything was black, but only for a second.

A sun seemed to rise from behind the city and Magnus could now see everything.

The city was all white Magnus squinted to get a better view and gasped. The whole city, every single building was made from bones!

The bones were welded together and there were thousands of them. Hands. Skulls. Arms. Legs.

Magnus stepped back, almost slipping off the rock.

The red glow from earlier was a river. A river that ran through the city. Blood. A river of blood ran through the city.

Magnus almost choked as the red of blood started to move closed to him. THe blood seeped through the water, causing a gastly red glow.

Magnus wiped his hand and held it up to the light. The tangy taste and the color. He had been drowning in a river of blood.

Magnus stepped back, slipping from the rock and back into the blood river. He tried to move, but his body had given up. He tried to scream, bubbles rising around him.

The water stung his eyes and invaded his lungs, choking him. Magnus couldn't breathe, the cold water seeping into his clothes, and darkness closing around him.

The last of the light faded and Magnus tried to reach for the surface but he couldn't grasp it.

Darkness surrounded Magnus and the last thing he remembered was the city of bones and the blood river, before a voice cut through his mind.

"MAGNUS!"

Magnus' breathing hitched as he recognized the voice.

Alexander.

Magnus forced his eyes open and he inhaled a deep breath of fresh air. A bright light pierced his vision and a faint buzzing in his head.

"MAGNUS!"