Thunder.

Lightning.

Pain.

Hiccup could barely recall the last things that had happened. Rain was pouring down on him as he ordered his teammates to flee with Viggo out of reach for Krogan. His heart had lifted up with relief but only for a split second until pain struck his back as if a lightning bolt had hit him where he stood. It was like his lungs were no longer functional. He'd choked, unable to breathe correctly. He remembered feeling so weak. His knees had given out from underneath him and he sank down before falling one last time. He hadn't even had time to taste the mud off the ground before he blacked out, filling him with a strange sensation of empty. He was not dead but he wasn't sleeping either. It was somewhere in between as if the mighty Gods were still deciding him fate.

A white flash struck his vision again, followed by the ice-cold sensation enveloping him completely, reaching down to his bones. Then darkness again. He remembered the electricity flowing through him, begging him to swim. But he'd been unresponsive.

And he slowly sank down, down, down…

He believed he had died. But reality put a twist in his fate.

Hiccup blinked his eyes open at the ceiling above him, studying the cracks in the wood allowing some bright daylight to come through. He listened to his breathing entering and exiting his lungs as he scanned the room he was in. There was no one here. Krogan wouldn't have taken the risk of saving his life, would he? Of course not… This didn't make any sense. He tested his arms and his remaining leg to see if he'd been shackled down but as he lifted his limbs individually, his mind stormed with questions such as: "Where on the face of the Earth could he possibly be?" He could hear his breathing getting quicker every passing minute and he finally found the strength to push himself up in a sitting position from the bed he'd been lied on. An uncomfortable itching struck him in the back all of the sudden and Hiccup reached an arm back there to investigate but couldn't quite reach its source.

"What in the world?" he mumbled to himself, trying to reach the middle of his back.

A door right in front of the bed suddenly cracked open, allowing the bright white light to penetrate in the room. Hiccup covered himself protectively out of instinct, cowering on himself against the bed head. Wherever he was, it could be no good. Not after everything he went through. All he knew was pain right now and he couldn't help but be scared of being tortured once again. Flashes of Krogan and Viggo burning off steam on him appeared before his eyes and Hiccup begged out loud to whoever had come in the room not to hurt him.

"Hiccup?" came a familiar feminine voice and Hiccup slowly dared peek over his arm to see the face of Mala standing beside him, a concerned look painted all over her face. "What's happened to you?"

"Mala?" Hiccup managed to say even though it came out quivering just like the rest of his damaged body.

"You're safe here. There's no need to be afraid," she said, her voice soft as she placed a hand on his bare shoulder. "Come. I brought you something to eat."

Hiccup hesitated, staring down at the small bowl of stew with a wooden spoon awaiting its use. He slowly brought down his arms from over his head and sat on the side of the bed, taking the food the leader of the Defender of the Wings tribe.

"How... did I get here?" he asked slowly, trying to find the answer himself at the same time.

"My men found you unresponsive on our beach. You looked... dead. How you haven't drowned is still a mystery... Our tribe's healer is the one who took care of your wounds," she explained, studying him from head to toe after sitting next to him on the side of the bed. "What happened out there, Hiccup? Who did this to you?"

Hiccup took a moment to gaze down at his middle covered in black and blue with a few scratches. The young Rider stared off at the ground as if replaying what he could remember. He carefully put the bowl down next to him and stayed quiet.

"I wanna help, Hiccup. Just tell me what happened," pressed Mala.

"All of this just because I accepted a meeting with Krogan…" said Hiccup, staring off blankly at the floor, his expression weary. He sighed. "Why didn't I listen to Astrid? Why don't I ever listen to Astrid? All of this never would've happened if I had just—"

"You can't blame it all on yourself," cut Mala, locking her eyes with him. "I know what it's like to fail as a leader and as a defender of dragons. Trust me. But failure comes with the job. The hardest part of this mission we share is that we cannot always save every dragon and everyone."

Hiccup lifted his head at her, searching her pale green eyes.

"What?" she asked, trying to understand his reaction.

"Astrid…" he whispered, immediately getting up. "She-she's out there. He probably has her. Krogan—"

"Krogan has her?" she echoed, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I-I don't know. I don't remember what happened to anybody, I—" he said rapidly, running a hand through his hair. "I don't remember anything! I don't know what happened!"

"Easy, Hiccup," said Mala, trying to slow him down but Hiccup sped outside the small hut and rushed to the middle of the active plaza of the village. He looked around, lost, getting tossed around by passing peasants and soldiers. His world was spinning around in circles and his heart pounded hard in his chest. More images and sounds flashed rapidly in his mind. He could hear Astrid screaming frantically, Krogan chuckling close to him…

It was all too overwhelming and he pulled on his hair, trying to shut out the noises. Despite shutting his eyes tight, the flashes still appeared and even more vividly. He was losing his mind! Astrid. Viggo. Korgan…

"Hiccup, please reconsider this…"

Astrid's voice echoed in his mind along with so many other noises.

"This could be our only chance at defeating them. Once and for all…"

That was him… he had said that. What a fool he'd been…

"Tell me, are you afraid?"

Krogan… sitting right in front of him…

"Don't go just yet, Hiccup…"

Heather…

"I'm not afraid of you…"

His nightmares…

"You couldn't just leave well enough alone, could you, Hiccup?"

Viggo…

"Why should I trust you, Viggo?"

"I'm trying to help you, Hiccup…"

"Hiccup, look out!"

Everything came back to him. And it wasn't a good memory.