Golden thorns chapter 54
He suddenly noticed that his ears were ringing. It was subtle, but he could definitely hear a whine, just on the edge of his hearing. He stopped walking for a moment and listened, feeding his ears with a little aura to activate his semblance. The noise did not become clearer or louder as it normally would have. Instead, it just kept ringing.
"Coran, what is it?" Marie asked
"Can you hear that?"
"Hear what?
"That ringing sound. It's really quiet but it's definitely there."
"I can't hear anything" she said. Coran scratched the back of his neck irritably. It was getting louder now, like a feedback loop on a microphone. It was deafening, excruciating. He clutched at his ears, screaming in pain as the whine resolved itself into a voice, shouting at him.
"FAILED! GONE! DEAD! ALONE! FAILED! GONE! DEAD! ALONE!"
"NO!" he yelled in defiance of the voice. His leg flared with red hot pain and he collapsed. The torch hit the ground and the bulb shattered, plunging them into inky darkness. The voice kept shouting in his ears as he tried to orientate himself. He could just hear the voice of his partner, but she sounded distant, as if he was hearing her through a wall or a thick fog. He scrambled to his feet as the dim light of Marie's spare torch washed over him and the shadows resolved into solid shapes.
A pair of luminous red eyes peered at him and bright white teeth like razors glinted in the gloom. The creature, whatever it was, rose up to its full height, its head scraping the cave as it howled. The protracted cry was unlike anything that he'd heard before, a primal ululation that tore at his very spirit. He felt his legs grow weak and his heart flutter. His breathing became erratic. The noise drained all will to fight from him, transfixing him to the ground. The beast to a step towards him and the spell was broken. Coran ran. Faster than he ever had before, not thinking about where he was going, not caring what was ahead of him, only desperately trying to escape the horror from his nightmares that pursued him.
He ran. The pounding of his feet against the unconsolidated ground sent shocks of agony up his leg. The caves twisted and turned. He could barely see anything. His vision was blurring. He stumbled and fell to the ground, gasping in pain. The beast was right on top of him. Giant talons descended from on high to erase him.
But he felt not the rending of his flesh, nor did he feel the hot breath or smell the matted fur. He opened his eyes and stared into the gloom. The red eyes were gone. In their place stood a tall man in a white suit stood before him. In the man's hand was a necklace. It was a polished lapis disc set in a silver circle and wrapped in thorny chains. With a start, he recognised it. His hand drifted to the chain around his own neck where hung an identical neckless. The man took another step forwards and his face was hit by a beam of light.
"No" Coran whispered. "No, you died. You're dead."
"What are you doing here, Coran? You're almost eighteen. You have responsibilities. Stop pursuing this foolish quest for approval from others and make something of yourself."
"No! They're my friends. They care more for me than you ever did. I'm not going to be your pawn any more, Father. You are not going to use me to further your career."
"You have too much potential for you to waste it by dying in some cave. Get up! You are better than this. You are NOT going to fail me again. GET UP!" Coran did. He stood eye to eye with his father.
"I am not a failure." He whispered, threateningly.
"Then act like it." The man threw the neckless to the ground at his feet and turned away, striding purpousfully into the darkness, pausing only to say "everything I did, I did for you and your mother. I loved the two of you more than anyone or anything else in the world. Stay standing, Coran. Stay standing for her."
"I will, father, for her and for you."