He could feel his energy slipping away. A sensation so very different from how it usually went, flowing through him to his fingertips.
His eyes saw only blurs, the blood seeping from his chest hard to make out from his red coat, if not for the burning pain it left, trailing down to the ground.
"Are you really sure about this?"
The smear in front spoke, the words muddled. A slow blink, the world got darker. "I don't really have a choice."
He coughed and wheezed, the pain somehow doubling as he spoke. "If this is what showing mercy is going to cost me…" But it wouldn't stop him. It never could. "... I'm gonna have to learn to pay the price."
No more was spoken, and he felt the metal in his gut shift. He inhaled deeply, drinking in as much oxygen as his damaged lungs could take.
'I have to picture myself as a single mass of energy-'
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"
He couldn't think, Couldn't breathe. Too much pain.
Remember. Remember. Remember.
His mind raced, memories flashing through his mind's eye. Souls being transformed. His body was dismantled and reassembled.
The void.
"GGGGGGRRRHHH!"
The metal was dislodged, his chest open to the world.
*Clap*
The sound reverberated for a moment, before being drowned by the sound of the light.
His whole body felt warm and relaxed for a moment, before he felt a little life leave him.
The last thing he felt was the closed wound beneath his hand.
And how cold he was.
Nathan awoke with a jump, sitting up brusquely in bed, a scream refusing to come out. His shaky hands raised his shirt, patting his stomach fervently. There was nothing there, even if his hands looked to be covered in blood when he blinked.
He crossed to the bathroom with eyes closed, the path intimately familiar to him at this point.
He tried to open the faucet, but his right arm felt slow and heavy.
The cold water flowed freely, and he tried to cup his hands to gather some, but his arm was still stiff.
Panic surged in his chest, threatening to swallow him whole. With eyes shut to the point of hurting, Nathan took deep breaths, unwilling to lose control over himself so early in the day.
When his body stopped swaying, he dared open his eyes, gaze falling to the mirror over the sink.
His reflection mocked him.
Pale and drawn face, delirious red eyes, with noticeable bags under them. His head hurt and his body felt sluggish. Like he was a little sick, enough to be uncomfortable, but not enough to stop him from continuing his activities. He already knew it was going to get worse.
A weary sigh left his still aching chest, hands throwing water on his face, in hopes of bringing alertness. It only made him feel colder.
Nathan sat back on his bed, unseeing eyes looking at the dark sky out the window. He didn't look at his clock, but knew it was a little before sunrise. Just like the past few days.
Sometimes he could go back to sleep. This time he felt he wouldn't be able to. Gathering his things and changing clothes, he checked his calendar with a low power lumos, already half knowing what awaited him today.
February 24. The day of the second task.
Anxiety had slowly crept up as the week went by. He couldn't say he was looking forward to the event. Not with what Harry told him about the first task. Not with Hermione's worried voice when she spoke about it.
With a cold body, Nathan left the dorm, aimless in his walking till the event.
"PLACE YOUR BETS!" "FLEUR IS 10 TO 1!"
The shouts were almost drowned by the cacophony of the excited students going towards the lake. Most were already on the stands, but the path to the lake was still full of people.
"You're sure about this Neville?"
He turned his head to see his two companions, Harry and Neville, the latter with a strange plant in his hands, which Harry took. Static sounded in his ears, dull but annoying, thankfully not drowning his friends' voices.
"Well, there is some debate on the effectiveness of freshwater and saltwater…" It was clear to see the uncertainty in the boy's voice, but he still sounded excited to talk about his favorite subject.
"And you're only telling me this now?!"
"Did you do any calculation to see how much you're supposed to take, according to your weight?" Nathan blurted out, both boys turning to him, questions clear on their faces. "So, you know, you don't overdose?"
The horror on their faces made him instantly regret asking. "Just a shit joke! Sorry." He said quickly, a sheepish smile on his face. Their expressions relaxed, but some doubt was still present in their eyes. It was a good question. Shame it was too late to do anything about it.
The lake was in view now, dark rain clouds obscuring the sun, making the water all that much colder.
The buzzing in his head built up to the point it was impossible to ignore. It felt different now; Less numbing. Like a veil fell over his head, partially obscuring the world around him.
They reached the boats and carefully sat, as it started rowing on its own once they were settled. The feeling kept building up the more water they threaded. Where before the feeling was calming, if not a little unnerving, now it was disconcerting. Nauseous.
It was never this strong before. It felt like the times he'd have a vision while awake, seeing things that shouldn't exist. His good arm squeezed the other that still felt heavy.
Except, in those times, there was a sudden buildup, and a release. As the static kept crescendoing in his eyes and ears, he felt like this would never end, like he was going to be trapped in this forever.
His head was going to explode.
A hand appeared in his vision, and Nathan took it without thinking. Neville helped him off the boat, and only then he realized they had arrived. He didn't know if either of his friends noticed his situation; Couldn't see them, even if he wanted to. Everything was blurry and looked the same. He walked straight to the back, an incredible sense of vertigo making him almost fall over multiple times.
To him, it seemed like he teleported everytime he blinked. Somehow, he'd reached the top floor, emptier than the others. His legs took him to a railing, his body collapsing on the metal the moment he touched it.
A loud bang pierced through the air, cutting off all other noise for a moment. Nathan heard it all muted. His head was underwater, and he felt like he was drowning.
Something touched his back, and he felt his body spasm, probably trying to move but too weak to do so. His head turned slowly to see a grainy face. The person came closer, and he could clearly see who it was.
"What happened?" Luna asked, frown on her face. He could barely feel her hands on his back, moving up and down. He closed his eyes and focused on it.
Noise rose around him once more, sounding almost like cheers to his deafened ears. Task ended. He tried to look at the big clock nearby, but everything faded in the grain after a certain distance. Didn even notice time passin. Even his thoughts sounded blurry.
Luna, who he only now noticed was still with him, came closer and started pushing him in the direction the other students were going. He only made out he wasnt in the stands anymore when he was halfway back to shore.
Relief flooded his being, his body almost falling out of the boat, as his whole body suddenly relaxed, and the vice squeezing his head vanished. Heavy breaths left his lips as he tried to
regain control over himself, head falling limply to his hands.
Nathan looked back up after a while, gazing at Luna's worried eyes. He mustered the best smile he could, hoping to make his gratitude known without the words he felt too weak to say.
The boat hit the pier and the wistful girl helped him step out. I prefer her when she's being crazy. There was still a small frown of worry on her face, but he was getting better, and she could see it.
The buzzing slowly vanished the farther they got from the lake, only a comforting numbness remaining. His body wasn't cold, nor was his chest aching. His right arm felt as light as a feather
Right now, the numbness was perfect. I'm never entering that lake again!
"How are you feeling?" Lunas voice broke through the silence, which he now could hear perfectly.
"Fine." His voice sounded weak even to his own ears, and his lame response didn't seem to impress the girl. "Getting bette-."
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggg
His words got cut as a splitting pain struck his brain. His hands reached for his hair, pulling it in desperation. He could see Luna's expression darken, her lips moving. He heard none of the words.
Nathan started running, legs pumping through the exhaustion.
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggg
He was in the castle now, desperately weaving through people.
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
His body hit the door and he fell into the bathroom, hands coming up to his head as he curled into a ball on the ground.
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggg
The sound stopped, and the pressure in his head let go at once. The suddenness of it brought a round of dizziness, and he scrambled up as fast as he could as his stomach churned painfully. He raced to one of the stalls, one hand covering his mouth.
"BLEEEERGH!"
He wretched violently, on his knees on the dirty floor, hunched over the porcelain. Once. Twice. Three times. Until all that came out was liquid, and he was about to pass out. Bile came out of his mouth once more.
Nathan had no idea how much time had passed, but he finally stood up when his head stopped spinning and his stomach felt like it had shrunk in on itself. With trembling legs he walked to the sink, letting it slowly fill up.
His gaze went to the mirror. Bloodshot eyes with tear tracks going down his pale cheeks. Mucus and blood flowed from his nostrils, falling into his mouth. He wiped it with his arm.
His reflection wasn't much different from the morning.
Nathan looked down to see the water overflowing the basin-
Splash!
-And let his head fall to the water.
It was almost tranquill. Letting the water hold his weight. Letting it fill his ears.
riiiiiiiiiiiii-
He raised his head abruptly, as if burned. His hands pushed his hair back from his face, and it only made the tiredness all the more noticeable.
With a sigh, he reached into his pocket, retrieving his watch. The hour marked by the hands made his shoulders slouch even further.
It was still afternoon.
The dark clouds from the morning finally released the rain, letting it fall harshly to the ground, confining the students to the covered parts of the castle.
Neville continued his walk through the corridors, checking all nooks and crevices he knew of. Nate had been missing since the start of the task, and Neville kicked himself for not paying better attention to his friend.
He had rushed through him and into the castle, and Neville had worried for a moment, before being engulfed once more into the gryffindors' cheers. He once more kicked himself.
Nate had not returned to the tower since, and for the long while Neville had been searching for him, he had found no trace of the man. How can he be so hidden? His friend couldn't know that many hiding spots. Not when he looked so utterly lost in moments when he'd pay extra attention to the man.
The sharp and deep tone of rain hitting stone cut through his thoughts, the boy stopping at the exit to one of the open areas. The rain had eased, hitting the world less discordantly and more refreshingly.
Neville took a deep breath with eyes closed, nose tingling with the smell of the wet grass. The plants will like this!
His eyes slowly fell back open, and they were immediately drawn to a figure, standing alone in the rain. He walked towards them still under the cover of the roof, and slowly their features became clearer.
Their backs was straight, but their shoulders relaxed, arms outstretched at the waist with their palms facing the sky, as if trying to catch the water that fell on to them. Their soaked clothes still moved in the breeze as if light like silk, robe, scarf and hair billowing gently in the wind.
A few feet away and Neville paused, a strange shock stopping his stride as he recognized their face. It was Nate.
His head was tilted to the sky, eyes closed. And his face was the most serene he had ever seen on his ever stressed friend's face.
He hesitated, before rushing into the rain and reaching his friend. "N-Nate?" He stuttered, wondering if it was a good idea to touch the man.
Nate's eyes opened and gazed into his, and a gasp got struck in his throat by their intensity, the glow they seemed to emanate making the falling raindrops visible for an instant. A blink, and it was gone.
He recovered, and took stock of his friend from up close. Gone was the relaxed demeanor, being replaced by what he could only describe as pure exhaustion.
"Is everything alright?" He regretted the stupid question the moment it came out. Clearly, something was amiss.
"In fine. Don't worry." His friend smiled, eyes crinkling in the corner. It looked more strained than genuine.
"Let-let's get back inside. Before we catch a cold." He put his hand on the shorter man's shoulder, guiding him back to the warmth of the castle.
He ignored how his friend started shivering the moment they were surrounded by the stone walls.
Nathan laid curled in his bed, arms moving through the sheets by his head, the noise reverberating through the mattress and into his ear. Exhaustion ached through his bones, but he couldn't sleep, eyelids still light.
He listened to the sounds of the room as he slowly moved his heavy arm. It was colder to the touch than any other part of him, and when it moved, he could swear a groaning sound came from it. As if it were made of metal.
The rain started falling outside once more, light and airy, before strengthening and hitting the window with heavy winds and water.
He felt his body relaxing, hand stopping its movement on its own. His eyelids slowly closed, finally heavy with the day's weight.
He thanked nature for this kind mercy, before succumbing to sleep.
