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Cold . That was the only way Asra could describe the feeling in his body. Not like a chill that runs through you when a cold breeze hits, he was cold everywhere. It felt as if all other senses were drowned out, all other feelings replaced by thus feeling of cold. Where was Asra, anyways?
Asra flicked his eyes around the room, trying to gauge his surroundings. A cell… This looked like a cell. Asra tried to remember what had happened…
“I was with Muriel…” Asra recalled quietly. “We… Got caught… By Palace guards, and…”
Asra glanced down, moving his left hand that had previously been putting pressure against an abdominal wound away from his body, as to get a better look. Asra let out a hissed breath through his teeth. Not because it hurt- but the sight of a wound that severe made him cringe. He placed his hand back over the wound, trying to keep consistent pressure on it. He had been stabbed.
Asra let out a shaky exhale, trying to keep himself calm… If he could hold on a little longer, just maybe… Maybe he could make it out of this alive.
As Asra slowly urged himself to be a bit more aware, he noticed a pounding from the other side of the wall he was leaned up on. Had that been happening the whole time..?
“...-sra...” Asra thought he could make out a voice faintly. Muriel… Muriel! Asra cursed himself- how could he forget about Muriel..?
“Asra..!” Now that he was listening for it, Asra could make out his name being called from the other side of the wall. Asra pressed his ear against the wall, hoping to be able to better understand the voice.
“Asra, can you hear me?” Muriel’s voice was frantic as he pounded against the wall again. “Just hold on, I’ll, I’ll… I’ll figure something out..!” Asra smiled to himself. Oh Muriel… No matter how strong that man was, he could never break out of a prison cell with brute force alone…
Asra took a shaky breath, trying to summon up his voice, but all that came of it was a choked yell. Muriel seemed to hear it though, as all his ruckus stopped momentarily.
“Asra…!” Muriel shouted again, now aware that he had Asra’s attention. “Hold on, okay? Please…” Muriel pleaded.
Asra couldn’t summon up the strength to speak back, so there was a long moment of silence, where Muriel was seemingly awaiting a response. But then, another thud.
“You… You can’t die, Asra!..” Muriel’s voice cracked on the last word. “So… So many people need you… I need you…” Asra took a shallow breath, trying to focus on staying conscious, but it was getting much harder. It wouldn’t be long now…
Asra placed his shaky hands against the wall, shutting his eyes tightly, just trying to focus on Muriel’s voice.
“You’re… You’re my best friend, Asra… My… My only friend…” Asra could hear Muriel’s broken sobs, as he pounded against the wall.
“I love you , damnit ! ”
Those four words… Asra thought he could almost hear them clearly, without any barrier, but maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him. But all that was crumbled, at what seemed to be Muriel’s final plea…
“ Don’t go, Asra… ” Asra sighed to himself. He couldn’t… He wasn’t strong enough to stay for Muriel, as much as he wanted to…
Asra blinked back the tears that welled up in his eyes, steadying himself with yet another shaky breath. Time was ticking for him… He thought he better make the most of it.
Asra traced his index finger against the cold wall, drawing the symbles of an intricate rune from memory. When he was finished, he pressed his palm flat over where he traced, and mouthed a spell silently, alighting the lines under his hand, before whispering a message to Muriel under his breath…
With the last of his strength, he forced the magic through the material of the wall. Muriel saw the intricate rune glow in his dark cell. Muriel quickly scrabled, pressing his hand against the glowing design, feeling Asra’s magic flow through his body…
And then he heard it.
“ I love you too, Muriel. Take care. ”