"Lie?"
John's vision was still blurry.
His body still in the pain because the interruption in the technique of soul clone.
The pain felt like blunt axe trying to cut through his stomach.
(My healing magic is also not working…what is this.)
His temple was bleeding because of the powerful impact.
The voice from the dark came again. It was mixed with rain yet it was clearly audible.
"I am not interested in you, just know this. Every action you've made so far, every single one of them will have consequence."
Simultaneously, something from within the stone starts to pore holes on its surface. The holes were made by some crawling insects. They were attracted by the smell of blood mixed with rain. The crawl out of the stone, slowly lingering towards a target.
John screeches in pain as some of the crawling insects on the stone try to make their way into his injured temple. They try to bite their way in. John slightly turns around crushing most of them. But one was quick enough to already get inside his head.
John falls off the stone, landing on the ground. He tries to get up but the pain didn't allow him to do so.
He tries again and finally gets to sit straight, resting his back on the stone.
The presence of the origin of the voice was still there. Standing there, looking at John getting tortured by nature itself.
"I don't even need to do anything. You are such a creature, even pitying you won't do anything good. I pray the people you lead never have to rely on you."
Despite of pain, John doesn't like this feeling of getting looked down.
John yells as hard as he can.
"What are you talking about!? You are no better than me. You attacked me from the back! While I was trying something. You only caught me off guard!"
Lightning strikes.
Every sound in this world was gone. John couldn't hear a single thing. The pain was gone too. John's vision was not blurred anymore, instead it was all pitch black. He couldn't see a thing. Only his body and pitch black world.
Then he hears a sound, a drop. The blood from his temple fall on the ground. He had no thought at the moment, just one.
(What is happening to me?)
He again hears something.
Something crawling.
The insect that had entered his head through his temple earlier, was crawling around his brain. Is it helping or eating?
John doesn't understand anything about the situation.
Then,
A snap!
The blackness started to distort and started to suck up by John's mind staring to reveal another darkness. But this time being Bloodied Rimora.
Mud removed from his eyes, his vision wasn't blurry anymore, looking at the muddy ground.
The pain was significantly reduced.
John touched the back of his head with his right hand and looks at his hand. There was only one liquid, which is rain. His bleeding was stopped.
He looks up. The origin of the voice was no longer there. Or atleast that's what John thought.
He got up, checking his legs and torso for any more injuries.
(I am…fine?)
The constant drops of rain falling on John's head started to give him a headache. He removes his long coat and hold it above his head with both his hands.
"Better…"
He walked back to the group. Hundreds of thoughts were flooding his mind on his way back.
(Who was that person? Why was his voice familiar? What was he talking about, me lying? How was he able to interrupt my technique? The skill only takes 2 seconds to make a clone. Then how?? And what was that dark place?? The crawling sound??)
His thoughts got swept to the corner of his mind, soon as he saw the group standing there waiting for him. Soldier on his horse looking at the road up ahead. The goblins roaming here and there. Ethan and Alan were standing together looking at his hand injuries. Alan suddenly held his head in stress.
John walked upto them.
Ethan turns around with a lowly look on his face.
"What happened, Alan?"
Alan chose to remain silent.
John squints his eyes slightly in suspicion and turned towards Ethan and asked the same thing. To which Ethan finally replied, but without being able to look into John's eyes.
"Mr. Alan's hand…It…"
"It what, Ethan??"
John asks with a slightly raised eyebrow.
"My lord, his hand….it is not healing."
John's mouth opens in shock.
"What do you mean…his hand is not healing?"
John takes a closer look at Alan's hand. The point from where it was cut off was healed, its base. But not any further.
John uses his quick regen on Alan, which apparently could regrow a body part. From bones, to blood vessels, to muscles, to skin. It doesn't work. John uses again, no change. He uses mana potion and uses quick regen at maximum output. Still no improvement.
John's fingers started to shiver. Then his forearm, his arm and in a whole second is whole body started to tremble.
He started to console himself.
(It isn't my fault! Ethan was not the one who cut off his hand. So it was never our mistake. Hell, it was never our idea!)
Alan finally cuts off his silence and answers John.
"So…you have any idea who could've done…this?"
His voice full of sorrow. He lost a half of his blessing after all.
His right wrist gone permanently. Now he can only use his left hand for the blessing.