by Pistol Annie #1 NPC » Wed Jan 04, 2017 10:27 am
Gwen was glowing brighter as Rowan held her in his arms. Now that he could see properly, and darkness and shadows were gone forever from his vision, he realized how he could heal people without altering either party. He was a pure light that didn't lessen anyone else's luminance. Nothing changed about the soft green-and-violet glow that outlined Gwen's figure as Rowan's healing light spiraled around her, although it became stronger and more radiant.
He was silent as she awoke. Without seeing if she opened her eyes, Rowan could tell she was awake by the different ways her light glowed and dimmed. As Gwen spoke, Rowan could only nod weakly as he recalled the nightmare. He had been keeping it together until now, because he needed to make sure she was okay. Everyone had a place in Rowan's heart, because everyone mattered to him. He was a healer. Never again would he allow somebody to suffer, even for a second, because of his own shortcomings and emotional weaknesses.
He had to redeem himself. Make amends for what he had done.
As Guinevere told him it was okay to cry, Rowan watched as Cilan went to the door and stood there protectively. He could see this, even though the back of his head was facing towards his cousin. Rowan didn't need his eyes to see all around him. In fact, as he leaned into Gwen's embrace and tried to close his eyes, he realized his eyes had already been closed this entire time.
She cradled him in her arms, the way his mother used to when there was a scary thunderstorm outside. His mother would hold him so he saw nothing but her. He felt more safe than he had in years, tucked protectively against his friend's body, surrounded by soft viridian light. The glow seemed to brighten as Gwen gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead, the way Rowan's father would do when he was saying goodnight.
"I'm sorry," he whispered brokenly as the tears began to flow. "I'm sorry. I'm..."
He trailed off, sobbing like a small frightened child. Rowan clung desperately to Gwen, not wanting to let go, not wanting to leave the light that brought him out of his nightmare at last. He knew that if he was ever alone, he would be surrounded by a world of darkness. It was the people around him that gave him light. He had felt so lonely after what happened to Lily, and he didn't want to lose anyone else.
Rowan cried until he was out of tears, and then he simply lay there, recovering. He matched his breathing to Gwen's, and watched as the lights dimmed and brightened softly. It was comforting to watch. Rowan's own glow was fading more with each breath, and he could feel himself slowly falling asleep.
"Thank you," he murmured, through a warm fuzzy haze. The light of his outline was blurring as he began to drift into unconsciousness. Just before he fell asleep, he jolted awake as a chill of foreboding ran down his spine.
He felt three lights extinguish in the distance. Two disappeared in a flash, while the third slowly dissipated away. Rowan could feel the excruciating pain coming from that direction, but as he was getting up, the third light extinguished completely. The other, unfamiliar lights were heading in different directions. No. One of them was too familiar. It was different than any human's glow, and it was approaching the house... it seemed to be flying.
"Upstairs," he whispered. "Someone... something's coming."
Timpani had been checking on the kids upstairs. She couldn't find Laurel, Erion, or Rose anywhere, although she did notice the lock on the window had been tampered with. The teenagers must have snuck out against all common sense. Ari was the only one still inside, and Timpani was about to question her when darkness covered the room, and she heard a shattering noise.
"Get behind me," she ordered in a low voice. She positioned herself protectively in front of the tiny girl, who was more than a foot shorter than her. Timpani wasn't going down without a fight. With her super-endurance, she had trained herself endlessly; her strength, speed, and agility far surpassed a regular human's.
She put her fists up, ready to strike. Whoever was here would suffer the consequences.