FFM 2023 9: Imprisonment – Take V

No prompts used. This is a continuation to FFM 2023 7: Imprisonment – Take IV.

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When Bereth regained consciousness again, he was on his side. His limbs were in a mixture of numbness and a kind of pain that burned with crackling lightning. There was something on his back but he could not tell whether it was his blood or some kind of goo.

When he opened his eyes, he was immediately blinded by light, so he squeezed his eyes back shut. His ears, ringing, picked up some kind of chatter and movement. It sounded like someone came next to him. That someone said something in a hoarse voice, but Bereth could not understand what they said. He grunted some kind of a response, tried to say something and probably failed. There was more chatter and some other voice spoke nearby, voice hushed, “Careful. You’re safe.”

Okay, that Bereth could understand. He hummed an affirmative response, not that he could have done much anyway at least right away. A callused hand came to rest on his bare upper arm and caressed it. The touch set off a different kind of crackling lightning through Bereth’s nerves, one that felt good-ish. He clenched his hand a little, feeling the ring still settled where it was supposed to be, and relaxed. Since he was no longer tied to anything, he was definitely in a better place than before.

The hoarse voice started crooning something that felt like a lullaby or a ballad, not that Bereth could understand a single word of it. He allowed himself to drift off to the sound of it — maybe after a bit of sleep, he would be able to assess his situation properly.