There was silence. An odd, encasing silence, and darkness. He had never felt such quiet before - it was as if everything had just stopped. Nothing sounded, nothing moved, nothing was there. Just pitch black, darker than even his own mind, and silence. He hated the silence… he hated it so much because it made his head ring, but not even that was taking hold of him.
He couldn't feel himself, he couldn't see, he couldn't breathe. Yet, he knew, he didn't need any of those things. Not when he was dead. It was a calm realisation that washed over him, quietly bidding that yes, it was over. The pain was gone. He could move on, be with Fleur… So why did he feel like he was leaving someone behind?
That's when the stinging came. Like glass, piercing into him, except everywhere. Needles slashing at his skin, spreading and shattering him like fragile dried clay. He wanted to scream, but he had no voice. Then the other voices joined the fray, confused shouts and frantic mumbling. Only one thing they said made any sense.
Put him back in!
Then he heard her - quiet, delicate sniffling. A name was being said, over and over…
Liene…
Liene…
Liene…
"Liene?" He tried to say, surprised to hear himself speak. "Why are you still crying? I thought you'd be over me by now…"
Quilliene stopped sniffing and opened her eyes at the sound of his voice, unsure if it was real. Then, she shouted in glee. "N-Neo! You're… you're alive! Oh my gods, you're alive, you bloody sonofabitch!"
She cried out a laugh, wrapping her arms around him and hugging tightly. She didn't care if it seemed indecent or uncharacteristic of her. He was dead, and then he was alive. She didn't quite remember what happened, since everything was quite hazy, but she knew… she must have done something.
"Ow! Ow…" Neo winced, gasping as he suddenly remembered how to breathe. "Okay, everything still hurts, so lay off a bit please…"
Everything was still dark, but he quickly realised it was because he hadn't opened his eyes. He tried to open his gaze to the world then, but his right eye was cemented shut. Reaching up to rub it, he winced, blinking rapidly. For some odd reason, it stung and felt rather strange.
"F-Forgive me," Quilliene let go of him. "But I'm just so relieved… that you're actually still alive. You weren't breathing, and you… you were saying the craziest things."
She sat back up fully, brushing herself off as she went to take a look at his wounds - only to see something weird. They were gone. Wiped from existence, as if they had been stitched up and cleaned. She frowned, unsure of what to think of it, looking up to Christopher for answers but he still seemed to be in shock.
"They're gone…" She mumbled. "Your wounds are completely gone. Even the scars!"
"What?" Neo questioned, slowly sitting up. "I… what are you saying? Did I… actually die?"
He looked down, a headache taking its toll on him as he examined where the wounds used to be. Raising his head to look between them, it became clear that something was off when he lowered his hand. His right eye, open, was pitch black - not even glossy. It was like an abyss, with a steel grey iris and darker pupil in the middle.
"I…" Quilliene paused, staring at him before continuing. "I think so. I'm not quite sure what actually happened. I must have blacked out or something."
Christopher was silent, simply staring at the two of them in awe. He stood up, helping Neo to his feet the best he could. Quilliene went to stand as well, but her legs unfortunately gave out and she had almost fallen back down. However, Neo, with new energy, caught her swiftly.
"I think you're the one who needed the random magick healing," He said jokingly.
"Haha, very funny," She answered, a headache taking over as she held onto him. "Oh my… everything's spinning. I think I might have exerted too much energy… but I honestly don't remember a thing."
Christopher rushed over to her other side. "I can carry her. She must be out of it from having her magick locked from her system for so long."
"Nah, it's fine," Neo responded as Quilliene leaned on his arm, and he pulled out a new pair of gloves before putting them on. "I got her."
He swept Quilliene off her feet, carrying her with one arm behind her knees and the other underneath her shoulder blades. She let out a small gasp of surprise, adjusting herself before she was settled comfortably within his arms. Then… she was out like a light, blinking once to try and clear her mind before leaning her head on his chest.
Christopher scowled, but let it all happen. "Follow me, I know where the car is. Once we get out of this wretched place, we need to get someone to disable that bomb… and we need to talk about that." His eyes flitted to his face.
Neo turned his mismatched gaze upon him with a clueless look. "Talk about what?" He asked, before pausing as the realisation came to him. "Seriously? One, she's unconscious; two, you're the driver; and three, we just went through hell. Does it really matter if I'm touching her or not?"
"That is not what I mean, but thank you for bringing it up," He turned, beginning to walk as the bodyguard followed. "What I'm talking about is your eye. I'm not sure if the vision has changed in it, but… you were dead for at least ten minutes, and my sister… it's not possible. That kind of magick and power all in one place is rare, and especially dangerous to harness in such a way."
"Hold up, I was seriously dead?" He said, perplexed. "As in dead dead, it wasn't just a trick of your mind, for ten straight minutes? And, what, I just… came back? How? Why?"
"You were dead," Christopher confirmed. "No breathing, no pulse, just bleeding out. Lifeless while my sister was crying her eyes out. Yet…" He paused. "Somehow, someway, she brought you back - and to pull someone from the other side into the land of living is no small feat, nor can those like us do it casually. As for your eye…" He fished out a piece of broken mirror from the rubble, holding it up and reflecting Neo's eye. "That is what we are currently dealing with."
Neo stopped and stared at himself, then shrugged as best as he could. "I don't see the problem. My vision is perfectly fine - it must just be a side effect from being dead. I mean, in my opinion, it's pretty wicked." He cracked a smile, attempting to lighten the mood despite his spiralling thoughts.
"This is…" He threw the glass aside, continuing to walk. "This is troubling. To think my sister could use such an untapped power in such a period of time after having it locked away… perhaps that is why. We always knew she was strong, but you need to understand - that kind of magick is forbidden, Neo, because of the energy it exerts from you. From your life force. And my sister did not utter a single incantation. Her pain is what propelled you to live." He glanced back, then forward again. "I need to… find someone to train her. If this kind of power isn't honed… while she's a queen, no less-"
"Look," Neo interrupted him as they reached the hallway. "We don't know what she's been through. She's covered in bruises and cuts - we don't know what messed up shit that freak did to her. Your training can wait until she's healed up and not on the verge of death." He stepped up beside him. "Let's just get her back home for now. Worry about one thing at a time, not all at once."
Christopher glowered at him. "I don't like you," He said sharply, making Neo glare. "But… I've grown to appreciate your concern for her. Perhaps my parents' judgement of you as her bodyguard was not a mistake after all…"
Neo stopped for a moment, letting him walk forward a bit, thinking about what he said. Then he winced out of nowhere, turning his head into his shoulder to cough lightly. His mouth tasted of iron. Sniffing, he thought nothing of it, continuing to follow Christopher out of the warehouse silently. Quilliene was safe once more… he had nothing to worry about.