Vlad had to tear his own flesh and bone from his body each time, enduring the searing agony of his nerves being ripped apart over and over. There were parts of his body that weren’t human—fragments that had to be shattered and pushed out from within. The transformation was a violent process of reassembling newly grown or broken bones.
Liliette could hardly bear to listen, feeling a sharp pain twist in her gut as if she had swallowed thorns.
“As you saw, my wounds heal quickly,” he said. “If I don’t stay focused, the parts I’ve cut away will just grow back. So, I must always remain awake.”
Like a wild animal sleeping with one eye open, always wary of the predators lurking nearby, he lived on the razor’s edge of consciousness. Liliette couldn’t comprehend how anyone could live through such unbearably cruel torment. She struggled to hold back tears.
