The fire continued to burn even brighter. He stood in the middle of the ruins,his sole burning from the hot ash. His white robe was barely holding on ,blood marring his skin. From a distance,he could hear the faint sound of the church bells ringing. It was midnight already.
From the corner of his eyes,he noticed a shadow dash through the flames.
Fast and calculating as he circled in on him.
"Elias…"
The voice floated in the air like a piece of silk fabrics brushing against glass. He heard a faint creak sound causing the hair on the back of his neck. The ground underneath his feet opened up, swallowing him whole. He let out a soft gasp as a golden snake like rope curled around his arms and feet trapping him further. A scaly arm wrapped around his midsection pressing him against a… sticky wall.
He could feel the soft pounding of a heart against his back but he was sure that that was a wall. The arm around him tightened, knocking the breath out of his lungs.
"I'll kill you since you can't…"
The voice came from inside his head this time vibrating through his bones.
He tugged against the restraint.
"Elias…"
He fought harder, his lungs burning from the lack of air.
And the world exploded in black wings.
"Elias! Wake up!"
He sat upright, gasping for air. He was soaked with sweat,his hair sticking to his skin. He placed over his chest feeling his heart pound against his ribs as if it wanted out. He tried to pick up the fragments of the dream but the harder he tried to remember,the faster it slipped through his fingers.
Brother Murphy stood over him an angry scowl playing on his face. He didn't look amused at all even though the morning was still bright. "We're going to be late again because of you and father Gabriel will scold us while pardoning you. He said we have work to do at the old gravesite."
Elias rubbed his face, trying to clear the fog from his mind. "Work?The gravesite? I thought it was…"
Thomas waved his hand dismissively before buttoning up his shirt. "He changed his mind. It's today. The project was moved to this week. Hurry up or we'll be in trouble again because of you."
Elias quickly dressed in a plain faded yellow shirt and black trousers, tying his belt with shaky fingers. The others weren't particularly fond of him. Father Gabriel treated him better than the others even though he didn't ask for any of the special treatment.
"I had a son that looked exactly like you," Father Gabriel had said.
He stepped out enjoying the feel of the cold wind against his skin. It was usually cold this time of the year and he loved it even though the others always complained about how it made them look so pale. He saw his brothers with tools and quickly hurried to get his from the she'd before joining them,head bowed while trying to pretend not to hear what they said about him.
"I can't wait until I'm proven right" he heard someone whisper from behind him.
"He is really weird." Another murmured.
" There has been no news of his parents either. I wonder if they abandoned him after they found out he's cursed." Another said.
"How do you know he's cursed?"
"If he isn't,then why does father Gabriel pray for him to be free everyday?"
Elias' hand tightened around the shovel. He tried not to let their words get to him. To him,they were only saying these because they were jealous of him. He has seen father Gabriel pray and he prayed for everyone else too. He quickened his pace making his way towards the far end of the graveyard away from his brothers judging eyes and vile tongue. The smell of damp soil filled the air. Moss clung to the abandoned gravestones since they haven't been cleaned in a very long time and morning fog curled between them giving the graveyard a more eerie look.
He got to work immediately,the scrape of his shovel against stone echoing in the stillness. A few hours passed but he had only managed to clear only a small portion.
"This is going to take forever" he murmured under his breath, wiping his sweat with the back of his hand. He could hear the others laughing and gossiping. They were taking a break.
He decided to take a short break too.
He planted his shovel in the ground but it struck something hard.
There was no tombstone above that spot. He cleared the portion and his eyes caught the shimmer of something glinting faintly beneath the dirt.
A frown settled on his face and Elias bent down, brushing the soil away with his gloved hands.
What he uncovered wasn't a coffin. It looked different and it was made from pure gold. Strange markings were etched in the lid. They were instructed not to open any of the coffins but there was something about this one.
It felt as though there was an invincible force pulling him towards it. Like a thread was pulling against his heart like a puppet. Before he realised what his body was doing,his hand had already moved towards the lid.
"Open it" a voice echoed in his head. "Elias…"
He pulled against the lid but it was stuck. His fingers trailed across the edge looking for a lock.
He pulled his hand back with a hiss.
Blood trickled down his middle finger. A blade had slashed across his finger leaving a deep gash.
And then the coffin opened on its own.
A burst of light exploded outward, sending him crumbling to the ground. He shielded his face with his arm,a sharp sound ringing in his ears as the sky darkened.
The last thing he saw before everything went black was a hand pale and slender reaching from within the golden coffin.
And a voice, low and distant, whispering through the burning light:
"Finally… I'm free."