Pain. It was a glimpse of hell, a taste of what was to come for those who sinned deeply enough. The sensation was all encompassing, constant, never ending. It engulfed him, wrapped him in searing flames and carved through every attempt at thought until everything that existed was but a faint echo resounding through the empty void that had been his mind.
It was the price he paid for trying to use powers he couldn't control. It was the result of wielding the so called blessing of the gods despite his deep loathing of it, for no other reason than pride and a stubborn refusal to seem weak in the eyes of his enemies. He hadn't been forced to enter the battle against nature's wrath. No one had urged him on, whipped his legs into action and commanded destruction to take place... None other than himself and his ego.
He didn't know it, but a bitter smile lay glued over the black lips as the stallion limped down towards the beach, each step a pure agony that threatened to send him into the void of unconsciousness. Only the fact that his body was healing faster than what was natural had spared his life, of that he was certain. How anyone would have been able to survive the barrage of fire, acid water and violence was more than he could understand, and if the grullo hadn't witnessed and felt his own body patch itself up he would never have believed it.
Groaning from agony the injured warrior forced himself down into the salty water. Unable to hold back a shriek of agony as the minerals burned into the scorched skin he still welcomed the icy cold waters, trembling as it rushed up to cover the burns on his legs and belly. Deeper and deeper it became as he slowly waded out into the pitch black sea, until the surface was broken by nothing except his neck and sand swirled in torrents that played around the hooves. Shuddering, gasping and struggling to keep on his feet as waves pushed him this way and that, Lace only reluctantly turned to watch as water flooded the deep pits of blood and pus that dug into his rump, caused by the corrosive liquid that had splattered him as he fought the giant. He could see the pallor of bone where flesh had been melted off the hip, watched oozing meat sizzle as the foul liquid came into contact with the ocean water. Repulsed he closed the eyes and dipped the head quickly beneath the surface, snorting and spraying water as he resurfaced - very drenched, yet slightly more refreshed.
A worried trill from above made him look up again, salt stinging the eyes as he turn to look after the white dragon that slowly circled him on wings that glittered and gleamed in the moonlight.
"I'm fine" he tried to reassure her as her mind prodded his, anxious and shocked by how badly he had been injured. It was hard to convince her. Even his mental voice sounded tired, frighteningly weak due to the poison that had invaded the body. It slowed the process of regeneration, dulled his senses - she wanted him out of the water, away from the wind-swept dunes and back behind the safety of familiar borders.
"Rest, then go home" she impressed on him, for maybe the fifth time since he had descended the Heavenly Fields. Lace sighed and shook his mane, slowly starting to make his way back onto the beach.
"I know" he agreed, but knew that it would be easier said than done. Would he have the strength to close the distance between the ocean and the Edge? The magic of the gods that now sustained his life was strong, but was it strong enough? A healers touch would aid him greatly, but Smoke was far, far away and more needed in the veiled forest. Fajira had offered to fly and fetch her more than once, but the suggestion was continually beaten down. No, Lace didn't need help. He would be fine, there was no need to bother anyone else.
He would fix this himself, or die trying.
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