Again; tear it to shreds.----------
Death laughed. “Yes, it would be. Teresa, tell me what happened.” I took in a deep shuddering breath.
I didn’t want to talk about it so soon, but it was the only choice I had. I took another breath and began.
A while later I finished. By this point tears were running down my face again. Death looked at me with pity. “The only reason you aren’t feeling the pain that that demon cursed you with is that you’re in my presence. Once I leave it’ll come back again.” I let out an involuntary scream.
“Please, don’t make me go through that torture again! I’ll do anything!”
Death looked sad for a moment. Then; “I have an idea. It will be risky though.”
I nodded. “Tell me, please. Anything’s better than what I was feeling earlier.”
Death considered me for a moment. “It would be difficult.”
“I don’t care. Please, help me!” I was desperate. Death sighed.
“All right, but if this goes wrong I could accidentally double or even triple the pain you were previously feeling. And you only get one shot at this. Are you willing to take the risk?” I nodded vigorously. Death put a hand on my forehead. The hand was cold as ice. Death began chanting quietly. I couldn’t make out the words, but they were powerful.
I felt energy being sucked out of me. I felt some panic, but I knew that Death wouldn’t try to take me early.
Then my eyes rolled into the back of my head, and I blacked out.
---
When I woke up I didn’t feel the pain any more. But everything was back to normal. I opened my eyes. The color had come back into the world, and I heard the water rushing by. I looked around. I was still lying under the tree, but I was soaking wet. I got to my feet.
She did it. I smiled widely. I felt a huge amount of relief. I wouldn’t have to deal with that pain for eternity. I began walking home. I’m going to let the heroes take care of it, I thoug-
***
“Good night.”
I turned, putting my quill down. Marika was standing in the doorway.
I sighed. “Good night Marika.” I opened my arms, inviting the girl to step into a hug. Marika smiled and came forwards. I wrapped my arms around her. “Go get some sleep.” She smiled sleepily and pulled away. She turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
I sighed and rubbed my eyes. Maybe I should go to bed too... I turned back to the book. There was a half-finished page. The cream white unmarked part of the page seemed to be taunting me. I’ll just fill up this page, I decided. I picked up my quill again.
***
I’m going to let the heroes take care of it, I thought.
I re-entered the village. Everyone was asleep, so my trip home was uneventful. I sighed and changed into dry clothes, lying down on my lumpy mattress with a sigh. I pulled the thin blanket up to my shoulders and drifted off to sleep.
---
I was being tossed in a churning black sea, dunked under and then hurled twenty feet into the air before splashing back into the water at such force that would shatter a wall. I screamed in fright, and the water began to slow. Soon I was treading water in the middle of a flat calm ocean.
For a minute nothing happened.
Then I jumped as the water began to have a swift rotating current, and a whirlpool appeared slightly to my right. I felt myself being sucked towards the churning foaming thing, and despite my best efforts, I soon found myself spinning like a top, being sucked down into the swirling maelstrom. My head went under, and it all disappeared.
---
I was lying on something hard. I opened my eyes, blinking rapidly. I seemed to be lying on a black abyss. I sat up, looking around blearily.
I stood shakily, gazing at the nothingness in awe. I’ve never dreamed this before...
I looked down at my feet, instantly regretting it as I saw a swirling vortex of white mist under my feet.
Then a cold wind whipped around me, causing my hair to fly into my face, obscuring my vision.
When I could see again I wasn’t alone. There was something floating in front of me. It was a skull, floating in a black and white haze. There was a white orb revolving around it.
“Hello Teresa.”
I jumped. I recognized that voice. “Death?!” I asked incredulously. The skull nodded, and I relaxed slightly.
“You scared me.”
“Sorry about that. I can’t change forms outside of the mortal realm.”
I shrugged. “It’s fine. Why are you here?”
“There’s something that I forgot to tell you back in your dimension.”
I felt a cold sensation of dread drop into the pit of my stomach. “What is it?” I asked.
“Well,” Death began slowly, “I couldn’t get rid of the pain completely; I could only move it. I’m afraid that whenever you’re asleep you’ll have terrible nightmares, and there’s a fifty percent chance that you’ll be feeling the pain that you felt when the demon cursed you.”
I felt a bout of hopelessness crash over me like a tidal wave. “You told me that you would get rid of it!” I shouted, blinking back tears.
Death sighed. “I know.”
My world was crashing down around my ears. “But you sai-”
“Yes I know what I said!” Death snapped, irritated. “But I couldn’t stick to what I said! You’re lucky that I helped you out at all!”
I lowered my gaze, staring at the swirling mist beneath my feet, still blinking away tears. “I know. I’m sorry.”
Death’s expression softened. (As much as it could as a skull). “There’s something else that I forgot to tell you.”
I looked up. “And what would that be?”
“Well, the fact that I could only move the pain means that you should be able to call on it at will.”
I gave Death an odd look. “Why would I want to cause myself pain?”
Death sighed. “No, that’s not what I meant. You should be able to inflict pain to others up to the amount that you were feeling. Unfortunately it only works both ways; you’ll feel it as well.”
I blinked. “That’s interesting.”
Death nodded. “But there’s something else. The dark magic that the demon used will mutate you.”
My eyes widened. “Mutate how?”
“You’ll look a bit different, and...”
“And?” I urged.
“You’re not human anymore.”
I stared at Death, my mouth hanging open. “What do you mean?!”
“Exactly what I said. The magic has mutated you into an Elemental. A Pain Elemental to be exact. If anybody finds out they’ll run you out of town, so use your ability sparingly.”
Suddenly everything began to fade. “No, wait!” I cried.
“Goodbye Teresa.”
“But how do I-” Then I woke up. I was shaking violently. I got out of bed, stumbling over to the mirror on the wall.
I didn’t recognize the face that was reflected in the glass.
My skin was as pale as cracked ice, my hair had acquired several white streaks, and my eyes... oh my eyes! They were a lavender color near my pupils, but they darkened to nearly black as they neared my whites.
I was unrecognizable.
I blinked back tears, closing my eyes tightly. But despite my efforts two fat drops of clear liquid weaseled their way past my eyelids, rolling down my face. I just want to be a normal person.
But that was impossible now.
***
I sighed and set down my quill. I had written a lot more than I had been planning on writing. I looked at my candle. It had been reduced to a tiny stub of wax that looked like it was going to go out. I sighed again. May as well keep going while it’s coming to me. I picked up the quill again.
***
But that was impossible now.
After a few minutes of nonstop crying I managed to regain myself. Crying isn’t going to change anything. I can still live my life! This isn’t the end of the world... But in a way, it was. I would have to go everywhere wearing a hood, do everything with my eyes and hair covered.
It would be a terrible existence, but what choice did I have?
