Chương 56: A Fair Price

Viola's eyes fluttered open, the darkness of unconsciousness slowly giving way to the light of reality. She lay there for a moment, disoriented and confused, her memories of the past couple of hours hazy and indistinct. She didn't know where she was or how she had gotten there. Zeke, who was sitting beside her, smiled warmly at her, his expression full of concern and compassion. He reached out his hand to help her up, and she took it, allowing him to pull her to her feet.

As she stood, she looked around, trying to get her bearings and make sense of her surroundings. The sterile white walls and unfamiliar equipment told her that she was in some kind of medical facility, but beyond that, she had no idea where she was or what was happening.

"Zeke," she said, her voice filled with confusion and uncertainty.

"What's going on?" Zeke looked at her, his gaze steady and reassuring.

"It's alright," he said, in a calm and soothing tone.

"You're safe now." Viola quickly realized that Zeke had not used the pronoun "we" when he had spoken of being safe. She looked around the room, searching for any hidden enemies that could threaten his safety, but it seemed that they were alone. She turned her gaze back to Zeke, studying his face for any hint of what was going on. Zeke, noticing her behavior, smiled bitterly.

He knew that he couldn't hide the truth from her forever, but he also knew that she would never forgive herself if she found out what he had done to save her. The truth was that he had allowed a dragon to enter his body in order to save her life, a decision that was equal to trading his life for hers. Viola looked at him, sensing that there was something he wasn't telling her. She could see the pain and the guilt etched on his face, and she knew that whatever it was, it was something serious.

She didn't press him though, instead she decided to take his hand and to enjoy the time they had together, knowing that soon enough, the truth would come out, and they would have to face it together. Instead of explaining, Zeke smiled at Viola, trying to put as much confidence into his expression as he could manage. But inside, he was struggling with the weight of the secret he was keeping from her.

When he had accepted the dragon's demands, he had still held out hope that he could control the heart the moment it entered his body. After all, his spell [Perfect Body Control] was supposed to give him perfect control over his body. But it was as he had feared: he had no control over the heart. He could already feel the first trickle of essence reaching his brain, it felt a little like getting tired. He knew that he was rapidly losing control over himself, and there was nothing he could do about it.

The dragon's presence was growing stronger within him, the weight of its power bearing down on him. He knew that soon, it would consume him entirely and there would be no going back. Zeke tried to push these thoughts out of his mind and focus on the present moment. He could see the concern etched on Viola's face, and he knew that she could sense that something was not right. But he couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth, not yet.

Zeke took out the "mystery box" from his backpack and shoved it into Viola's hands.

"Look what I've found," he said, a hint of challenge in his voice.

"It's time for you to prove your claim." Viola was momentarily confused by his words, but then she realized that this must be the holy artifact that Zeke had told her about. She remembered how she had claimed to be able to control it with only a light touch, and a surge of determination filled her. She cracked her knuckles and looked up at him, a determined glint in her eye.

"Just watch me," she said confidently.

"I'll do it, no problem." As Zeke watched Viola try everything she could think of to open the mystery box, a tear started to form at the corner of his eye. He turned his head, trying to discreetly swipe it away before Viola could see what had happened. He couldn't shake off the feeling of dread and sorrow that was weighing heavily on his heart. He had no idea how he was supposed to tell her what had happened. His mind was getting more foggy by the minute, and he knew that he didn't have much time left.

He watched Viola, his heart heavy with the knowledge that he was leaving her behind. As the minutes ticked by, Zeke's strength started to fade. Zeke felt too woozy to keep standing unaided, so he leaned against the contraption that had kept the heart secured and slowly slid down to the ground. He continued to watch Viola fiddle with the box, his mind growing increasingly foggy. He could see the determination on her face as she worked, but he knew that it was unlikely for her to be able to open it.

Viola, sensing that something was wrong, looked over at him and what she saw made her worried. She almost tossed the box to the side as she rushed over to him, a look of concern etched on her face.

"Zeke, what's wrong?" Viola asked, her worry clearly visible on her face.

"Just a bit tired," he responded, trying to brush off her concern.

"Zeke?"

"Hmm?"

"What happened after we came here?" Zeke didn't respond to Viola's question for a long time, he was lost in his thoughts and trying to gather the courage to tell her the truth. Viola could sense that something was wrong and decided to try a different approach.

"Something bad?" she asked, her voice filled with concern. Zeke hesitated for a moment, but then he finally let out a deep sigh.

"Yes," he said, his voice filled with sadness and regret. He could see the confusion and fear on Viola's face as she tried to understand what had happened. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Tears were starting to run down Viola's face as she looked at Zeke, her heart heavy with worry. She could tell that something was not right with him. She asked, her voice trembling with emotion, "Zeke, what have you done?"

Zeke looked up at her and smiled, trying to put on a brave face.

"I did the same thing you would have done for me," he said.

"I protected you." Viola looked him straight in the eye, her confusion and worry mixing with a growing sense of dread.

"Then why are you crying?" she asked, her voice shaking. Zeke didn't even realize that he had started crying. He looked away from her, unable to face the pain he could see on her face. Zeke gathered his composure, fighting off the drowsiness for another moment, and looked back up at Viola.

"I had to pay a price," he said, his voice filled with regret. She started to cry even harder, but didn't look away. She swallowed and then asked, her voice trembling with emotion, "What did you have to pay?" Zeke looked into Viola's beautiful eyes and saw nothing but the concern and care she had for him. Since their very first meeting, Viola had been like a ray of sunshine in his life. At this moment all the guilt for giving up his life for hers disappeared from his mind.

He smiled a truly carefree smile as he answered her one last time before closing his eyes for good: "A fair price." As Zeke closed his eyes, the experience of dying was exactly as he had imagined it would be. The first thing to go was the feeling in his extremities. The numbness started to climb up his fingers and toes, his hands and feet, his arms and legs, until it enveloped his entire body. He couldn't see anymore, couldn't hear anymore, couldn't taste, couldn't feel, couldn't smell.

He had lost all his senses and was unable to move a single muscle of his body anymore. He was encased in darkness, alone with his thoughts as his body slowly shut down.

"Hmm, this is strange," Zeke thought as he found himself existing in an unfamiliar state. He had expected to disappear the moment the dragon took over his brain, but he still existed in some form.

"Am I going to be a prisoner inside my own body, as the dragon was for all those years?" he asked himself. The state he found himself in was truly strange, and he didn't experience life the same way he used to when he was still in control of his body. As he simply existed, suspended in this strange state of existence, Zeke couldn't help but notice how his emotions were dulled. It was as if only the rational part of his mind was functioning, leaving him with a sense of detachment.

He should have been terrified at his current condition, but instead, he felt nothing - no fear, no anxiety, no worry. The passing of time was also strange, he had no way of determining if only a second had passed or a century. The sensation was unsettling, and he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was amiss. He couldn't help but ponder what had happened to him and how he ended up in this state. The longer he lay there, the more he began to question if he would ever return to the world of the living.

Zeke found himself in a state of curiosity as he attempted to move his body, yet discovered that he was unable to do so. Frustrated, he attempted to cast a spell, only to be met with failure once more. He paused, his mind swirling with thoughts as he considered his next move. Suddenly, an idea struck him - perhaps he could try to utilize the spells he had engraved as an apprentice.

Maximilian had once imparted upon him the wisdom that spells engraved by a mage were not simply physical in nature, but etched onto their very soul, altering them in a fundamental manner. Zeke reached out with his mind, attempting to utilize the spell of [Perfect Spatial Awareness] in order to comprehend his current surroundings. To his surprise, the spell responded to his call, revealing to him a detailed image of his physical form, lying motionless on the ground.

As he observed, he saw Viola frantically trying to wake him, her face contorted in distress. The sight filled him with confusion, as he struggled to understand the meaning of this vision. With a sense of confusion, Zeke delved deeper into his [Perfect Spatial Awareness] spell, scanning his body for any signs of the dragon's consciousness or any indication of what it was doing. But all he could see was the unmoving form of his own body and the distress on Viola's face as she tried to make him respond to her.

He could only watch helplessly as Viola's despair grew, her tears falling unchecked as she realized the gravity of the situation. Zeke watched in silence as Viola frantically tried to wake him, her movements becoming increasingly desperate as the minutes passed. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of amusement as she resorted to slapping him in an attempt to wake him up, even though he couldn't feel a thing.

As he watched her tears fall and her distress grow, he couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt for not having told her about his fate beforehand. But he didn't want to mar their final moments together and, if he was being honest with himself, he didn't possess the strength to reveal the truth. But as Viola's agitation grew, Zeke desperately wished for a way to ease her distress. And then, unexpectedly, his hand twitched. It was a small movement, but it was undeniable - Zeke had seen it.

"He's finally awake," Zeke thought, filled with a newfound determination to observe whether the dragon would keep his word. He couldn't help but smirk at the thought of the dragon having to explain its presence in his body to Viola. Viola seemed to have noticed the movement of his hand as well, since she was staring at it like she was holding a grudge, as if to dare it to move again with her watching.

Zeke and Viola both were focused on the hand, but as nothing else happened even after a long time, Zeke started to wonder what was going on. Why only move once and then don't even try anymore? It was as if the dragon had waited for him to be at his most desperate and then... He cut himself off mid thought, as a truly outrages possibility occurred to him. If his spell [Perfect Spatial Awareness] still worked, didn't that mean that his other engraved spell [Perfect Body control] had to also still work?

Maybe the reason the dragon wasn't moving at all was due to the fact that he couldn't, because Zeke still controlled all the functions of his body. Zeke tried to move his hand again, but this time by using his spell. With a sense of triumph, Zeke watched as his hand obeyed his commands, lifting itself up towards Viola's face. He felt like a puppet master, pulling the strings of his own body with his engraved spell [Perfect Body Control]. The movement was clunky and uncoordinated, but it was still movement.

He focused all of his attention on the task at hand, the movement of his hand, as he brought it to her cheek and gently wiped away the tear that was trailing down her face. He felt a sense of accomplishment wash over him as he successfully executed the small action. The dragon may have taken over his body, but it seemed that Zeke still had some control over it. He couldn't help but smirk at the thought of the dragon's surprise when it realized that it couldn't fully take control.

It seemed that both of them were now prisoners in his body.