He can't feel anything. He's numb, his mind sucked into an dark abyss where there is nothing. It's where he has spent these last few years, letting himself succumb to the endless spiral into the shadows. This is where he belongs, he almost admits, because then he won't have the pain of loss or heartbreak. There would be nothing to rip him piece by piece, little by little. It could be great, living in a world where nothing exists and where there is no light at the end of the tunnel, but something holds him back. There is a piece of his heart that remains tightly tethered to Beqanna. This is all he knows and what he has sworn to himself to protect. The world requires balance so that it does not crumble in the face of darkness, but Tiphon questions his inner strength nowadays. Has too much of him flaked away?
The stallion groans when his eyes blink to life. His body slowly materializes from the air and proceeds with its usual illumination. He tries to smile, but it's difficult as he begins to reminisce. His molten eyes become shaded and his head turns to one side as he considers his losses. This immortality is costing him far more than he had intended. It isn't a blessing, but a curse. As a colt he had advised himself to never grow attached to anyone or anything because he would outlive it all, but nature bested him. He can be reclusive for only so long when in a herd and, eventually, as a king. Time and adoration sunk its nails into him and pinned him down, but he can't say he regrets it. With every loss there is a gain, but he can't help but focus on those losses.
The forest is new to him, but he takes little interest. His mind is still trapped in that vortex but it's slowly crawling out. It calls to him, wanting to consume him entirely, but Tiphon repels and refuses with the remaining energy he has.
|