a Fiery silence in the woods
Dialogue markers: Yuri;
After long hours recovering from the luros incident, Yuri was cured from lurocanthy right after being bitten by one, so there was no big damage dealt besides the wound on his neck. The astralit was finally able to go for a walk on the forest to take a deep breath away from the civilization and put his head in place.
The forest was enveloped in a dense silence, broken only by the rustling of leaves in the cold morning wind. Yuri was walking with slow steps, his body still aching a little bit. A white bandage was still encircling his neck, stained here and there with traces of dried blood. He paused for a moment and stared at the horizon, he heard sounds coming from some heavy creature around... approacching silently, the astralit was able to see a large figure he've never seen before. 'Holy fuck.' he cursed, in shock.
The brown nostraumbus rested sitting in a clearing amidst the trees, the creature took a deep breath that caused small flames to shoot from its nostrils. Yuri raised his hands, trying to show that he posed no threat. 'Hey, I don't wanna fight... let's chill...' Yuri said, in a low and trembling tone.
The creature raised its head, its shiny green eyes fixed on him with curiosity and distrust. A deep growl escaped its throat, vibrating in the air. Yuri slowly took another step, almost like approaching a wounded animal, ironically, but the nostraumbus didn't seem inclined to understand his words. Its body tensed, its wings opened with a powerful snap, and the ground trembled. Yuri stopped abruptely with cold sweat running down his face. The creature now in an offensive posture let out a deafening roar and unleashed a jet of incandescent fire. Yuri tried to dodge, but with his reflexes a little weakened, the blow struck him squarely-right in the neck, comically on the same spot that hadn't yet healed... the fire spread around burning even the surroundings.
The pain was immediate, sharp, and impossible to contain. He fell to his knees, feeling the heat consume the bandage and the skin beneath, the cloth burned in seconds. The raw flesh opened up again, now charred, melting under the unbearable heat and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air. or a moment, all that existed was the sound of the roaring fire, the excruciating pain and the scream trapped in his throat. It was so intense that the astralit's senses began to crumble. The sound, the sight, the air... everything turned into a hot and red mist, even in the bluish light of dawn.
When the fire subsided, he was still breathing, but barely. His neck was a dark and twisted mass, the skin was clinging to flesh like melted wax. Tears streamed from his half-closed eyes, mingling with sweat and soot. The nostraumbus watched him silently from afar, and for a moment, something almost human passed through its gaze. It wasn't anger, nor victory, but maybe a shadow of pity. The creature closed its wings and took a step back, lowering its head slowly.
Yuri tried to speak but no sound came out, only the burning hot air escaping between his clenched teeth. He stretched out his trembling hand toward the nostraumbus again, as if he still believed he could touch it. The creature didn't move a muscle, it stayed still, observing the astralit thrown on the floor. Yuri stood there alone, silently, with his body burned and his neck shattered... waiting for something to happen. As far as he remembers, this was the exact moment everything went completely black.