Mine Folly

[Lilthis]

Death is hollow, it’s void stretches endlessly while existing on no physical plane. It is ultimately a concept that has become exaggerated in an attempt to make intelligent animals feel as if they are serving a greater purpose. Or it could be the beginning of some new journey. A journey into a new plane of existence, a better place, maybe a place we all start in and like a circle we end in. We know only two things for certain about death. It is the absence of life. It is inevitable.

As blood ceased flowing the circuits in the dark elf’s brain began to slow as well. Consciousness was long gone. If there was an afterlife Lilly had not reached it. If there was a dream state for the dead she was not there yet either. If there was nothing after death then it would be just as it was prior to Lilly’s birth. The world would continue turning, history would not know her name, and she would be unaware of the on-goings of the living.

Fate’s wrath had proven too much for the girl and now her eternal slumber would begin. Much to the dismay of Yvonne.

As the hybrid cursed fate, spat in his ugly face, the dark elf remained lifeless. It was not until all hope seemed lost that something began to awaken inside of the diminutive halfling. Colors and energies swirled and entered into the slate skinned elf, slowly restoring blood flow, energizing organs, and kickstarting brain activity. Lilly stayed motionless for a time, she stayed absent from the realm of the living.

Then suddenly, she awoke inside her mind. It was all black initially. Her insides were screaming in agony as they recovered from the pain of organ shutdown. But from the black inside her head a shape emerged. She recognized it instantly as the small elf, Yvonne, that she had travelled with. Her new friend was accompanied by a soothing of lights that granted warmth and clarity. Threads of colorful rays spread through Lilly’s mind, painting the dark walls with fluorescent lighting.

Lilly’s heart had settled to a slow pace but was now accelerating more and more with each passing second. The spinning lights and vibrant colors in her head faded
out as her charcoal eyelids cracked open to allow the wonders of the living world to return. Her lips parted finally and she took a giant gasp for air. Sprinting painfully through her lungs was fresh oxygen as her body had just been summoned back into use. For now though the stinging was worth it, serving as a reminder that Lilly was not absent. She was alive. Somehow she had been permitted to remain among the living.

Right as her hearing returned the young woman was alerted to the yelp of a certain drow-dwarf as she and the water became acquainted. For a moment the dark elf considered doing nothing. She felt weak after her ordeal, she was confused, and unsure what was even going on. Lilly’s head was splitting, a headache so great that her vision was blurred and her stomach a bit nauseous. The room felt like it was being tossed around in a circle as her arms and legs were numbed. Moving her fingers felt unpleasant as the poison of the staff was still being dispelled. Yes, a part of her wanted to lay there and fall asleep, rest until she did not feel so terrible.

But then the splash of water was fully understood as she remember that her friend could not swim! Meandering to her feet slowly Lilly tried to take one step before falling forward. Impacting with the floor was not a pleasant feeling but she was a bit closer to the cave pond now and only suffered a few minor scrapes on her knees and wrists. She reached out an arm in front of her and used an elbow to drag herself a bit closer to the water’s edge.

Once arriving to the precipice of the rippling lake she extended an arm forward for the mixed breed to grab ahold of. Though she was not capable of much in her weakened state she was determined to help the halfling and at the very least she could use her body as an anchor. Softly she cried out, “what happened? Grab hold.”

Descending into the water her hand dipped out towards Yvonne, hoping to assist. The coolness of the cave’s water felt luxurious on her blackened skin and her body tensed up a bit as she anticipated the grab of her tiny friend. Lilly rested her chin on the ground and her pale blue eyes began to liquify as her mind was processing what may have just happened to her. Maybe she had just bumped her head. Maybe she fainted.

That must be it, a bit of dizziness followed by a quick lapse in consciousness. Surely I did not... die. If I had died I wouldn’t be here right now. Yes, I must’ve fainted.

Lilly laid there, waiting for the half dwarf to come ashore. She wanted to be close to someone else for now. She wanted the smaller elf to confirm it was not what she was fearing. She wanted her head to stop pounding and her limbs to regain feeling. She wanted to get out of this wretched cave.