Ch 21: Regeneration

Emrys's body felt like it was sinking into the ground as he drifted into deep sleep. He was so tired that he could not stay awake any longer. Every part of his body was sore, his throat was dry, and his stomach was empty. But more than anything, his robotic arm and leg throbbed with a deep burning pain that didn't go away, even in sleep.

If someone was here, they could easily tell that Emrys was not just asleep, he had actually lost consciousness.

His mind was sleeping, but his body was not at peace. The pain from the robotic arm and leg connection points turned sharp and harsh. It felt as if a red-hot iron was pressing into his skin, searing through his bones and nerves. This pain was brutal, like a knife slicing deep into his flesh, and it only grew stronger.

Emrys wanted to open his eyes, to scream, to pull away, but he couldn't move. It was as if he was trapped in a nightmare he couldn't escape.

In his unconscious state, the pain became unbearable. His robotic arm and leg, which were connected directly to his nerves, felt like they were being torn apart. His mind screamed in agony, and his body twisted in response. Somehow, even in his sleep, his hands reached toward the robotic limbs, and he began to pull at them.

The pain was so strong that it felt like his nerves were on fire, but he just could not stop.

His fingers dug into the metal of the robotic arm, and without fully knowing what he was doing, Emrys began to tear at it. His body jerked and twisted in pain, and soon, with a brutal rip, the robotic arm came loose. The pain was so sharp, so deep, that Emrys cried out, a hoarse scream echoing across the silent battlefield.

"Ahhhh!"

His cry was full of pain, breaking through the stillness of the night.

Blood poured out from the place where the arm had been attached, spilling onto the ground and even into the stream nearby. The water turned red as the blood flowed, staining it deeply. Emrys's body jerked again, and he pulled at the robotic leg with the same blind desperate strength. He twisted and tugged, feeling the pain grow even worse as if his very bones were being crushed. Another scream tore from his lips, louder than before, filled with helplessness and agony.

"Arghhhhh~"

Emrys cried again as the robotic leg broke free.

More blood gushed out of his body, spurting and splashing everywhere. His blood mixed with the earth and the water, covering everything in red. Of course, since the water source was a flowing stream, the red soon disappeared. But the ground at the edge of the stream remained deep red that came from the blood.

"Ugh! Ahhh!"

The pain was so intense that even in his unconscious state, tears flowed out of his closed eyes. His face constantly twisted, and his whole body shuddered with the brutal ache that seemed to have no end.

Then, as if answering the pain, something strange started to happen.

Emrys was still unconscious, still lost in darkness, but at the open wounds where his robotic arm and leg had been, small movements actually began to appear.

Shockingly, from within the bloody torn flesh, tiny worm-like creatures seemed to appear as those parts of the body started wriggling. They seemed to slither out of his wounds, crawling and wriggling, covering the area where his limbs had once been. It was as if there were tens of thousands of worms moving slowly.

This sight was horrible and terrifying.

If Emrys were awake, he would have been horrified to witness this scene. But he remained deep in sleep, unaware of the strange process happening to his body. His body just honestly responded to the pain he was feeling and continued to twist and turn.

The worm-like creatures began moving over the raw wounds, pressing into the open spaces where blood was flowing. In just no time, as if magic had happened, Emrys's wound stopped bleeding.

Not only did his wound stop bleeding, but the worm-like creatures that seemed to have appeared on his wound also started to slowly connect with each other and grow outward. Very soon, they seem to weave themselves into his flesh, bones, and nerves.

The pain was still there. It was still sharp and terrible even in his unconscious state. But his body began to react differently slowly.

Piece by piece, his flesh started to knit itself together. New nerves grew from the open wound, slowly connecting and spreading outward. The worms slithered around each nerve, helping it connect. They began to wind around each bone fragment as they formed. Bit by bit, his arm and leg started to take shape again.

As the flesh grew, the pain continued. The pain burned through Emrys's body, causing his unconscious form to shiver and jerk.

His painful cries also grew softer as time passed, but they didn't stop. As his body tried to heal itself, he was also crying in pain.

At first, the pain was terrible and agonizing, but now, it was more like a combination of pain and comfort.

Soon, his new arm and leg started to look more complete. The flesh wrapped around the bones, covering them, and skin began to form. It was as if his body was growing back to his lost limbs slowly and painfully. Each part of the regeneration was agonizing. It was as if every cell in his body was working overtime to restore what he had lost.

Finally, after a long time, his new arm and leg were fully formed.

Emrys's body was still lying by the stream, but unlike before, he was covered in blood and sweat. The battlefield was silent once more, with only the sound of the stream flowing nearby.

Emrys remained in his deep sleep.

Now, his new limbs were resting where his robotic arm and leg once were. The pain had finally faded, but his body was exhausted.

He was already out of energy. Now that the regeneration was complete, his body seemed to have been squeezed dry of every bit of energy.

Who knows how long it would take for him to wake up?