Burdened by Silence

Danial slowly opened his eyes, blinking against the brightness that flooded his vision. His eyelids felt heavy, and his eyes watery, as if they hadn’t been open in years. He tried to gather his thoughts, willing himself to wake up fully, but before he could even lift his head, pain surged through his body like lightning.

“Urgh… what the—” he groaned, his body stiffening as the sharp, unfamiliar ache crept from his toes all the way to his neck. Every muscle screamed at him.

"AH—!"

His body jolted, instinctively pulling away from the agony. Big mistake. As soon as he shifted, his back hit the hard hospital bed, sending an even stronger wave of pain surging through every part of him.

“Yep… I’m dead. I have to be. This can’t be life," he grumbled through clenched teeth, desperately trying to keep himself from moving even an inch further. "I died. That Curse King must’ve killed me, and now I’m being punished in the afterlife. Tortured for eternity. That’s the only logical explanation."

Dan