Resonance Unbound

His chest rose and fell heavily as he blinked once, twice, but the world refused to come into focus.

The edges of his vision darkened, and before he could utter a word, exhaustion overtook him completely. Darkness swallowed him whole.

When Ezra finally stirred, everything felt wrong. His body was heavy, his limbs unresponsive. The world around him was distant and muffled, like he was submerged underwater. His head throbbed, and his mouth was dry—parched as if he hadn't had water in days.

He opened his eyes, squinting against the dim light. His vision burned, his eyes struggling to adjust. Every movement was sluggish, every breath labored. His entire body felt drained, like the very essence of him had been wrung out.

The room spun faintly, a slow, nauseating churn. Groggily, he tried to push himself up, but his muscles felt like lead, refusing to obey.

"Shirley…" Ezra croaked, his voice barely audible and raspier than he'd ever heard it.

Panic surged through him as his gaze found Shirley's still form on the ground. His heart raced—until he noticed the steady rise and fall of Shirley's chest. It was subtle, but it was there.

Relief coursed through Ezra, flooding his veins with a warmth that briefly dulled the ache in his body. The panic receded, replaced by an overwhelming wave of exhaustion and gratitude. Shirley was breathing.

He was alive.

Ezra let himself fall back, the cold floor pressing against his cheek, grounding him. Every inch of him ached, and his fingers tingled faintly with the lingering echoes of the energy he had summoned.

It worked.

The realization came slowly, accompanied by a faint, disbelieving exhale.

I did it . 

The thought hung in the air, surreal and fragile, as if speaking it aloud would shatter it. Relief flickered through him, but the depth of his exhaustion was suffocating.

Every muscle screamed for rest, and his head throbbed with the strain of what he'd just done.

His gaze turned back to Shirley. The steady rhythm of his chest rising and falling was the only thing tethering Ezra to the present.

He's alive .

The words echoed in his mind, a mantra that kept his frayed consciousness from unraveling completely. Shirley, the unshakable sentinel, had been on the brink of death—and Ezra, somehow, had brought him back.

His limbs remained heavy, unresponsive. He tried to focus, but his thoughts were hazy, fragmented, as if drifting through a thick fog. The faint buzz of the energy he had channeled lingered in his veins, a ghostly reminder of the impossible feat he had just accomplished.

How?

The question nagged at the edges of his mind. He had never healed anyone else before—not like this. Every other time, his attempts had failed, flickering out before they could do anything meaningful. But this time was different. Why? Was it desperation? Instinct? Something deeper? He didn't have the energy to untangle the answer.

His eyes fluttered closed again, the weight of exhaustion dragging him closer to unconsciousness. But even as his body demanded rest, his mind clung stubbornly to a single thought:

I saved him. I actually saved him .

The air around him was still, heavy with the remnants of their battle. The faint scent of blood lingered, mixing with the damp chill of the room. The adrenaline that had kept him going was gone now, leaving only a deep, bone-aching weariness in its place.

Ezra's eyelids drooped, his breathing slow and shallow. He could feel sleep pulling him under, but his thoughts continued to churn, fragmented and sluggish.

Why did it work this time ?

The question went unanswered, hanging in the stillness of the room. Whatever the reason, he knew one thing for sure: this was far from over. Shirley might be alive, but their ordeal was far from finished. There was so much he didn't know—about his power, about what had just happened. About himself.

I'm so tired… so tired…

His body gave in, sinking further into the cold, blood-streaked floor. His vision darkened, and the muffled sounds of the room faded completely. But even as the darkness claimed him, one final thought whispered through his mind, steady and unyielding:

What happens next ?

And then, there was nothing.