Jacov pushed his upper self off the ground with his arms. His body stayed stiff as a plank as he bore his own weight. He'd done many of a similar exercise earlier only on a branch and he had been pulling his entire self up until his chin was above the branch.
His father told him that the first step to having enough strength to overpower his opponent was being able to overpower someone of the same size. So, Jacov practiced with these exercises and others similar. As for that day, he was done.
He sat up and quickly held his head with a groan. Ever since he'd left OakTribe that year ago, he'd begun feeling strange. It was as if he wasn't feeling his own. He'd catch a flash of annoyance from his father and look at him, worried, only to see him with his back turned. He'd also feel warmer sensations like a golden glow as he slept near his da. Jacov didn't know what to make of it. It was like he was feeling the emotions of others; it was all very confusing.
He stood and began walking back to their camp for the day.
Suddenly, he stumbled and fell against a tree. He moaned as a full sensation swept into his mind. It was one mind, then five, then ten thousand. He collapsed, shaking, onto the leave covered floor.
He groaned again, millions of emotions racing through his brain and tearing at his heart. He was warm, he was cold; he was elated, he was more scared than he'd ever been in his life. He trembled violently in a crumpled heap as that mind screamed in pain. It ripped through his head, crushing all others out and taking over his being.
Jacov saw a haze of red and felt knives tearing through his flesh. He shouted out in terror but the pain didn't stop. He grabbed at his throat and convulsed as an unseen hand struggled to choke the life out of him. Suddenly, that mind blinked out and left Jacov in darkness. A scream burst from his chest and he grabbed at the ground, needing something to hold. It was all dark, it was cold. Where was he? What was happening?
A small warmth in the back of his head appeared. Jacov struggled to get away from the arms gathering him up. He lay still, though, as the warmth began to pulsate and glow. It was golden and soft. Jacov latched onto it blindly.
He instantaneously saw a newborn baby held his arms. He heard a quiet lullaby and realised that he was the one singing. Or was he? He'd never seen this child. Maybe only a week old with bright blue eyes and white-blonde hair. Was this...him? Was he looking through his father's eyes into a memory?
"Hush, little one," he heard. It was his father's voice echoing around him. "You will wake and it will all be okay."
The glow dimmed and Jacov's mind sank into a dark light.
Jacov opened his eyes, sticky with sleep and stared at the sky. His fingers twitched and feeling began to fill his body once again. He glanced from side to side, vision blurry, as he struggled to remember why he was laying in his bedroll midday.
"Son?" his father's voice resounded. Jacov flinched and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the ringing in his head to cease. He opened them again cautiously and saw his father above him with a worried face. He reached out to touch Jacov's shoulder but as soon as he made contact, Jacov pulled away with a hiss of pain.
"Don't touch me!" he croaked. Immediately, he felt a wave of sickness rise in his throat. He scrambled out of his bedroll and promptly retched behind a tree. He coughed shamefully and sat back shivering. Sensing a presence beside him, Jacov looked and saw his father there with a steaming mug of something.
"Drink this, Jacov," his father said gently. "It'll settle you."
Jacov took it and went back to his bedroll. "Is it chamomile?" he asked.
His father nodded. "With mint for your stomach."
Jacov took a sip. "What happened to me, Da?" he said in a weak voice.
His father sighed. "I learned this, once. I've suspected for some time that you are empathetic."
Jacov's eyes widened worriedly. "Is that bad?"
His father chuckled. "No, Jacov. It just means that you know what others are feeling. What happened to you just now is an empathetic attack. The stress became too much and your mind barriers crumbled."
Jacov nodded and sipped the tea again. "I will be able to control it?"
"I can't help you there. This is something you must master on your own."
Jacov stared into his tea and sighed. Why such a heavy burden for this young boy? Only twelve years of age and he felt as if he was already a hundred. He drained his tea in a large gulp and shivered. "May I please sleep, Da?" he asked.
His father nodded. "Of course. You may not know, but you were asleep for nearly an entire day. Rest as long as you need too."
Jacov went beneath his covers and closed his eyes though his mind raced in shock. A day? A full day?
Why him? How on earth had he come by this curse of empathy? Jacov shivered as he remembered that mind that had been snuffed out. Was that person dead now?
Jacov sank into sleep slowly but he was terrified of entering another attack. If he was to ever become close to one again, he promised himself that he'd go far from anybody. How would he face his father or anyone else after such a display of weak-mindedness?
As the day wore into night, Jacov felt the warm, golden light beside him. It kept him in his own head with a sane state of mind.
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A/N: And now we know why Jacov is afraid of empathetic attack. That terrifying first experience...I mean, he latched onto some poor guy that was getting 'taken care of.' As in brutally murdered. Just sayin...JigsX Out, yo
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