"It's just blood. Stop panicking." - @shionbyalex
His rituals never mattered. Every waking minute he spent trying to counter bad luck and banish evil spirits was for nothing. Or maybe he just missed something. A moment when he should have wiggled his ears. Maybe he blinked one too many times. Maybe he saw a spider in the corner of his vision one evening and it marked him with bad luck.
Whatever the reason, whatever the cause, he's bleeding now. Hurt. His body trembles in a way he never felt before. It's intense. He can't stop no matter how much he tries to tense his muscles and limbs. It just makes it worse somehow. Despite how much his body shakes, Mizuki keeps his hand pressed against his neck. There's so much blood. Was an artery hit? Is he-- Is he going to die??
His hands are coated in hot blood and Shion's icy cold gaze is bearing down on him.
I'm dying. I'm dying. No, no this can't happen. I did everything right. Stop panicking. It's just blood. You blinked. You made sure. You always make sure. You're breathing. Yes, you're breathing.
Yes, he is breathing. He isn't choking on his blood so that-- that means nothing important got severed. It's just a little cut. It's no big deal. Like getting cut on the finger or forehead; it bleeds a lot but it's nothing to worry about.
Mizuki wants to say her name-- he wants her to-- he wants-- Mizuki presses his lips into a thin line. He can't call out to her. He can't ask for help.
The world is spinning. All the anxiety and panicking is making the world spiral and turn and sparkle. Sparkle--? He's seeing stars. They blinked and twinkled and somehow that hurt more than the cut on his neck.
Mizuki pushes himself up to his feet.
No, he's-- he's on the ground suddenly. When did...? He doesn't remember. Did he fall?
You know what? He's just going to close his eyes for a sec.
