But he doesn't know why. It doesn't make sense. And it's probably in his head. All of those things he knows and yet he can't make himself get up. He lifts his head to stare out at everything around them and for a moment the lanternlight becomes fire and everyone, spirits and non-spirits alike, cast towering shadows and spew hatred, and just like then, he's bound to this wall with no way to escape and nowhere to escape to.
He has to prove himself wrong, and so he tries - pushes against the tunnel wall with one hand, tries to straighten his legs, but whatever the phantom force is that holds him here, it pushes him back down, clawing at his clothing and flesh, keeping him trapped. It merges with his own fears too easily, feeds them, and he kicks out at nothing where a perceived member of that invisible mob gets too close.
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But he doesn't know why. It doesn't make sense. And it's probably in his head. All of those things he knows and yet he can't make himself get up. He lifts his head to stare out at everything around them and for a moment the lanternlight becomes fire and everyone, spirits and non-spirits alike, cast towering shadows and spew hatred, and just like then, he's bound to this wall with no way to escape and nowhere to escape to.
He has to prove himself wrong, and so he tries - pushes against the tunnel wall with one hand, tries to straighten his legs, but whatever the phantom force is that holds him here, it pushes him back down, clawing at his clothing and flesh, keeping him trapped. It merges with his own fears too easily, feeds them, and he kicks out at nothing where a perceived member of that invisible mob gets too close.