Want Them

Attempting to control the black pond, Ned was pushed for the thirteenth time. His mind wavered, almost losing consciousness. He wiped the blood leaking off his mouth, eyes, and the holes of his ears. 

For the fourteenth time, Ned rushed forward. He jumped just before he reached the edge of the pond. 

Just as he was about to touch the surface of the pond, black tendrils shot out of the surface latching to his limbs, flinging Ned back to the wall. A loud thud broke the eerie silence of the pond, shards of stones peeled off from the wall that vanished into a mist before touching the ground. 

Ned's pale and naked body was curved by lines of bruises, intensely forming deep lines on his skin. He hissed, stood, and rushed back to the pond—

His vision swirled and the next thing he remembered was him back at the forest with his Master.