Chiron stumbled into the thick, suffocating fog, his severed arm a throbbing mass of agony.
Blood poured from the wound, mixing with the ash and dirt, but it was the burning sensation that overwhelmed him.
His own flames, which normally brought him no harm, now licked at his skin with a searing intensity, a punishment for the sacrificial act he had performed. It was as if they were punishing him for falling after growing thus far.
Every breath he took was a torment. It felt as if flaming hot pepper had lodged in his chest, each inhalation and exhalation sending waves of fiery pain climbing up to his nose. The sensation was relentless, intensifying no matter how shallow or deep he breathed.
His lungs felt scorched, each breath a struggle, his chest a furnace of blistering heat.