"I was healed from the blindness so I could feel the pain."

Second first liner I did. Korina came up with this one.

I was healed from the blindness so I could feel the pain. They wanted me to see what I’d done. Then they left me here to stay, and it’s here that I will remain.

I wander these desecrated halls, seeing for the first time what once was my home. There were no bodies among the remains. No doubt they’d all run. At least I’d kept my dignity in that. Then again, they probably planned it that way. It wasn’t hard to lie to a blind man. They told me I was eliminating the remains of the Holder’s Realm. But now, seeing the destruction around me . . . I couldn’t help but wonder how many of my people I had been tricked into destroying. How many friends had I slaughtered with my strengths.

I ran my fingers across what was left of the stone wall. It was a texture I recognized. This was our base camp, specifically the hall leading to Commander Torag’s chambers. With the base now gone, there would be no evidence against them. A once blind man left to rot was no threat to them. They were free.

It had been two days since I regained my sight. I didn’t bother to look for food. My method never left sustenance. At least this way, I knew death was coming. With every move I made, I could feel my body weaken. So I kept moving. Death at least would save me from the pain I’d been left in.

I entered the roofless chamber of my ex-Commander. Since I’d regained my sight, this had been the best view. Through the window could be seen the entirety of the base city . . . the remains at least. It was now nothing but a horrid pile of rubble, stone and dust. The dust itself had been lingering in the air for the past two days.

I wondered what it had looked like before. I knew its feel, its sound, its smell, but never had I known its sight. I’d been told it was beautiful. Perhaps it was. I’d never know. The last and only sight I’d ever see would be that of the demolished, filthy land. But I deserved no less.

Suddenly, I heard something. It was beyond the normal sound of the breeze and my breathing. It was a new sound. One I had never heard before. It reminded me . . . of people.

I turned, but didn’t glance around. I wasn’t used to the advantage of sight yet. Instead, I held utterly still and listened hard.

It came again; like a hiccup.

I moved forward, feeling for my path as I was used to. It was strange still, to be able to see the path ahead, the rubble move aside when I pushed them. But, when I found the source of the noise . . . it was perhaps the strangest and most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

It was a baby; a human baby, no doubt. It was wrapped in a soft, purple cloth that it now kicked aside. When it saw me, it stared at me; it’s big baby eyes curious. I reached out a hand and traced a finger across the tiny face. The baby too reached up and wrapped its tiny fingers around mine.

I didn’t know how it had gotten there or how it had survived my attack, but somehow, in that moment, I didn’t care. Here lay the first life I had ever seen. It was marvelous and beautiful. But it scared me. Why would this infant have been left to die? Judging from what my colleagues had deceived me into doing, I had no doubt that they would steep so low. But why?

Suddenly, the baby started wailing. A weak smile flitted across my face. The sound of life, I knew that sound.

I reached out ever so carefully and lifted the baby from its cradle of rubble. Still it cried and wailed; I shushed her gently – for she was definitely a girl. Something about my sense of touch had always been able to tell me that. She snuggled up against my chest.

I left the room behind, never to return. If one life had been spared from my devastation, then perhaps some food had as well. After all, I couldn’t just let her die. I’d done that enough. Perhaps now, I had a chance to redeem some wrongs. I carried the child away from what once was my home to find her somewhere safe.