My first breath felt like inhaling broken glass.It was a sharp, jagged intake of air that scraped against the raw lining of my throat, shocking my lungs into expanding. My chest heaved, ribs protesting the sudden movement.My second breath felt like inhaling fire. The cold air of the courtyard reacted with the sudden heat of life returning to my blood, creating a burning sensation that radiated from my sternum out to my fingertips.My third… my third felt like life.It tasted of snow, ozone, and the lingering, copper tang of blood. It was heavy. It was messy. It was real.I sat up, gasping, my fingers clawing into the slushy ground. The snow was freezing, biting at my skin, but the sensation felt distant, muted, as if my nerves were still waking up from a long, deep sleep. My body felt incredibly heavy, like I was wearing a suit made of lead. Gravity, which I had forgotten in the weightlessness of the Void, was now a crushing reality."Lilura?"The voice was broken. Cracked.I turned
Last Updated : 2026-01-29 Read more