Elara woke to the sound of her own breathing.It came first, uneven and shallow, as if her lungs were unsure whether they were allowed to work yet. The air felt cool against her skin, carrying a faint scent of salt and something sterile beneath it. Her eyelids fluttered, heavy, reluctant, and when she finally forced them open, the world came back in fragments.White.Not the clean white of sunlight, but the controlled white of walls designed to reflect nothing back. No warmth. No comfort. Just light without mercy.She tried to move.Pain answered immediately, sharp along her arms and shoulders, then duller, spreading like an ache that had been waiting for permission to announce itself. Her wrists were free, but her body felt slow, weighted, as though she’d been submerged and only just surfaced.Memory rushed in all at once.The corridor.The guards.Kai’s voice breaking as they pulled her away.Her chest tightened painfully.“Kai,” she whispered.The sound fell flat, swallowed by the
Last Updated : 2026-01-06 Read more