"Ugh…" I groaned as I forced my eyes open. The world around me was still, yet my head throbbed with the relentless ache of a headache that seemed to pulse with each heartbeat. I clutched my head, trying to steady myself as my vision slowly focused.
I looked up, noticing that the stars had faded from the sky. The inky blanket of night was gone, replaced by the first hints of dawn filtering softly through the canopy of trees. Pale golden light seeped through the leaves, casting a cool, quiet glow across the forest floor. The morning air was brisk, biting at my skin and sending a shiver down my spine.
Then I remembered the dream—or rather, another fragment of memory from my past life. Ephera's face lingered in my thoughts, her smile vivid as if she were right in front of me. I'd nearly forgotten that day, or maybe I'd buried it deep, reluctant to relive the moment I'd crossed paths with 'them' again.
