***
'Where am I?'
The question came to me slowly, as if it had to fight through layers of thick fog.
My body felt heavy, weighed down, and I couldn't see anything in the pitch-black surrounding me.
This darkness, though—I knew it too well.
It was a familiar void, silent and vast, like some shadowy ocean.
I was floating in it, almost suspended, but a tugging feeling, like an unseen hand, pulled me forward.
Only now did I understand how, or rather, why I was here.
My purpose was to receive punishment.
After Amon's speech, I returned home, and as I talked with my family, my mind felt slow, incredibly so.
It didn't take me long to realize why.
I needed sleep. True rest from all that happened.
My mind hadn't taken a break in so long, even when I reattached my hand yesterday, I was still awake, talking things over with my people.
