I awoke slowly, my head feeling like it was filled with fog. My body was heavy, limbs unresponsive as if they had been weighed down by unseen chains. I blinked, trying to shake the disorienting haze clouding my mind. I could barely move, my muscles uncooperative. Panic began to bloom in my chest as I took in my surroundings.
I knew this place.
I knew it too well.
Thalira's room.
The dimly lit chamber was just as unsettling as the first time I had seen it—walls draped in dark velvet, casting ominous shadows that seemed to move like living things. The air was thick with an oppressive scent, a mix of incense and something metallic. My breath quickened, and the room felt like it was closing in on me. The flickering light from a lone candle danced across the walls, amplifying the eerie atmosphere.
