The familiar weight of the void was still on me as I regained consciousness, but it was different this time. The sharp, hollow chill was gone, replaced by warmth and the faint rustling of fabric. I blinked, my head pounding from the disorienting pain that had seized me in the void. A dull ache lingered behind my eyes.
And then, a sound—soft and fragile, like a gentle wind carrying the weight of sorrow.
Nyla
I slowly turned my head, my vision still blurred, and there she was. Kneeling beside me, her back hunched as her shoulders trembled with quiet sobs. The dim light of the evening filtered through the trees around us, casting long shadows on the cobblestone path. The castle was a distant silhouette, but all I could focus on was her.
