Kaden's consciousness stirred as though rising from the depths of a cold, dark ocean. His body felt weightless, yet his chest ached, an unbearable tightness radiating outward like phantom pain. His eyelids twitched, heavy as lead, before slowly peeling open to reveal a canopy of ancient trees.
The forest was alive with muted sounds—the faint rustle of leaves swayed by an invisible wind, the distant chirping of nocturnal insects, and the occasional cracking of branches far off in the shadows. Moonlight filtered through the dense foliage above, bathing the area in silvery patches of light.
Kaden blinked, his vision blurry. The world seemed to shimmer, the edges of his surroundings pulsating as if reality itself was unstable. He tried to lift his arm but found it trembling, weak as though he hadn't moved in days.
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