I wake up, disoriented and aching all over. The room is different from the one I had been in before. The walls are gray, and the floor is bare except for the single bed I'm lying on. My body feels heavy, and a dull throbbing in my side reminds me of what happened before I blacked out. Memories rush back—the fight, the stab wound inflicted by Ruel. My hands move instinctively to the bandage at my side, feeling the rough texture of the fabric against my skin. I wince at the pain but try to push myself up.
I pause, hearing muffled voices from outside the room. One is unmistakably my father's, deep and assertive, while the other is familiar but I can't place it right away. They're discussing something serious; the tone is tense and clipped. I try to strain my ears to catch more of the conversation, but my movement causes a sharp pain to shoot through my side, forcing a low groan out of me.
