Eden stirred, his body aching as consciousness returned in slow, torturous waves. The world around him felt heavier, as if it were pressing down on his chest. His breath hitched as he blinked his eyes open, his vision swimming. A fire crackled in front of him, its warm, amber glow licking at the night air.
The flames swayed gently, casting fleeting shadows on the ground. Embers floated upward, disappearing into the dark void of a starless sky. The soft rustling of leaves in the breeze was the only sound aside from the crackling wood. It was strangely peaceful, yet it didn't match the chaos he remembered.
Eden's gaze drifted across the scene. His eyes fell on Stacy, curled up a short distance from the fire, her form rising and falling with the rhythm of her shallow breaths. For a moment, he stared at her, confused but also relieved. They weren't in the jungle anymore; the oppressive trees and their suffocating darkness were gone. The air here was lighter, colder, but free.
