The next morning, Liora woke with a strange lightness in her chest—no dizziness, no aches clinging to her bones like yesterday. The lingering poison that had haunted her veins seemed finally gone, leaving her body light and refreshed. She stretched beneath the blanket, blinking slowly as golden sunlight spilled through the cracks in the wooden roof.
For the first time in days, she felt… like herself.
With a deep breath, she pushed off the covers and stood on her own feet. No wavering. No pain.
She stepped out of the hut barefoot, expecting nothing—but what greeted her stole the breath right from her lungs.
The world outside was…so beautiful.
The little forest hut stood on a gentle hill, nestled in a meadow surrounded by golden fields of wildgrass and tall stalks of grain. Clusters of herbs bloomed nearby, their leaves dancing in the breeze. In the distance, a clear river shimmered under the morning sun, its waters flowing slow and steady like a lullaby to the land.
