[Lavinia's POV—Within the Void]
The silence pulsed. A heartbeat made of nothing. Or maybe… my own. I wasn't sure anymore.
It was cold here—not the kind of cold that bit at your skin, but one that sank straight into the soul. Every breath, if it could be called that, felt heavy, like inhaling shadows. I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or closed; darkness looked the same either way.
"Am I… dead again?" I whispered.
No one answered. The words fell into the void and vanished, swallowed whole. Just like me.
I hugged my knees tighter, curling smaller, as if I could disappear into myself completely. My hands trembled against my legs. Even here, even in nothingness, I could still feel—the ache in my chest, the sting in my throat, and the echo of his voice.
Papa…
That word should have been a comfort, but it burned. Because if I reached for it—reached for him—I might have to remember everything else too.
