"Where… am I?" Adrian muttered, though there was no one around to hear him.
He stood atop a small hill, yet he couldn't feel the ground beneath his feet. His body felt weightless, his mind oddly calm.
Reaching out to a nearby tree, his fingers brushed its bark—at least they should have. But there was no texture, no sensation, as if he were touching smoke rather than something solid.
'Did I die after all?' The last thing he remembered was Ariana and Ruby, tears streaming down their faces, their voices breaking. He had no control over his body then, only the sight of their grief.
And yet, when his eyes fell on Ariana, a strange heat stirred in him. The same happened when he thought of Ruby.
Even in that moment—when they were so worried about him—he felt aroused, unsettled. He couldn't believe himself.
Then, darkness.
And now he was here.
"Where am I?" he asked again, his voice carrying no hope for an answer.
But this time, something replied.
