Niara opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed wasn't the light, but the silence. It was a heavy, suffocating silence.
The orange glow of the late afternoon sun filtered through the window, painting the walls in a beautiful, warm tone. And yet, when Niara sat up, feeling her body and soul strangely empty, she didn't feel any warmth at all.
Looking around, she recognized that room. She had shared great moments there with...
Immediately, her heart started racing.
"Darian!"
She whispered his name deep within her soul, searching for that familiar, vibrant connection that had been her anchor for so long. She reached for the resonance, for the bond she shared with him, but...
...that was when she realized the reason for the emptiness she felt.
There was nothing.
Niara clenched the sheets so hard her knuckles turned white. Her memories began to return — space collapsing, the spear of destruction, and Darian's final words as he forced her into a coma.
