Chapter 244: Through the Storm
Orion felt it first as a sharp twist, a searing stab to his chest. It was sudden, a pain unlike anything he had ever experienced, twisting through his ribs, through his lungs, and searing into the pit of his heart. His body jerked awake, yet when he opened his eyes, it was not the familiar dark comfort of his bedroom, nor the warmth of his bed beside Sophia. No, it was a void. A blackness so complete it pressed against him from all sides. Silence settled heavy, absolute, so thick that every heartbeat, every inhale, sounded deafening in its emptiness.
And then he heard it.
A voice, raw and ragged, breaking through the silence. A voice he'd recognize anywhere and anytime.
"Get me out! There may still be time, let me out! Let me out! Please. Whatever is happening here… just… Brynhild can't die… please, please she can't die. She…"
The words carried weight, drenched in anguish, each syllable punctuated with sobs that made his chest constrict.
