At first, there was only darkness.
Stillness.
A weightless quiet pressed down on Riley as though he were floating in an endless void.
Then, faintly, something fractured. A thin line across the black.
Crack!
Another crack.
And another.
The stillness broke apart, light leaking through in sharp, jagged lines. And then, with a deafening sound, one of the cracks split wide open. A shard shattered, and all at once the darkness was swallowed in light so blinding it felt as though the world had been upended.
In his dream, Riley thought it strange. Odd, even, that it felt like something deep inside him was breaking open.
But in the waking world, his body arched suddenly off the bed. His back lifted, his fingers curled tight, his head thrown back.
Kael, who had not moved from his position in two days, was on his feet in an instant. Panic tore across his face, uncharacteristic and raw.
Who was he even supposed to call for something like this?
