Elara stirred in her sleep.
Her body felt heavy, like she had been running for hours without rest.
A faint ache spread across her back. For a moment, she thought she was safe.
Her mind went back to Lucius's room… She thought she was there.
But when her eyes slowly opened, reality broke that illusion.
The ceiling above her was strange. Gray stone that was cracked and uneven, it wasn't like Lucius's room at all.
Her lips parted as she whispered,
"Where… am I?"
She tried to sit up, but pain ran through her back like a knife. Her arms trembled as she pushed herself, and a sharp hiss escaped her throat.
"Hey, take it easy…"
The voice startled her. Her head turned quickly and what she saw froze her completely.
The young woman who had been reduced to a skeleton knelt beside her, she was looking very real.
Elara couldn't believe her eyes...
She had watched it twist in pain.
She had heard the scream.
She had seen the beetles crawl inside her mouth.
