[Leif's POV—ThorenVald Estate—Before Dawn]
Falling felt endless. No air. No ground. No sound. Just the cold weight of nothing dragging me through everything.
And then—
THUD!
Pain. Real, physical, undignified pain.
I groaned as I hit the floor, the edge of the bed stabbing me squarely in the ribs. The world snapped back into color—violent, blinding color. Marble against my cheek, cold air stinging my skin, and that faint golden pulse under my ribs flaring like a dying star struggling to breathe.
I lay there for a second, face down on the cold floor, trying to remember how gravity worked. My vision spun lazily; the ceiling bled into the walls, the candlelight flickered like a migraine, and my heart thudded somewhere between panic and disbelief.
I coughed, tasting iron. "...Ow."
Brilliant comeback. Truly divine of me.
