It was nearly nightfall when Etien finally cracked his eyes open. His vision was still hazy, and his whole body felt heavy, like he'd just woken from a long, surreal dream he couldn't fully shake off. He was lying on a massive bed, the sheets tangled and wrinkled beneath him, and it took him a few seconds to realize, this wasn't his room.
The air carried a strange mix of scents, faint flowers, the lingering burn of candle wax, and something thicker, muskier… like the leftover smell of someone who'd stayed there far too long. But what unsettled him most: this definitely wasn't the room he'd been given at the mansion when he first arrived in Ukiteran.
He tried to sit up, but even the slightest movement sent a sharp pain shooting through his back. The ache radiated from deep within, enough to force him back down onto the mattress with a stifled groan. Cold sweat beaded on his skin, not just from the pain, but from a creeping sense of dread he couldn't quite place yet.
