Battle with the beast

Instantly, Nikolai's eyes snapped open, their deep, glowing crimson drawing Sasha in like a magnet. Her emerald eyes, bright with caution, met his, her stern expression a proof to her readiness to defend herself.

"Nikolai," she called, her voice barely above a whisper.

Nikolai said nothing. Instead, he rose into a sitting position, his movements smooth and calculated. He glanced at Pain, whose blank eyes seemed to stare right through him, before walking past Sasha quietly. His footsteps were eerily silent, leaving Sasha watching him in confusion.

"Where is he heading to?" For many reasons, she had imagined that he would awaken with raw violence, not this unsettling calm.

Nikolai strode through the mansion, the only sound the soft echo of his breath off the walls. Barefoot and clad in loose, white attire resembling nightclothes, he looked almost ethereal.