Eiravyne jolted awake, her breath ragged as she gasped, her hands clutching the sheets tightly.
She barely registered Urag's voice calling her name, gentle yet insistent as he tried to pull her back to reality.
"Eiravyne, wake up!" he said, his hands on her shoulders, shaking her lightly but urgently. "It's just a dream.."
She blinked, her eyes wild and unfocused, and a small, strangled sob escaped her lips.
"N-no… no, I... I c-c-can't," she stammered, her whole body trembling. "She... her voice... s-s-so loud... I—"
Urag's face softened with worry, and he cupped her cheeks, brushing away the tears that spilled over. "Eiravyne, look at me," he whispered. "It's me. You're safe."
She tried to focus on him, but every time she closed her eyes, fragments of the nightmare clawed at her mind, her mother's cruel words echoing like ghosts.