CHAPTER 71

The darkness was still there.

Thick, suffocating, and endless.

But amidst its heavy weight, a faint sensation began to creep through—a warmth, soft and calming, like a whisper of sunlight breaking through storm clouds. It wasn't much, but it was enough to anchor me.

I clung to that sensation, letting it guide me toward consciousness. Slowly, the darkness began to recede, peeling away layer by layer, until the faintest traces of light seeped through.

I felt... different. Not better, not worse—just different. My body was heavy, my limbs too sluggish to obey me, and my head pounded with a dull ache. But there was a strange calmness that hadn't been there before.

It took what felt like an eternity to force my eyes open. The room was dimly lit, the flicker of a single candle casting long, dancing shadows across the walls.

And then I saw him.