Surviving the Fall

Elara's return to consciousness was slow, like rising from the depths of a dark, heavy ocean. Her eyelids felt leaden, her body weighed down as if tethered to the bed beneath her.

She blinked, once, twice, until the blinding white of the room came into focus. The sharp scent of herbs and the sterile air pricked her senses, and it became clear she was not in her dormitory.

The room was small and unfamiliar, with rows of cabinets lining the walls, jars filled with strange plants, and a faint, glowing crystal illuminating the space.

She tried to sit up but froze when she realized she wasn't alone. Standing beside her head with a stern yet concerned expression—the headmistress. Her calculating eyes scanned Elara as though trying to read her very thoughts.

Behind her stood two others: an elderly woman with a healer's tools and a younger woman with a nervous disposition who avoided direct eye contact.