My eyes flicker open, the light from a distant hole blinding me like a spotlight aimed directly at my face. I lie on the cold ground, the warmth slipping away, leaving me trembling. My face twists, and I drift into an endless slumber. But my eyes remain shut, my arms throbbing, pulling me back to reality. I grit my teeth, my eyes squeezing tighter in response. I try to push away the truth, willing myself to believe that this is just a bad dream. That it has all been a nightmare—the apocalypse that birthed the oppression of us reds. That this Earth is but a small continent and the world of Hemorion is merely a far-off land, concealed within the recesses of my imagination.