The Aftermath of Power

Darkness pressed down like a weight.

Jin floated in it — heavy, numb, detached from his body. Time didn't exist here. Just silence. A thick, suffocating void.

Then came the pain.

It crawled in slowly at first. A dull ache, then a sharp, spreading agony. Every muscle throbbed like he'd been torn apart and stitched back together with barbed wire. His chest burned with every shallow breath, and his bones felt brittle, like they might snap if he moved.

Ping.

A faint, glitching sound echoed through his mind, distant and broken.

[Basic Recovery Beacon Active — HP/Stamina Restoring...]

The notification faded as quickly as it came.

He tried to open his eyes, but they felt glued shut. He pushed harder, pain flaring behind his eyelids like sparks. Slowly, the darkness peeled back.

Fluorescent lights hummed overhead.