Rhydian;
My eyes snap open with a scream lodged somewhere between my lungs and my throat.
I jolt upright so violently that the blanket tangled around my legs tears free and lands somewhere beside the dying campfire.
I can't breathe. There's this heaviness in my chest that makes every drag of air feel like…labour.
My chest tightens so hard that it feels like my heart might erupt.
Something feels wrong… Deeply wrong.
Sweat and goosebumps cover my skin despite the cool night air wafting through the towering trees around us.
My vision blurs suddenly, and I grip my chest immediately.
What… What is this? Why am I—?
"Rhydian?!" Igma's voice slices through the darkness.
I barely process the sound of her scrambling awake before steel sings through the air.
Her sword.
I turn to look at her and find that she is already on her feet. Already scanning the forest.
…Already placing herself between me and the shadows.
