Chapter 1: A Strange Awakening
JiAh stirred groggily, her head throbbing as consciousness slowly returned. She blinked, trying to focus her blurry vision. The last thing she remembered was studying late at the library, exhaustion weighing heavily on her eyelids...
But this wasn't the library. Instead of bookshelves and fluorescent lights, she found herself surrounded by roughhewn stone walls illuminated by flickering torchlight. The air smelled of damp earth and something metallic like old blood.
With a soft groan, she pushed herself upright only to freeze as pain lanced through her skull. She pressed a hand to her forehead, feeling something sticky and wet. Pulling her fingers away, she saw they were coated in crimson.
"What the..." JiAh muttered, confusion and fear warring within her. She tried to stand but stumbled dizzily, catching herself on the cold stone wall.
