Chapter 56
Ariana woke into silence.
Not the kind that felt calm.
Not the kind that felt empty.
This silence felt wrong.
It pressed against her ears, her skin, her chest, like the world itself had stopped breathing.
For a moment, she did not move.
She did not even open her eyes.
Because something inside her already knew.
This was not the same place.
Slowly, she inhaled.
The air felt heavier.
Colder.
It did not carry anything familiar.
No scent of earth.
No trace of the forest.
No sign of Kael.
Her eyes opened.
Darkness.
But not complete.
It shifted.
Moved.
Like it was alive.
Ariana pushed herself up slowly.
The ground beneath her felt solid, but not natural. It was too smooth in some places, too broken in others, like something had been rebuilt badly after being destroyed.
Her head turned.
Nothing.
No figure.
No light.
No voice.
Her chest tightened.
"Kael…"
Her voice came out soft.
Too soft.
It did not echo.
It did not travel.
