CeCe didn't remember closing her eyes. One moment there had been shouting, heat, pain tearing through her body like something was trying to claw its way out from inside… and the next was silence.
Not the kind of silence that comes after chaos. This one was different, so soft and unfamiliar. Her brows slowly pulled together as her mind struggled to catch up. Was she… dead again?
That thought came so naturally that she didn't even question it at first. Her body felt too light, too still. No ropes digging into her skin or rough hands dragging her across stone, no voices screaming for her blood.
"Huh…" her voice came out dry and small, like it didn't belong to her.
CeCe forced her eyes open. Warm light greeted her, dim but steady, glowing from strange floating crystals that hung in the air like quiet stars. The ceiling above her wasn't rough cave stone as she expected, it was smooth, curved, almost… carved with intention.
