Evaline:
The first thing I felt wasn't pain.
It was discomfort.
A strange, unfamiliar kind that didn't belong to my body the way aches or exhaustion did. It wrapped around me like a dense fog, heavy and pressing, pulling me upward from the depths of unconsciousness but refusing to fully let me go.
I was caught somewhere in between... no longer lost, but not awake either.
Cold surrounded me.
It wasn't the sharp bite of winter air or the chill of stone floors. This cold felt deeper, more invasive, as if it pressed against my very essence instead of my skin. It made me shiver, a weak tremor passing through me even though I couldn't feel my limbs clearly.
The darkness clung stubbornly.
Then... came warmth.
Sudden. Encompassing. So starkly different that it startled something inside me... but also very familiar.
