"Is she okay?"
"Valerie!"
The referee appeared above me.
But her face looked like a shadow.
I tried to blink.
My thoughts were slow.
One last thought appeared before everything went completely dark.
Mara.
I tried to turn my head slightly.
Looking toward the door.
She was still standing there.
In the same spot.
Still smiling.
Then everything disappeared.
~~~~~
The first thing that returned was sound.
Faint.
Like someone speaking from the end of a long hallway.
"…can you hear me…?"
Then something was placed on a table.
Another voice, closer now.
"…told you so."
I blinked.
The world stayed dark for a moment, then light slowly seeped in. My head felt heavy, like someone had placed a rock inside my skull.
I took a breath.
A couch.
I was lying on a couch.
The smell of the room was different from the main arena of Slither Ring. Quieter. There was the scent of stale coffee and old wood.
Juno's room.
My consciousness returned little by little.
I groaned softly.
