Morgan snapped awake, his back arching off the bed as a ragged gasp escaped from his throat.
The pain was blinding.
His eyes flew open, his left hand violently clutching the coarse wool blanket draped over his chest.
His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird, his vision swimming with disorienting streaks of gold and deep purple shadow before slowly, painfully settling into focus.
He was no longer on the mountain edge. He wasn't in the abyss. And most of all he wasn't witnessing a clash between two infinitely stronger beings.
"Breathe...breathe..." he thought, then almost immediately grit his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut.
"Pain is good. Pain means I'm still alive."
He let out a shaky breath.
"I survived..."
He'd survived the harrowing encounter with Nythrakar, he'd broken a perilous cycle that had existed for thousands of years.
