Thalia
Just when I thought whatever was crushing me would finally win, the pressure vanished.
The change was so sudden it hurt—air rushing back into my lungs, sharp enough to make my chest ache.
I folded forward, dragging in a ragged breath.
“Host Sixteen. Response confirmed. Proceed to the next stage.”
The words didn’t fully register.
I was still trying to breathe when I realized I was on the ground.
Cold metal pressed into my palms.
A sharp chemical smell filled the air, stinging the back of my throat.
My stomach turned.
Shapes sharpened slowly around me—tables, glass containers, instruments laid out in rows, labels I couldn’t focus on long enough to read.
My body was still shaking, drained like I’d been dragged back from somewhere I shouldn’t have been.
I still couldn’t
