*Aloria*
I awaken slowly, the world coming into focus like a painting being brushed vividly to life. I’m cocooned in warmth, a soft, comforting haze surrounding me, cradling me as I drift between dreams and reality. The air is heavy with the scent of herbs and something sweet, a fragrance that feels both foreign and familiar. But amidst the comfort, there’s an unsettling emptiness in my stomach that gnaws at me… a hunger that feels primal, almost feral, clawing at the edges of my consciousness. I blink, trying to piece together the fragments of my memory. The last thing I recall is the sharp pain, the suffocating darkness that enveloped me, and then… River.
I turn my head slightly, and there he is… my steadfast guardian, my anchor in this storm. His intense gaze is locked onto me, a mixt
