Consciousness returned slowly, like something dragging me upward through layers that didn’t want to let go. For a while, I stayed there, caught in that in-between space where nothing felt solid, letting sensation return before I forced movement.
Pain followed first.
Not sudden, not strong enough to jolt me awake, but settled deep enough that it felt like it had been there for a while, working its way into muscle and bone until it became part of me. I breathed through it, steady and controlled, letting it settle instead of fighting it.
Something felt off.
The awareness came quietly, more instinct than thought, but it stayed, pressing just enough that I couldn’t ignore it. The surface beneath me held warmth instead of cold, giving slightly under my weight. It felt deliberate, like someon
