I needed to know what was happening. I needed to stand up, to move, to understand. But each attempt to push myself upright was met with the cruel reminder of how frail my body felt. I gritted my teeth, closing my eyes for a moment, willing the dizziness to subside. I dug my fingers into the edge of the bed, trying to find the strength to rise, to move, to seek answers. But as much as I wanted to stand, my body felt like a traitor, betraying me with every failed attempt.
The door to the infirmary opened quietly, and a shadow fell across the threshold. I didn’t need to look up to know who it was. The surrounding air seemed to shift as Atlas Blackwood entered, his presence filling the room with a gravity that pulled at me, making my pulse race with something I couldn’t name—something far mor
