The first thing I felt when I came to was the overwhelming sting of pain radiating through my entire body. It was like I’d been thrown into a furnace, every nerve ending seared with a sharp, relentless agony that made my stomach churn. The air was heavy with the smell of sweat and blood—my blood. My head lolled to the side as I blinked through the haze, my vision blurred and unfocused.
I tried to focus on my surroundings, but the pounding in my head made it nearly impossible. My mouth was dry, the metallic taste of blood lingering on my tongue. Every breath I took was a struggle, the air thick and suffocating. I felt a cold trickle of sweat down the side of my face, mingling with the blood that had dried there.
And then I saw him. Gavino. He was standing across the room, his face twisted
