It was pain that Sian felt first.
Then came the exhaustion.
It wasn't a sharp, piercing pain, but a deep, crushing heaviness that weighed down every muscle in his body, as though he had drowned in an endless ocean and had only now managed to reach the surface again.
Darkness lingered for several long seconds.
Then, slowly, sounds began filtering into his consciousness.
...The steady beeping of medical monitors.
...The footsteps of people moving around the room.
...Soft, hushed voices.
And then—
Sian opened his eyes.
A pale white light greeted him, forcing him to blink several times before his vision finally adjusted.
The ceiling looked familiar.
White.
Clean.
Peaceful.
He slowly turned his head.
The curtains were half-open, revealing a bleak gray sky beyond the window. There was no trace of the bright blue that humanity had once taken for granted.
With considerable effort, Sian pushed himself upright against the hospital bed.
Only a few seconds passed—
