Shunya surfaced slowly.
Not awake.
Not asleep.
Just drifting in a warm, dark nothing, like floating under deep water.
He felt… heavy.
Too heavy.
Like his body had sunk into the earth.
Something in his chest ached with every breath.
His arms tingled.
His legs didn't feel like they existed.
For a moment, he did not know where he was.
Or if he was anywhere at all.
Then a voice floated through the dimness.
Soft.
Exhausted.
Worried.
"...Shunya? Can you hear me?"
He tried to answer.
His throat scraped like sandpaper.
Only a faint groan escaped.
The voice came again, closer this time.
"It's okay… take your time."
Vikoria.
His eyelids fluttered open.
The world was blurry at first — a warm room, shadows dancing on walls lit by a single candle. Wooden beams overhead. Clean cloths piled on a stool. A basin of water. The faint scent of herbs.
He lay on a bed. A real bed. Rough sheets, stiff pillow. But clean. Safe.
