Jayden's POV
Consciousness returned slowly, dragging me from the depths of darkness like a reluctant tide. My eyelids felt weighted with lead as they struggled open, revealing a ceiling that blazed white and merciless above me. The harsh light pierced straight through my skull, sending waves of agony cascading through my brain.
A shadow moved at the periphery of my vision, and footsteps whispered across the floor before a familiar presence loomed over me.
"Your Highness, you have returned to us," came the gentle voice I recognized.
I forced my eyes to focus, watching as the blurred figure gradually sharpened into Doctor Torvek. The physician's silver hair caught the light, and the deep creases mapping his weathered face seemed more pronounced than before. The scent of medicinal herbs clung to him like a second skin, bitter and earthy.
