Seraphine's eyes flickered open slowly.
The first thing she felt was the heaviness in her chest, as if she had been dragged out of deep water after staying under for too long.
Her breath came out in a sharp gasp as though her body was relearning how to breathe.
"William!!!"
The name escaped her lips without thought. Her voice cracked, and her hands instinctively clenched as if reaching for something that was no longer there.
"My baby!!"
A familiar voice cut through her confusion.
Her vision was still blurred, but a shape rushed into focus, trembling and wet with tears.
Selena's face appeared above her, distorted by emotion, eyes red and swollen; it was apparent that she had been crying for far too long.
For a moment, Sera couldn't understand what she was seeing.
Her thoughts felt scattered, disconnected, floating somewhere between dream and reality.
The last thing she remembered was being in William's embrace and the long journey she had endured with her friends.
