Uzziel awoke enveloped in a strange sensation, as if his body didn’t entirely belong to him.
The first thing he felt was the weight. Not a sharp pain, but a deep, ancient fatigue that seeped into his bones. Each breath felt like it required a conscious effort, as if the air was denser than he remembered.
He opened his eyes slowly.
The light was dim and warm. He recognized the stone ceiling of the palace, the irregular veins, the small cracks that time had left. He was in a different room than Fara’s. Larger. More well-kept.
“Don’t move.”
The voice came softly, but firmly.
Uzziel turned his head slightly and saw Lissana sitting beside him, her shoulders slumped from exhaustion and dark circles under her eyes. She had one hand resting on the edge of the bed, as if she had been there fo
