ARIA POV
*TRIGGER WARNING – SUICIDE THOUGHTS*
My eyes were still closed when that smell reached me. It wasn't only the smell of rogues, there was more. Sweat and blood and mold.
A rhythmic hammer was beating against my right temple, each strike sending a jolt through my jaw. My heartbeat wasn’t just a sound anymore; it was a physical weight, pressing into a crack somewhere deep inside my skull. Every pulse made my vision swim before I even managed to open my eyes.
Then the nausea.
Sharp. Sudden. It rolled through my stomach like a wave and left that bitter taste at the back of my throat that made swallowing feel like a mistake.
I stayed still.
Not because I was being careful, or because the pain was unbearable.
Because moving felt… pointless.
For a few seconds—maybe minutes, I c
