Third-person POV
E's eyes opened slowly, and the first thing she saw was a plain white ceiling. For the first few seconds after she woke up, she just stayed still and lay there, staring blankly, her mind fogged and disoriented.
The bed under her felt strange and different, and the sheets were tucked neatly around her body. Nothing about the room felt familiar.
She was absolutely confused about what was going on until memories from the tournament rushed back into her mind. The noise, the chaos, the adrenaline from Electra, and then the sudden, sharp tear inside her.
She remembered the bond with Seraphina going silent, as if someone had snuffed out a flame in the middle of her chest. She remembered the hollow feeling that followed, as well as the emptiness and the pain that had left her reeling.
Seraphina.
Her throat tightened. That kind of break only meant one thing. As far as E knew, the only way a bond could snap like that was if the vessel died.
