Leon felt his body stir as though it were slowly rousing from the depths of a long, suffocating dream. Each breath was heavy yet strangely cleansing, as if his lungs were relearning how to draw in life itself. His limbs tingled with a faint numbness, the sensation of a body that had lain dormant for far too long.
It was almost as if he was shedding the husk of a nightmare and being reborn anew. When his eyes finally fluttered open, they were met not by the harsh stone ceilings he was accustomed to, but by an unfamiliar sight: a high, arched ceiling painted in soft hues and adorned with delicate carvings.
The faint glow of lantern light spilt across smooth walls, bathing the chamber in a warmth that felt both foreign and comforting. Beneath him, the bed cradled his body with an unearthly softness, the silken sheets cool against his skin and far beyond the rough bedding he had ever known.
For a brief moment, Leon simply lay there, dazed, torn between disbelief and awe.
