Katrina~
"Get up, you worthless creature!"
The shout cracked like a whip, followed by the sickening thud of a fist connecting with flesh. I flinched in my dream, helpless, as a boy with horns stumbled forward. His twisted, shadowy antlers glistened like cursed thorns, catching the dim light of the dungeon walls. Chains clanged against the floor as he struggled to rise, only to be struck again, harder this time. Blood smeared across his cheek, his lips trembling with words he could barely force past the pain.
"Katrina… help me… please…"
The cry tore through me like a blade. His glowing eyes—too human to belong to a monster, too broken to belong to a villain—locked onto mine. I reached out, desperate, my hand shaking as if sheer will could bridge the void between us. My fingertips touched only air. Cold, merciless air. And then—darkness.
