Azel regained his consciousness slowly, his breath heavy as though he had been dragged through an endless void.
Well he had but that didn't make it better.
The transmission through the Divide had left him blind, every sense stripped away until only the howling of his heart remained.
But gradually, light returned to him.
Shapes formed.
Shadows sharpened.
And then he realized — he wasn't staring into the stormy white of the beyond.
He wasn't staring at jagged trees or ruined snowfields.
No rather what filled his vision was a veil of silver.
Long, silken strands fell across his eyes, brushing against his cheeks.
His lips tingled, pressed upon by lips that moved with fervent hunger, stealing his breath, claiming his mouth as though it already belonged to them.
The warmth shocked him awake.
He froze, caught off-guard, his mind struggling to process what was happening.
The lips finally pulled away, parting with an audible breath, and the veil of silver shifted back.
