Petra's eyes snapped open to the same oppressive darkness that had haunted her dreams.
Her body ached in ways that suggested deep, restorative sleep, the kind that came after exhaustion so complete it bordered on collapse. Every muscle felt stiff from lying on rough stone, her neck kinked from using her arm as a pillow. The sensation was achingly familiar, like waking after a full night's rest in less than ideal conditions.
But the sky overhead, visible through gaps in the cave ceiling, remained that same unnatural black void it had been when she'd closed her eyes.
Petra sat up slowly, her hand instinctively finding her katana's hilt. The fire had burned down to glowing embers, but the coals were still warm against her face. She'd expected... someone. The camp's owner, perhaps. Or maybe even another academy survivor drawn by the smoke as she had been. The silence felt wrong after the desperate hope that had carried her here.
Instead, she was still alone.
