Ezra's eyes snapped open.
His vision blurred at first, but the flickering glow of torches steadied it. He found himself lying on cold stone, in a cavernous chamber that stretched upward like the hollow ribcage of some great beast. Flames guttered inside wall sconces, spilling restless shadows across the floor.
Beside him, three figures lay motionless—Renji, Xavier, and Dravis.
Ezra pushed himself upright, wincing at the ache in his limbs. His gaze swept over them carefully. Their breathing was steady, their wounds gone. The dungeon's mechanism had healed them.
A faint, humorless chuckle left his lips. "Well… that explains it."
He rose and went to them, kneeling to shake Renji's shoulder, then Dravis's. One by one, their eyes fluttered open.
Weakness clung to them like chains. Their expressions darkened, each carrying the weight of what they had endured.
Xavier spat bitterly, his voice hoarse. "Remembering the past… never a good thing. Fuck this trial."
