The shadows came again. And again. And again.
Pain blurred into pain.
Reality blurred into nightmare.
They lost all sense of time. Their voices failed. They could only whimper.
Dark liquid leaked from every hole in their bodies.
☆
When the shadows came next, they brought no weapons.
They carried long black needles.
These pierced deeper—into bone.
They didn't bring pain, but they caused it—restructuring bone and stirring every injured muscle awake. It was agony... but they were used to it now. They barely made a sound.
☆
The final time the shadows came, even those watching from the mirror were surprised.
Kaedros sat up—covered in filth—leaning against the bed, eyes closed.
But he was upright.
And he wasn't the only one.
Taria tapped her fingers against the floor.
Rauk's mouth was stretched into something like a smile.
Their own way of saying, We're still here. We won't give up.
The shadows, unmoved, performed their last task.
The daggers stabbed again.
