When consciousness gradually began to return to me, the first thing I felt was heaviness. It was as if a stone slab had been placed on my head. It hurt so much, as if someone were mercilessly squeezing my temples with steel clamps. My thoughts were confused, refusing to form a coherent whole, and my body felt numb and foreign.
With difficulty, I opened my eyes and saw the vague outline of the ceiling in front of me. For a while, I just lay motionless, trying to understand where I was and what had happened. The air in the room was still, slightly cool, with a faint scent of night air and candle wax.
Gradually, my vision cleared, and I realized that I was in my bedroom. The heavy curtains were drawn, with only a thin strip of moonlight shining through, leaving a silvery trail on the floor. Judging by the darkness outside the window, it was already evening, if not late at night.
