GABRIEL
My eyes dragged open like they didn't belong to me, slow and stubborn, as if waking up was something my body hadn't agreed to yet. The ceiling above me was the first thing I saw, pale stone stretched wide and spotless, too clean in a way that made my chest tighten. I lay there for a moment, trying to anchor myself, trying to understand why everything felt so distant, like I'd been dropped into someone else's life without warning.
It came back in pieces.
The infirmary.
That was where I was.
My hand moved before I could think it through, fingers pressing against my throat, searching, expecting something. A tear. A ridge. Pain. Anything that would match what I remembered. But there was nothing. I only felt smooth skin under my touch.
I froze there, fingertips lingering like they didn't trust what they were feeling.
