Alina's POV.
The sun was already up in the sky when I woke up. For a moment, everything felt normal, then the pain hit.
A sharp, throbbing ache slammed into my head the instant I opened my eyes, forcing a groan from my lips. My vision blurred as I blinked repeatedly, trying to steady myself, but the bright rays of the sun streaming through the chamber only worsened it, stabbing my eyes like needles.
I shut my eyes tight again, lifting a trembling hand to my forehead.
"Ahh…" I winced, pushing myself into a sitting position.
The pounding in my head felt so unbearable, like something was trying to halve my skull open from within. I pressed my fingers firmly against my temples, massaging gently, praying for relief. For a moment, panic surged through me.
What is wrong with my head? What is going on?
Then, gradually, the steady pressure of the massage began to ease the pain. Not completely, but enough to make me feel better.
I let out a breath of relief and opened my eyes. Just then, reality crashed back instantly. The chamber, the strange bed, the exotic walls, and the strange man who had imbued fear in me the previous day. Trepidation seeped into me as the thoughts and realization dawned on me.
Did I just say the previous day?
I realized that I must have stayed here for more than a day. This is the second time I'm waking up in this chamber, and it was night the first time I regained my consciousness. Now, it's morning.
My mind immediately went back to the day the beast stole me, trying to calculate things. It was morning time, and I woke up at night. And now, it's another morning. Could it be that I've spent more than a day here?
My eyes widened at the actuality, and my chest tightened as everything came rushing back—the woods, the beast, the transformation. His last words before I passed out, all emerged at one time in my mind.
"You are in no place to make demands, human. You earn your freedom; you don't demand it." His words kept ringing in my head.
"It was all real," I said to myself in bewilderment. "I'm really not in the human world. I'm in a mystical realm, with beings that only existed in books and myths," my voice barely above a whisper.
"Am I still alive, or is this a dream?" I pinched myself to confirm the reality.
The pain from the morsel widened my surprise. Frustration and anxiety surged together as I quickly swung my legs off the bed and stood abruptly. I knew at that point that I was in trouble, and if I didn't leave this place now, I would be in greater danger by the time he returned.
I rushed towards the door, grabbing the handle as I tried to open it, but it remained unaffected. I tried again, but nothing happened.
"Open," I muttered, panicking as I desperately pulled the handle, but the door remained firmly shut, as though sealed by something far stronger than an ordinary lock.
Am I trapped in here? Will I die in this unknown place?
Questions shrouded my mind as a cold realization settled over me. The thought struck deep, sending a wave of fear through my entire body. I stepped back from the door, pacing in the room as my thoughts spiraled. But then, I refused to give in to the thinking.
No. I can't let panic take over, not now. Not when I'm completely alone. I needed to go back to Nissa, and I must go back home.
My heart dropped at the thought of my sister. I clasped my chest, clutching down. My anger is melting into worries. Tears welled up in my eyes, followed by memories of our conversations that morning when we headed to the woods. I had left her with someone I can't even trust, a well-known womanizer, and I don't even know how she is doing. I regretted accepting her pleas to leave her with Edward. If I had persisted, maybe I wouldn't be here now. Even if I were locked up by Edward, I would still be able to see my sister's face.
Was she safe? I thought. Had she noticed that I was gone? Was she looking for me?
A sharp pang hit my chest, but I pushed it aside and held back the tears that were about to make their way out. I couldn't afford to break down—not now. I had to be strong, for myself, and for Nissa.
I stopped and stood suddenly, pressing my palms against my temples as I forced myself to think.
"Calm down, Alina. Worries will not help you, nor will fear. You need clarity. You need a plan." I said to myself, trying to calm myself down.
That was the simple truth I told myself, and I know that if I don't rein in my anger and control my anxiety, I will not be able to help myself at that moment. Taking a deep breath, I began to think more carefully.
How do I escape this place alive? How do I go back to Decresh? Questions dawdle in my head.
First, I needed to leave this chamber. This compartment is not far from a dungeon—a beautifully decorated cage. There is never a way I can deduce the answers I need in this niche. If I wanted to survive, I had to get out. If I am able to find out how to leave this chamber, my voyage back to my kingdom will be less puzzling because I'm certain answers will definitely be out there.
He came to the human world through some passage after all, and probably brought me here through that same passage. Whatever it is that aided the transportation must still be out there, and that is what I needed to find.
But first, how do I leave this chamber?
My eyes darted, slowly sweeping across the room, searching. Then it landed on the window. Hope sparked instantly. I hurried toward the window, my steps quick and eager, ready to take the action that would keep my hopes alive, the action that would start my journey back home.
That is it….
If the door wouldn't open, then the window would. But the moment I got to the window. My breath caught, and my hopes dashed out of the window.