A/N: If you've read Book 1, you may skip this chapter—it revisits a past event.
Lara pushed herself to her feet, ready to leave but a sudden, piercing pain split through her head.
Her breath hitched.
She staggered, dropping back into her seat as her fingers clutched her temples. The world around her blurred, sounds dulling into a distant hum.
And then something shifted.
Like a veil lifting.
Like a locked door finally giving way.
A fragment of memory surged forward, sharp and undeniable.
She remembered!
[Flashback]
Pain throbbed behind her eyes, sharp and relentless.
Lara's brows drew tight as her lashes fluttered. It felt like something was drilling straight into her skull—each pulse heavier, louder, impossible to ignore.
She forced her eyes open.
Darkness peeled back slowly, her vision struggling to focus.
Then the sounds came in—
The pounding of hooves, fast and heavy, hammering against the ground.
And beneath it—
muffled sobs.
Soft. Broken. Too close.
