When Elara closed her eyes, the darkness was no longer just an absence. This time, the darkness was something filled; something suppressed, compressed, and searching for space to breathe. Her body was still weak, but her mind was slowly recovering. The last thing she remembered was the explosion in the forest… the emptiness that followed… and now this cold, metallic silence.
When she touched the bars of the cage, she felt a slight vibration at her fingertips. This was not ordinary metal. There was a thin energy circulating within it, almost invisible but definitely perceptible. When Elara pulled her hand back, she understood that the Moon inside her did not like that metal. This was an instinct, but at the same time a warning.
