Chapter 48
Ariana felt the pull before she fully understood what was happening. One moment she was reaching for Kael, and the next, everything around her twisted as the space folded in on itself. The connection between them snapped so suddenly that it left a sharp ache in her chest, deep enough to steal her breath for a second. It did not feel like distance. It felt like something had been torn away before she could hold onto it. Then everything disappeared.
There was no sound, no movement, and no sense of direction, only a heavy darkness that surrounded her completely. It pressed in from all sides, thick and silent, like it had been waiting for her to arrive. The absence of everything felt wrong in a way she could not ignore. Even the memory of where she had been moments ago felt distant, like something slipping further away.
