Chapter 67
Ariana did not move right away. Her breathing was uneven, her chest still tight from everything that had already happened, and the space around them felt wrong in a way that had nothing to do with pressure or collapse.
The light remained steady, but it no longer felt calm. It felt aware, like it was watching them and waiting for what they would do next. Slowly, she stepped back, testing the distance instead of reacting to it, but the moment her foot touched down, the response came instantly.
Something twisted sharply beneath her ribs, sudden and violent, like it had been pulled too far too fast, and her breath broke as the deeper current surged hard enough to blur her vision.
Kael moved without thinking. "Ariana."
"Stop." Her voice came strained but firm as she lifted her hand. "Don't come closer." He froze mid-step, not because he wanted to, but because her body reacted again the moment he shifted.
