Morning came quietly—but it did not come gently.
Ariana woke before the sun had fully risen, her blue eyes opening not from rest, but from a strange, persistent unease.
It lingered in her chest like something unfinished, something that had followed her from her dreams into waking.
She lay still for a moment, staring up at the canopy above her bed.
The room was familiar.
Too familiar.
The carved wooden beams. The purple silk drapes. The stillness that came with guarded walls and controlled air.
Yet today, it felt… suffocating.
Ariana inhaled slowly, but the breath did not settle her.
Instead, it deepened the restlessness.
She pushed herself upright, letting her feet touch the cold marble floor. The chill should have grounded her—but it didn't.
Something inside her was unsettled.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
A pull.
Faint, quiet… but insistent.
She pressed her fingers lightly against her chest, frowning.
"What is this…?"
The words barely left her lips.
