Maelis

I opened my eyes slowly despite the headache splitting my head, but it made absolutely no difference.

A heavy, suffocating darkness pressed against my vision. My head felt like it was stuffed with wet cotton, throbbing with a sluggish, rhythmic pain. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the haze, but the disorientation was overwhelming.

Am I… am I still alive? Because the last thing I remember was losing consciousness.

I tried to shift my body, but a sharp, burning friction cut into my wrists. I froze. My hands were bound tightly behind my back, secured to something rigid. My ankles were tied to the legs of a chair.

Then,...