ARIANA

My body felt heavy, like lead, as I drifted back to consciousness. Darkness surrounded me, thick and suffocating. My head throbbed painfully, a dull ache spreading from the spot where I'd been struck. I fought to open my eyes, my lids feeling like they were weighed down with concrete, but after a few groggy blinks, I finally managed to pry them open.

The first thing I noticed was the flickering light—dim and orange, dancing just beyond my line of sight. I squinted through the haze, my vision slowly adjusting to the low glow of flames crackling in the distance. Fire. The realisation hit me, and I froze, my heart...