"Uhn…"
Emma's painfully heavy eyelids fluttered weakly before finally parting open.
Her vision was a messy blur—brown and grainy, like the world had been painted with sandpaper.
"Nnn…"
She blinked a few times, trying to steady her sight.
"Huh?"
The first thing she saw was the rough, sandy ground beneath her feet.
And the next—
Clink.
Her arms.
She tried to move them—only for the cold, hard bite of metal cuffs to dig into her wrists. Then came the realization that there was also something thick and coarse tied across her torso that pinned her against the chair.
"… Wait—what is this—!?"
Her voice cracked. Panic set in instantly.
She tried to yank herself free, but her arms didn't even twitch an inch.
Her body felt heavy… sluggish.
A dry cough slipped from her lips as her chest crushed.
"Ugh… why do I feel so… weak…"
She groaned under her breath, blinking hard, like she could force the dizziness out of her head.
Then came a dull voice from her left.
