The silence that lingered after "SHE" left the room was strange.
It wasn't a peaceful silence; it was full of an echo that still vibrated in the air, as if Erian's screams had been trapped in the walls and continued to rumble.
Erian stayed on the platform, no longer bound by the silk ribbon that had held him for so long.
He could no longer see, but the darkness didn't feel foreign. It was a familiar darkness, one that had always lived in his life. It wasn't a new void, it was an old companion returning without ceremony.
Erian struggled to breathe. His hands trembled from lack of strength, and his whole body was a mix of sharp pain and extreme exhaustion.
The drink the high priest had given him still kept him in a state of consciousness he did not want. It was as if his mind had been forced to stay awake even though his body begged to shut down.
He felt the throbbing in his head, and each beat was a reminder that he couldn't relax, that the worst still wasn't over.
