Pain did not fall like a strike.
It rose slowly… like heat under skin.
At first, no one understood what had changed.
The chamber was dark. Not empty dark. Heavy dark.
The air pressed against the lungs. Breathing felt thick, slow, unwilling. Even sound felt trapped.
Vivian leaned against Sebastian. Her fingers trembled against his arm. Her breath was shallow, uneven, as if the air itself resisted entering her chest.
Then the pain sharpened.
It did not arrive loudly.
It focused.
She gasped and pushed away from him without thinking.
The moment distance opened between them…
The pain stopped.
Not reduced. Not softened.
Gone.
Vivian froze where she stood. Her hands hovered in the air as if she feared movement might bring it back.
Sebastian stared at her, confusion tightening his features.
"What happened?" he asked quietly.
She shook her head, still searching her own body for the answer.
"It burned… when I was close."
