The world is dark and heavy. Every slow, labored breath that my lungs drag in burns like a million suture needles digging their way out. In my chest, my heart quivers, and my head pounds in time with its fluttering beats. The weary, chilling ache of my bones makes me want to fade into unconsciousness once more.
Slowly, the sounds and sensations that surround me filter into my awareness. Nearby, someone breathes softly, and clothes rustle against wood, like someone shifting in their seat. Something soft and heavy is pulled up around me. A blanket.
Another wave of pain hits me, sending blood coursing from my nose. I moan.
The person stands. Their shadow leans over me and a cloth wipes gently beneath my nose. "Aster?" Leavi's soft, hopeful voice murmurs.
I force my eyes open. Leavi's face hovers above me, haloed in orange. I'm in my room.
She sits down beside me. "How do you feel?"
I swallow a thick lump. "I'll be fine," my heavy lips manage. My eyes attempt to close, but I push them open again.
"Is there something I can do?"
I start to shake my head, but pain and dizziness wash across my mind. My eyes squeeze shut, regardless of my will this time.
Leavi lays a hand on my shoulder. "Aster?"
A wordless hum escapes me. The cloth presses at my nose again, soaking up the blood trickling down my lip. A burning, shooting sensation wracks my body again, and I groan.
This has never happened before.
"Aster, what's wrong?" Leavi's voice pitches high with worry. "What do I need to do?"
Fog swells in my mind, slowing my thoughts. I don't know what to tell her. The pain infects my body.
"Leavi," I breathe.
Her hand brushes my cheek, soft fingers sending comforting chills through me. "I'm here." Her voice struggles to be level. "What do you need?"
Ricocheting needles storm through me, and I suck in a sharp breath. "Leavi," I murmur again, voice weak and wobbling. Dark dread and fear sweep my mind.
"Yes?" The word is soft as a doe's gaze on the man she hopes won't shoot her.
"I—" I don't know how to say this, don't know how to face this, don't know what to do if it's true. I draw in a rasping breath. "I think the spell was too strong."
My awareness tries to fade, but Leavi is speaking, saying something, asking something. Her voice, words, are insistent, worried, breathless.
Her voice rises, but I don't know, can't tell what she's saying. I can't tell what I'm thinking; everything's blurry, everything's fading.
"Don't—" she chokes. "Don't—"
Everything's gone.