"Your Highness!" Ken's voice finally broke through the static, sharp with urgency. "Don't try to move. Just—just breathe. I'm getting help."
She wanted to respond. Wanted to tell him about the danger, about the logical certainty that this was a setup, that someone was going to strike while she was helpless.
But her mouth wouldn't cooperate. Words dissolved before reaching her tongue.
The room spun faster. Her heart stuttered—one beat too fast, the next sluggish, rhythm collapsing into chaos. Magical energy sparked along her skin, visible even through her blurred vision as faint blue-white traces that danced like static electricity.
Ken lowered her onto the bed, his movements careful despite obvious exhaustion. She could see sweat beading on his forehead—or was that just visual distortion? Everything bled together, reality and hallucination mixing until she couldn't distinguish between them.
