"Ughh."
Cael's eyes snapped open as he sat upright in the medical bed.
His chest heaved, and his breath came fast and shallow, each one straining against the tightness in his lungs.
He squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to calm down, to slow the pounding of his heart.
To push away the remnants of the vision still clinging to his mind like cobwebs that would not tear.
After a few minutes, his breathing steadied. His thoughts stopped racing.
Only then did Cael notice where he was.
It was the medical room. Again, under the white ceiling.
Faint glow of healing inscriptions along the walls, pulsing slowly like a sleeping heartbeat.
His hands were covered in fresh bandages, wrapped tight from his fingers to his wrists.
The fabric was clean and white, but he could already feel the stiffness settling in.
It had only been a few days since he removed his bandages. Now he had them again.
He recalled the situation before he fell into resonance.
