[Music recommendation: Postcards from Heaven · Gabriel Albuquerqüe]
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Back in Cora Island, when Gavriel had regained consciousness, terror had seized his soul. He had awakened in a frenzy, ready to tear the entire forest apart if that was what it took to find Aliana.
But right as he moved to get up, he found her lying peacefully beside him.
At first, he had doubted whether it was truly her or if someone was playing cruel tricks on him.
But Bellarios had recognised her instantly, settling his racing heart.
However, calm did not last long when she failed to wake up despite his repeated attempts, forcing him to bring her straight back to Astoria.
Since then, an entire day had passed before she finally began showing signs of waking. Those signs came in the form of tears freely streaming down her face, until at last, after he called her name over and over, her eyes finally snapped open.
