Raavi woke with a jolt, the remnants of her nightmare clinging to her like a second skin—suffocating, inescapable. Her breath came out in sharp pants, but relief did not follow. Instead, a deep, hollow ache pulsed in her chest—a void carved by pain so sharp, it felt like fire searing through her ribs.

Her skin prickled with cold sweat, her limbs frozen in that moment between dream and waking reality.