Chapter 25: Navigating the System...

Raena's eyes fluttered open, her vision swimming in and out of focus as she struggled to regain consciousness.

The world around her was a blur of darkness and cold, and her head pounded with a relentless ache, as if the very essence of her being had been shaken to its core. Every muscle in her body felt like it had been drained of life, leaving her weak, trembling, and disoriented. 

Slowly, painfully, she pushed herself off the cold, unforgiving ground. Her fingers, numb and stiff, brushed against the damp earth and crumbling leaves beneath her.

With a wince, she reached up to touch her forehead, half-expecting to find a deep gash or a bruise, but there was nothing—nothing except the lingering pain that seemed to echo the turmoil inside her heart.

"What… happened?" she murmured, her voice a whisper carried away by the cold night breeze.