The first thing that registered wasn't pain. It was the smell.
Instead of the choking, metallic stench of pulverized stone and demonic miasma, my nose was met with the sharp, clean scent of medicinal herbs and fresh linen.
Then came the warmth...
I wasn't lying on the freezing, frost-covered bedrock of the eighth floor. I was resting on something incredibly soft.
Wait.
The realization hit me like a physical blow.
The absolute, suffocating terror of the demon.
The blinding cyan code of the Administrator Mode. The sickening crunch of Garf's chest caving in. The terrifying, empty void of my final attack.
My eyes snapped open.
"Gah!"
I shot straight up in the bed, my chest heaving with a violent, ragged gasp as if I had just broken the surface of the water after drowning.
The sudden, explosive movement instantly triggered a localized riot in my torso.
A sharp, burning agony flared violently across my ribs, completely stealing my breath.
"Argh!"
