Lucrezia struck the ground hard, the impact knocking the last of the air from her lungs. And for a moment, she couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't breathe. The world spun wildly around her, sound collapsing into a distant, hollow ringing.
Pain surged through her—searing through muscle and vein, a brutal reminder that she was still here… still alive.
Without warning, air rushed back in all at once, almost unforgiving. Lucrezia gasped sharply, the breath tearing through her chest as pain followed, spreading through her body in a harsh, burning wave. Her muscles seized from the force of it, her ribs aching with every uneven inhale she dragged in, but the pain was enough to tell her she survived.
Cold seeped through the torn fabric at her back, biting into her skin, anchoring her just enough to keep her from slipping under.
