For the first time in, well, honestly, Zarius couldn't even remember the last time, the light didn't feel like an intrusion. He sat quietly behind his desk, hands folded, his gaze fixed on a tiny speck drifting through the light. The room felt calm, but his mind was all over the place. He realized, with a start that made his heart skip a beat, that he had actually slept through the entire night without a single nightmare clawing at his skull.
Usually, when this time of year rolled around, the anniversary of his parents' death would turn everything into monsters. He was used to waking up drenched in cold sweat. He was used to the exhaustion, the way his eyes would feel like they'd been rubbed with glass from a lack of rest. But today? Today, there was only this weird, steady calm.
