Jake woke to the sight of flowers painted across a white ceiling, delicate vines and blooms rendered in soft pastels that caught the afternoon light streaming through nearby windows. His body felt heavy, limbs weighted down as though he'd been sleeping for days rather than hours, and when he tried to move his right arm, a sharp protest from his shoulder reminded him exactly why he felt this way.
The dungeon.
The Ghoul King.
The desperate final moments before everything went dark.
He turned his head slowly, taking in the room around him with growing awareness.
This was Raaya Villa—he recognized the quality of the furnishings and the particular style of the architecture visible through the open doorway. His bedroom, specifically, though he didn't remember how he'd gotten here or when he'd left the dungeon floor where he'd collapsed.
