Chapter 50

Dior

Endless darkness surrounds me. It circles my throat and licks my skin as I'm searching for an exit. I want to run, but there is nowhere to flee. Voices are snickering in my ears, telling me to tread carefully or they will tear me apart.

They overestimate me—I've already succumbed and given up. My soul has been ripped in the middle, and my hope has been blown out like a candle. I'm unable to sort my thoughts in the dark and remember who I am.

And where the hell am I?!

I flail around, entirely blind, until I see a flickering light. Without thinking, I approach it, desperate to get away from the everlasting night. Someone might be there—fires don't go igniting themselves.

"Hello?" I call out into the dark. "Anybody there?"

There isn't a reply as I walk through what feels like sand underneath my naked feet. I'm not sure how long I mooch, but a bubble of hope lifts from my chest the moment I near a