Chapter 84. Shadows of Memory

Darkness enveloped me like a thick fog, heavy and impenetrable. Voices echoed somewhere in the distance, muffled and indistinct. I tried to focus, to latch onto any sound that could anchor me, but it was like grasping at smoke.

A sharp sting jolted me briefly into consciousness. Blurred shapes hovered above me. I recognized Chase's voice—urgent, tinged with panic—as he spoke to someone I couldn't see.

"He's not responding! We need to do something now!" Chase's words sliced through the haze, but I couldn't grasp their meaning.

I tried to turn my head to see who he was talking to, but a blinding white light seared into my eyes, forcing them shut. Pain radiated from somewhere deep inside me, but I couldn't pinpoint its source. My throat felt like it was on fire, raw and searing. I attempted to speak, to call out, but only a raspy croak escaped my lips.

Havoc stirred weakly in the recesses of my mind, his usual fiery presence reduced to a feeb