LUCIAN SLADEPain was the first thing I felt.

Not the sharp, fleeting kind that came with battle or rage, but a deep, grinding agony that spread through every limb like poison in my veins. It anchored me in place, dragged me down into consciousness with brutal insistence.

I groaned lowly, my jaw clenching as my senses slowly returned.

The forest.

The smell of damp earth and crushed leaves filled my lungs. Cold air brushed against my skin, stinging every open wound. My body felt heavy, sluggish, ...