Chapter 36

Warmth and solitude surrounded me as I lay on a soft mattress, an almost cloud-like surface. Every breath I took was no longer painful. I did not have pains in the throat, nor aching ribs that slowed my breathing. I for once felt weightless, painless… soulless.

My eyes fluttered open and flinched to see light after being used to the dark for weeks.

I sat upright as my hands slowly massaged my neck, looking for remnants of the pain I once bore. There was none. My neck was perfectly fine.

“A-Ah,” I vocalized. My brows rose in pleasant surprise after hearing my voice.

Just then, my eyes wandered around. It was an odd place. I knew no place like this. A white asylum, only broken by the garden to the right. It seemed like a beautiful garden, vibrant green everywhere, just like the garden I used to frequent in the palace. Butterflies fluttered around, bees switched from one flower to another, and birds chirped while perched in tree branches. The garden was alive.

I walked to the garden, hop