He opened his eyes, wearing the same indifferent expression he had worn when something reached for them.
Damon wasn't fazed. He was just tired—too tired to even feel afraid.
Still Damon was too broken to fight and too sane to scream.
He hadn't yet healed emotionally or mentally. Not enough to feel those things again.
Still, his gaze came back into focus. Ignoring the pain, he scanned the surroundings quickly, searching for Matia… but she was nowhere in sight.
And then—his heart recalled what fear felt like, regardless of how tired he was.
"There's no need to worry."
A familiar voice. Female.
Valarie…
He turned his bleeding head toward the source of the sound.
But instead of a disembodied pair of lips…
He saw her—a beautiful woman with long golden hair and deep blue eyes. Her aura was calm, her armor faintly reminiscent of Evangeline's. She radiated warmth and kindness, yet her form was almost translucent—barely clinging to the physical world.
