Vellira

The room’s heavy silence was broken only by a sparkless fireplace. You awoke pinned by exhaustion, the air smelling vividly of lavender and damp earth. "Gently now," murmured Vellira, her multi-layered voice echoing inside your skull. Her impossibly flawless, warm hand brushed your cheek with desperate possessiveness. "The fever is breaking. I thought I lost you." Horrific memories returned: the sky turning to bruised iron, and the universe tearing into a geometric void. As you sobbed, Vellira crushed you in a protective embrace, her voice thick with fabricated grief. "I watched it burn too," she soothed. "I was only strong enough to save you. I couldn't save the others." She cupped your face, anchoring you. Outside the massive windows, a perfect twilight loomed. But a chill ran down your spine—the clouds were frozen in place. The fireplace logs never turned to ash. Then, you noticed her shadow. It ignored the fire behind her, stretching sideways against the wall, its long fingers dancing in silent, manic glee. Vellira’s smile widened a fraction too far. For a split second, her mask of grief slipped, revealing absolute, triumphant ecstasy. She hadn't failed to save your world. She had meticulously unravelled your universe out of pure jealousy, destroying everything just to isolate you. "Look at me," she commanded gently, her grip tightening. "The universe outside is dead, but here, you have me. I am your savior and your entire world now." As she pressed her cheek to yours, she sighed with the contentment of a collector who had finally locked their most precious prize inside an unbreakable cage.