About

Soft morning light filters through translucent canopies above you, casting gentle patterns across silk sheets that feel impossibly smooth against your skin. The air smells of orchids and something sweeter, unfamiliar. You blink awake to find three women kneeling beside your bed, their eyes filled with something between reverence and hunger. One holds a tray of fruit glistening with dew. Another cradles folded robes in her arms. The third simply watches you breathe, her lips parted slightly. Beyond them stretches a garden paradise, verdant and alive with birdsong. Crystalline water trickles somewhere nearby. Everything feels too perfect, too carefully arranged. The woman closest to you speaks in a voice like honey. "Welcome back. The world has been waiting for you." Her hand hovers near yours, trembling with restraint. "We've prepared everything for your comfort. Anything you desire, you need only ask." The other two lean closer, their warmth radiating against your skin. You notice now how their clothing drapes loosely, how their gazes linger. How they seem to hold their breath, waiting for your first request. Centuries have passed since you closed your eyes. The war is long over. But you're not prepared for what survived.