A woman's scream tore through the night, raw and primal, shattering the silence like a blade slicing through flesh. It echoed beyond the walls, carried by the wind, as if the earth itself mourned her agony.
Inside the decked-out room, the air was thick with sweat and burning herbs, buzzing with tension that seemed to vibrate through the very walls. The woman lay sprawled on a massive bed draped in rich mulberry silks, her body trembling as pain crashed over her in relentless waves. Dark, sweat-drenched strands of hair clung to her pale face, her breath ragged and uneven. Her usual glow was dulled by exhaustion, but her eyes burned with fierce determination, a fire that refused to be extinguished.
