The change came violently.
One moment Ludwig stood anchored by death, hollowed out in the precise, merciless way only undeath allowed. His thoughts had been sharp, edges clean and defined, emotions distant enough to be tools rather than burdens. Then the connection snapped, and life came crashing back into him without apology.
His heart lurched, seizing hard before hammering into motion, each beat painfully loud as if his chest were too small to contain it. Breath tore into his lungs in a ragged gasp, air burning as it flooded passages that had not needed it moments before. The sensation was wrong and right at the same time. Like a dried river finally filling again and with it all matter of mud and stone came crashing down. Too full. Too heavy. The world pressed in on him from all sides, weight returning to his limbs, gravity no longer something he ignored but something that demanded to be acknowledged.
