"Lumina…" Ashen's voice broke as he rushed toward the bed, where his wife lay sleeplessly and also in pain.
Fear gripped him so violently that it felt like his chest was being crushed from the inside.
Lumina was recoiling against the pillows, her body curling in on itself as though trying to escape an invisible pain. Her hands clutched the sheets, fingers trembling, her breath coming out in broken, uneven gasps.
"Lumina, please," Ashen whispered hoarsely as he dropped to his knees beside the bed. "Please… don't do this to me…. Please open your eyes."
Her skin burned beneath his touch if too hot, to touch he had just left her a few minutes ago, and couldn't explain what this must have been.
"Call me Lord Drex!" Ashen suddenly yelled, his voice cracking as panic overtook him.
He pulled Lumina upright in desperation, pressing his forehead to hers. "Lord Drex, now!"
Lumina let out a broken sound, half-cry, half-gasp. Her entire body shuddered violently and Ashen froze.
