our broken promises ~ a.skywalker

Chapter 29: Kora's Truth

APPARENTLY, IT WAS A COLD DAY IN HELL FOR KORA KNIGHT.

As she slowly drifted back into consciousness, Kora felt as if she were caught in the clutches of a relentless darkness. She tried to force her heavy eyelids open, but it was as if a thousand invisible weights were conspiring to keep them shut. The pain coursing through her body was excruciating, making her groan softly.

Her senses slowly returned, and she became aware of the cold, unforgiving surface pressing against her cheek. The floor beneath her seemed foreign, and her skin tingled uncomfortably as she lay there, disoriented and vulnerable. Her trembling body responded to the frigid touch with involuntary shivers, and she mustered the strength to lift her hand to her throbbing head.

With immense effort, Kora finally managed to shove herself into a sitting position. Her vision was blurred, making it difficult to discern her surroundings, but one thing was clear: the situation felt eerily familiar. A chilling sense of deja vu washed over her, sending a shiver down her spine.

The splitting headache that had her in its relentless grip made tears spring to her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Kora had always prided herself on her resilience, and she refused to show weakness in the presence of her captors, assuming that's where she was.

As Kora's bleary vision slowly cleared, the first thing she visually noticed was the ominous cell doors, standing just a few meters from her face. Panic gripped her heart like a vice, its cold fingers squeezing tightly.

The sight of those cell doors triggered a flood of disturbing memories. Was she back in Grievous' dreaded ship, trapped once again within the metallic confines of the robotic psychopath? Had she been here the entire time, living through a cruel loop of captivity and escape?

As the realization of her dire situation took hold, Kora's breath rate began to quicken uncontrollably. Each inhale came in shallow gasps, and her chest felt impossibly tight.

The cacophony of her racing heartbeat pounded in her ears, a deafening rhythm that drowned out the world around her. She couldn't hear her own thoughts in her head; they were drowned out by the overwhelming roar of anxiety that engulfed her.

Would Grevious appear through the door with her lightsaber ready to kill her?

Kora's world contracted, and she felt as if she were suffocating, unable to draw in the air she so desperately needed. Everything had been a lie.

Her arm instinctively drew to her shoulder, her fingers tracing the path of the scar General Grievous had left there months ago. She knew that the scar had healed after proper medical treatment, however, her brain had a way of playing cruel tricks on her, blurring the lines between past and present.

As her fingers brushed over the smooth skin that had once been marred by the cyborg's traumatizing assault, Kora's eyes widened with a sudden surge of phantom pain. It was as if the memory of that torment had been awakened, and the sensation of sharp, searing agony shot through her arm.

The PTSD that had taken root in her mind was now making its presence known in her body, flooding her with intense, horrible sensations that were as vivid as they were distressing. Kora was drowning in the confines of her brain.

Slowly, from the other side of the room, Anakin Skywalker began to stir, emerging from the unconscious state into which he had been forcibly put in. Instantly, he noticed the energy in the room was suffocating. He leaned forward, studying his surroundings, and noticed the girl he admired sitting across from him, struggling to breathe. Her heavy gasps for breath echoed in the room as her body shook vehemently.

He rushed to her side within seconds, knowing the side effects of a panic attack all too well. Anakin placed himself right in front of her in a crouched position. "Kora, listen to me," he implored gently but firmly, his voice a steady anchor amidst the turmoil. "You're safe now. You're with me, not on Grievous' ship." His eyes locked onto hers, determined to break through the thick fog of fear that had enveloped her.