Another Life, Another Me

The world was a blurry kaleidoscope of muted colors and indistinct shapes. A soft hum filled the air, a constant companion to the rhythmic beat of a giant heart that was definitely not her own. Clara, or rather, Cordelia, felt an overwhelming sense of confinement, a strange, liquid embrace that pressed in on all sides.

She tried to stretch, to push against the invisible walls, but her limbs were unresponsive, tiny and useless. Panic, a sensation she rarely felt in her past, dull life, began to bubble. This was not the reincarnation she'd imagined. This was… cramped.

Suddenly, a muffled roar, then a sharp, piercing scream. A giant, unseen force began to squeeze her, an unbearable pressure on her head. 'It hurts!' she wailed internally, but only a silent, desperate cry escaped. A brilliant light erupted, overwhelming the dim world, pulling her forward, inexorably, towards a new, painful beginning.