Rui's body lay crumpled in the narrow cave passage, her blood seeping into the cold stone beneath her. Her breath came in shallow gasps as her vision dimmed and blurred. The wound Wei had inflicted proved deeper than she'd first realized.
Footsteps echoed through the darkness, growing closer. Rui couldn't lift her head to see who approached, but she heard someone crouch beside her.
"Are you my savior?" A deep male voice asked, rich with amusement.
Rui remained silent, struggling to focus on the shadowy figure above her.
"I can see everything, you know, even when I'm in that cocoon." The man's laughter boomed through the passage, full of genuine mirth. "I'm glad to be out."
He shifted closer, though Rui still couldn't make out his features clearly. "What do you want?"
"I want..." Rui's voice emerged as barely a whisper. "I want to see my children."
The man fell quiet for a moment. "That's a wish too hard for me to grant. You're dying, after all."
