"It's burning!" Tally exclaimed, clutching the ruby as though it were scalding hot coal, searing her skin with agonizing pain.
Despite the discomfort, the more she struggled to release the "embers" in her hand, the more tightly she clenched it.
The ruby's sharp edges pierced her flesh, drawing blood as she screamed in hysteria.
Ruan Meng stood frozen, witnessing a scene eerily reminiscent of past encounters. Except this time, it was Tally herself in distress.
"Tally!"
The man bearing Tally's likeness reacted with alarm. Seeing Tally attempt to cut him with the ruby, he rushed to intervene.
Grasping her wrist firmly, he attempted to wrest the ruby from her grasp, but Tally's hold was ironclad.
"Tally, snap out of it!"
"Damn it!"
The man muttered a curse under his breath. Unable to rouse Tally from her stupor, he resorted to knocking her unconscious with a swift blow from a knife.
