Rain stood in the middle of the courtyard, his chest rising and falling heavily as he tried to catch his breath. The fight had been intense, and the blood splattered across the ground served as a reminder of how close things had come to spiraling out of control.
The bodies of Xun Bufan's men were scattered everywhere. Lifeless. Broken.
"Did it have to end this way?"
He glanced at his sister, Emily, who stood beside him. Her usually serene face now wore a look of worry. She hadn't wanted it to escalate to this, but there had been no choice.
Rain clenched his fists. "No choice at all."
"Rain…" Emily's voice broke through his thoughts, soft yet steady.
He turned to her, still feeling the weight of the bloodshed on his shoulders. "Yeah?"
"Are you alright?" she asked, her eyes searching his face for any signs of injury.
