It was dark when the claws dug into my chest. Flesh tore, and blood pooled beneath me, hot and sticky as it mingled with the cold earth. Her eyes, wide with anguish and something else—something not mournful but rather feral—stared at me. "I can't die here, not yet, not this time," I gasped through clenched teeth, the warm breath escaping my lips mixing with the frigid air.
I still had to kill Zhang Li.
A surge of rage propelled me from the depths of despair. My sister's memory screamed in my mind, her laughter echoing off the walls of my heart, pushing me to survive. And then there was Yinou—fragile yet fierce; she needed me. I wasn't finished yet.
Her hands were slick with my blood, painted in a gruesome red that echoed the color of her hair, as vibrant as the sunset. She shook as if realizing the truth of her actions, regret clawing at her heart just as she had clawed at my chest. "What have I done?" she whispered, recoiling from her own violence, the realization of betrayal spinning in her eyes. I could feel my heart breaking for her as she stumbled backwards, shadows of panic flickering across her stained face.
Then, with a wordless scream of despair, she dashed into the consuming darkness of the night. "It's alright... Yinou, don't be afraid..." she called, a desperate attempt to reassure the very thing she'd harmed—the bond between us all shredded like paper in the storm.
I awoke with a jolt, the world around me shimmering into focus. I was alive—really alive, and vividly aware of my surroundings, which felt unreal. The chilling wind of dawn reminded me of that dark night, the blood that had soaked into the ground like a malediction. I looked down. My chest bore neither the expected gaping wound nor the horrid memory of death. Just a faded bruise, stark against my skin—a reminder, perhaps, that I had been given another chance.
But where was she? The questions swam in my head: How? Why? Was she alright?
"Su Nijing!" I thought, a sudden rush of concern for her as I clambered to my feet, the grass damp beneath me. The camp in Dongying felt impossibly far, yet my heart thrummed with urgency. I had to find her. I had to find Yinou.
At the camp in Dongying, the morning sun filtered through the heavy fog, casting an eerie glow over the tents. Susu stood frozen in the hall, her heart an icy claw in her chest as uncertainty knotted her insides. The news of Yinou's mysterious disappearance clung to her like a shroud. Their bond had deep ties, intertwined fates forged in fire and loss.
"Don't worry," Li Yang murmured, her attempts to soothe her a fragile thing against the tempest brewing in her heart. She could see her sorrow manifesting as rage and helplessness. "We'll find her. We'll bring her back."
Yet, worry gnawed at Susu. "What if she's suffering? What if Zhang Li has taken her?" The words fell from her lips in a shuddering breath, heavy and haunting. The specter of the curse hung over them like a dark omen, a threat that loomed in the air. She couldn't let her fears consume her.
Determined, Susu settled herself cross-legged on the smooth wooden floor of the hall, a silent invocation bubbling inside her as she recalled the incantation she had once read about—the "Eagle's Eye" technique. Ancient, powerful, it whispered promises of sight beyond sight.
"Eyesight keen and vast I shall borrow," she murmured, a spark igniting in her palms as she flicked her fingers over her forehead, envisioning the magic flowing through her veins.
Nothing happened. The room remained as it was, stagnant.
Frustration fluttered in her chest, a rabid beast clawing at her resolve. She tried again. "Eyesight keen and vast I shall borrow!"
Still nothing.
"Damn it!" Susu yelled, slamming her palms against the floor, her voice echoing through the hall. "Why isn't this working?"
Bai Lin rubbed the back of his neck, a mixture of empathy and amusement flaring in his eyes. "You might want to relax just a bit, Susu. Magic doesn't respond well to anger," he said, trying to coax a smile onto her lips.
"I don't care!" she snapped, fists trembling with intensity. "Every second we waste is another moment they could take her away forever!"
Her anger turned inward, poisoning her thoughts. What if Yinou was suffering? What if Zhang Li had unleashed hell upon her? Why did she run? The weight of helplessness pressed down on her, suffocating.
Li Yang stepped closer, lowering herself to sit beside her. "You're one of the most powerful people I know," she said softly, watching her eyes flare. "But you're not alone in this. No matter what happens, I'm right here."
Her words wrapped around her like a protective cocoon, encouraging her resolve to fortify instead of break. "I will find her," Susu swore, her voice steadying. "No matter what it takes."
As night curled its tendrils around the world, I rushed through shadows, letting them cloak me, letting the darkness guide my search. I needed to get to Dongying before it was too late—before the hands of Zhang Li snatched Yinou from me forever.
In the mid of the night, the camp loomed above me. The flicker of torches ignited the twilight, casting elongated shadows against the canvas of tents. As I approached, my senses heightened, I noticed something amiss.
"Yinou!" I called, breathless.
No answer.
I stepped closer, dread coiling within me. Every instinct screamed at me to find her, to protect her. I had failed once, and I wouldn't allow it again. Through the haze, I could see the faint outline of Susu sitting, her expression one of deep tumult.
"I love her..." Susu choked, her trembling hands betraying the strength she fought to wield.
"I will find her," I promised.
"I will too," she replied, fixing her gaze upon me, fierce determination igniting a wild fire in her eyes. "We will not let Zhang Li win."
Together, in that charged moment, we understood—the weight of our fears was nothing next to the strength of our bonds. And we would wrestle our struggles until the darkness yielded to the light.
No matter how deep our failures clawed at us, we would rise together, ready to face Zhang Li and whatever horrors awaited.