When they reached a certain point inside the cave, the fire behind them exploded into a firestorm as if somebody had fueled it with gasoline. Driving the perpetual darkness away, the fire painted the cavern a crimson red scheme. The temperature mounted, an unbearable blistering hot air that drowned Lin Sanjiu in its extreme heat and giving a hard time to breathe.
Lin Sanjiu turned her head to look back through the flames with squinted eyes. Her heart was overwhelmed with sadness, and her mind went blank.
"… Hiliu's dead."
As the thought came into Lin Sanjiu's mind with splendid clarity, she had the impulse to run back and retrieve Hiliu's body so that she could bury her somewhere outside and she could finally find her peace. However, her rationality put that urge in the shade, prompting her to continue to rush towards the mouth of the cave.
