"!"
For the first time since stepping into the pyramid, Ning Xue's calm cracked.
A sharp, instinctive jolt, someone was here!
Under the massive dome, where ancient runes slept beneath damp moss, a figure lay collapsed on the stone floor. Half his body was swallowed by shadow, half soaked in cold, stagnant water.
A torn black robe, crimson blood patterns dulled by ash and dust, as if he'd dragged himself out of hell and lost the war halfway.
"…You?"
Her voice came out thin.
She was already moving before her mind caught up, boots splashing softly as she hurried over and knelt beside him.
Cold, so cold.
His breathing was shallow, uneven, like each breath had to be bargained for. Those eyes, normally sharp, mocking, infuriatingly alive, were dim now, unfocused. Dark veins crawled from his collarbone up his neck, swollen and angry, like something venomous had rooted itself inside him and refused to leave.
"W-What happened to you…?"
The words slipped out on their own.
