Seeing her mother's pained silence, Long Qingxuan offered a small, sad smile. She looked around at their gathered family—the remains of their world.
"I don't know," she said, her voice growing stronger, filled with a quiet, unshakable resolve. "I don't know if the final outcome will be good. I don't know if Lintian will succeed, if he will become the Creator and defeat them. The future is too clouded."
She took a shaky breath, straightening her battered posture. "But I know this is unavoidable. I know that protecting him, giving him every second we can, is the only path forward. It is the only choice that makes sense in this madness."
Her gaze returned to her mother, filled with love and finality. "So, I will not hide at the back. I will stand with you. With all of you. I will do everything I can, to my very last moment, to protect him."
