Ji En sank into a deep coma, drifting in endless cold and searing pain.
Somewhere in that haze, he seemed to hear shrill birdsong, voices murmuring, the sound of footsteps moving about a room.
Someone propped him up and poured a bitter liquid down his throat… then nothing.
He burned with fever. His throat felt scorched, his insides ablaze. He longed for water, but couldn't even open his eyes.
After an eternity, he struggled awake in unbearable thirst.
The room was dim, dusk seeping through. Silence pressed in from all sides.
Turning his head, he saw the bed beside him empty. Ling Yue was gone.
He forced himself upright, found a cup at the bedside, and drank greedily. Then he seized the water jug on the table and gulped it down.
Only then did he notice a letter resting on the table.
The handwriting was unmistakably Ling Yue's.
A few curt lines explained: the flying beasts could not carry everyone. She had returned to the Soul-Suppressing Alliance first. Tomorrow, she would send another mount for him.
Ji En froze, letter in hand. A chill poured through him from crown to heel.
Hope shattered, leaving only despair.
He tried to climb out of bed, but collapsed to the floor, too weak to rise.
Lying there, he slipped back into unconsciousness.
The next day, Ling Yue never came.
The day after, still no one.