The lights went out.
Not dimmed.
Not flickered.
Gone.
The recording studio plunged into absolute darkness.
For a split second, there was silence.
"Jinhai?"
Lily's voice sounded too loud in the dark.
She could hear him.
Right in front of her.
Breathing.
No, not breathing.
Gasping.
Sharp. Uneven. Wrong.
"What is going on-" he tried, but his voice broke halfway through.
"The power must've cut." Lily started, forcing calm into her tone. "It'll come back in a minute."
But he didn't respond.
His breathing only got worse.
Fast.
Shallow.
Like he was running out of air in a room that still had plenty.
"Jinhai?" she stepped closer, reaching out into the darkness.
Her fingers brushed the fabric of his shirt.
His chest was rising and falling too fast under her palm.
"Hey, hey, look at me..."
"I can't -" he rasped. "Lily - I need - the door - open the door - before it's too -"
His words dissolved into a wheeze.
Fear shot through her.
"Why? Jinhai, talk to me, what's wrong?"
No answer.
Just the sudden sound of movement, a stumble.
A hand hitting the wall.
Then, a heavy thud.
"JINHAI!"
She dropped to her knees instantly, hands searching until they found him.
He was shaking.
Violently.
His fingers clawed at his shirt like it was choking him.
"I can't breathe..." he choked.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
"Okay, okay - listen to me"
"No...no..." his voice broke apart. "Too small...too dark...can't...can't..."
And then,it hit him.
FLASHBACK
A door slammed shut.
Darkness swallowed everything.
"Disobey me again Jinhai, and I won't spare you from that belt. Do you understand?!"
A sharp slap.
White-hot pain exploded across his cheek.
The world tilted as little Jinhai hit the ground.
Tears blurred his vision, but he didn't look away.
Not from his father.
Not from the rage in his eyes.
Weiming Shulong crouched down, grabbing his hair, yanking his head up.
"Promise me," he hissed. "Promise me you won't interfere when I discipline your brother."
Silence.
Small, trembling hands clenched into fists.
Defiance burned in tear-filled eyes.
Weiming scoffed. "You take after me. That's unfortunate."
The cane came down.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
Again.
Pain ripped through his small frame as he cried out, helpless.
A vase shattered somewhere.
A moment of distraction.
And Jinhai ran.
Small feet stumbling, hands shaking, he threw himself into the storage cupboard and slammed the doors shut, locking it from the inside.
Dark.
Too dark.
Too small.
"GET OUT!" his father's voice thundered outside, fists pounding against the wood. "I'LL PUNISH YOU WORSE IF YOU HIDE!"
The cupboard rattled violently.
Jinhai curled into himself, knees pulled to his chest, trembling uncontrollably.
The air felt thick.
Heavy.
Gone.
His breathing turned erratic.
Too fast.
Too loud.
He clawed at the door.
"Mom… m-mom…"
His fingers scraped uselessly against the wood.
No air.
No space.
No escape.
He felt a violent kick of his father againstthe cupboard.
The cupboard tipped.
His head slammed hard against the wood.
Darkness swallowed everything.
PRESENT
"Jinhai!"
Lily's voice cut through the void.
His body jerked.
His hands were still clawing at nothing.
"Look at me - listen to me -"
"I can't..." he gasped. "I can't breathe..."
Her hands were shaking now.
Think.
Think.
Think.
Her phone.
She fumbled in her pocket, nearly dropping it before turning on the flashlight.
A beam of white light cut through the darkness.
Jinhai flinched at first, but then his eyes locked onto it.
Wild.
Unfocused.
Terrified.
"There," she said quickly, angling the light toward his face. "Look at the light. Stay with me."
His breathing didn't slow.
Not yet.
"Jinhai, look at me."
Lily angled the flashlight higher, steadying the beam despite the tremor in her hand. The light caught his face, pale, strained, eyes unfocused like he was seeing something else entirely.
Not here.
Not now.
His breathing was still broken, sharp inhales, uneven exhales, like his body had forgotten the rhythm.
"I can't - " he choked.
"You can," she said immediately, firmer this time. "You can. You just forgot how."
Her voice didn't waver.
She shifted closer, close enough that their knees pressed together, close enough that the light didn't need to travel far between them.
Her hand came up again, slower this time, more deliberate.
She cupped his face.
"Look at me," she repeated softly.
For a second, nothing.
Then, his eyes flickered.
Found her.
Latched on.
Good.
"Stay here," she whispered. "Stay with me."
His hand shot out suddenly, gripping her sleeve.
Not controlled.
Desperate.
She didn't pull away.
Instead, she moved closer.
That's when he broke.
Jinhai lurched forward, arms wrapping around her like she was the only solid thing left in the world.
His grip was tight. Almost painful.
His body trembled violently against hers.
For a split second, Lily froze.
Then her arms came up instinctively, wrapping around him just as tightly.
"It's okay," she murmured, one hand sliding up into his hair.
His head dropped against her shoulder.
His breathing was still uneven, still fighting, but now it had somewhere to go.
Somewhere to land.
Lily's fingers moved slowly through his hair, soft, steady strokes.
"Breathe with me," she whispered near his ear.
"In…"
She inhaled slowly, exaggerating it so he could feel the rise of her chest against him.
"Out…"
Again.
He didn't follow at first.
His breaths still came in broken fragments.
So she didn't rush him.
She just stayed.
Held him.
Grounded him.
Her hand kept moving gently through his hair, fingertips brushing his scalp in slow, repetitive motions.
"Jinhai," she said softly. "You're not there anymore."
His grip tightened.
A tremor ran through him.
"I'm here," she continued. "You're here. With me."
Another breath.
Still shaky.
But less frantic.
She exhaled slowly again.
"In…"
This time, he tried.
It was uneven.
Rough.
But it followed hers.
Her lips softened into the faintest smile.
"There you go," she whispered.
She adjusted slightly, one hand now resting between his shoulder blades, rubbing slow circles, the other still buried in his hair.
"You're doing good."
His breathing began to stretch.
Still trembling.
Still fragile.
But stretching.
Finding space.
Finding rhythm.
The silence wrapped around them again but this time, it wasn't suffocating.
It was… safe.
Lily hesitated for a moment.
Then, very softly she began to hum.
Barely above a whisper.
A melody so light it almost disappeared into the air.
Then the words came.
Low. Gentle. Unsteady at first, then softer...
"Close your eyes… don't be afraid…
I'm right here, I'm not going away…
Even when the night feels too long…
I'll be your breath… I'll be your song…"
Her voice wrapped around them like a blanket.
Jinhai stilled.
Not completely—
But enough.
His breathing began to fall in line with the rhythm of her song.
"Hold on tight… just a little more…
You're not alone like you were before…
If the dark tries to pull you in…
I'll be the light beneath your skin…"
His grip shifted.
Not desperate anymore.
Just… holding.
Grounded.
Present.
His forehead pressed lightly against her shoulder, his breath now warm and steadying against her neck.
Lily kept singing, softer now, almost a murmur.
Until his breathing finally slowed.
Matched hers.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
Her fingers were still moving through his hair when...
Click.
The lights flickered back to life.
The room flooded with brightness.
Reality snapped back into place.
Lily blinked, momentarily disoriented.
Then awareness hit her all at once.
They were very close.
Her arms around him.
His face buried against her shoulder.
Her hand in his hair.
Her heart skipped.
"Oh - " she started softly. "The lights are back."
She shifted slightly, about to pull away, but his arms tightened around her.
"Wait."
His voice was low.
Rough.
Not fully steady yet.
Lily stilled.
"Just… hold on," he murmured against her shoulder. "A little longer."
Her breath caught.
For a moment, she didn't move.
Didn't think.
Didn't argue.
Her hand slowly resumed its place in his hair.
Soft.
Gentle.
And for just a little longer, she stayed.