The darkness of the night sky mirrored the heavy weight in your chest as you stood face-to-face with Lingsha. The calm, composed woman who had been nothing more than an enigma in your world now stood before you, her eyes unwavering, her stance unreadable.

You had once considered her an ally. A quiet strength, like the calm before a storm. But now, as the air between you crackled with tension, that bond had become a distant memory. You were enemies now, standing on opposite sides of a war neither of you had chosen, and yet here you were, caught in the middle of a battlefield—both literal and emotional.

“You didn’t have to be this way,” Lingsha’s voice cut through the silence, low and almost sad. “We were once on the same side.”

Her words stung more than you cared to admit. You could see the pain flickering in her eyes, the way she was trying to understand the impossible choice you had made. But how could she ever understand? She hadn’t seen the things you had, the decisions you’d been forced to make, or the way your loyalty had been shattered long before this moment.