The humid, dark interior of a secluded karst cave offered the three women their first true sanctuary since the absolute erasure of the Dark Valley.
Outside, the distorted remnants of the spatial fabric still hummed with a terrifying, high-frequency static, but inside, the only sounds were the slow, steady drops of mineral water hitting the stone floor and the ragged, synchronous breathing of the survivors.
Huo Yue, Ziyan, and Medusa rested against the damp cavern walls, their bodies slick with sweat and grey ash, their breathing heavily fluctuating as the immense adrenaline of the spatial erasure finally began to recede from their nervous systems.
"That was... remarkably, deeply satisfying," Huo Yue spoke, her voice echoing softly against the stalactites.
She leaned her head back against the cold stone, a serene, almost detached smile playing on her lips.
