After dinner, the servants cleared the table in silence.
No one met her gaze as she left the dining hall, her footsteps echoing through the cavernous corridors of a home that had never been hers.
Back in her chambers, Rui closed the door and leaned against it, sliding down until she sat on the cold floor.
The room felt impossibly vast and empty.
No Kee Kee perched on her shoulder with sarcastic commentary.
No Zou dramatically lounged across her furniture, conjuring sparkles to lighten her mood.
No Jin.
The thought pierced through her like a sharp blade.
"Where are you guys…?" she whispered to the empty room.
Rui pushed herself up and moved to the window, gazing out at unfamiliar gardens shrouded in evening mist.
She pressed her palm against her chest, searching for the warmth of her Chaos Core, but found only a hollow emptiness.
The mark of Wrath that had flared seemed dormant now, leaving no trace of its power.
"Jin," she whispered, her voice breaking on his name.
