She stepped forward swiftly. The scene before her froze her in place.
Empty alcohol bottles littered the floor. The pungent smell of alcohol filled the air.
Neo was collapsed on the ground.
Her breath hitched.
He was drenched in sweat, and his chest rose and fell in ragged breaths.
More alarming, cracks covered his entire body, as if he were breaking apart.
"Neo."
She knelt beside him, reaching out, only for him to suddenly pull her into a tight embrace.
"What are you doing—"
"I'm sorry." His voice trembled. "I couldn't protect you."
Her breath caught.
She could feel the faint tremors in his limbs.
'He's regressed,' she realized. 'But why is he like this? He has almost no energy in his body… Did he come back to the past without fully recovering? What forced him to be in so much hurry.'
She didn't resist.
Instead, she let him hold her.
