The jungle was silent, unnaturally so.
Yenissa stood at the edge of a massive hole, the earth yawning beneath her like the mouth of an ancient beast. Her chest rose and fell violently, her breaths sharp, ragged, and heavy with urgency. Vines curled around shattered roots at the rim, the remnants of whatever cataclysmic force had carved the earth open.
Her knees trembled.
Too fast… I got here too fast.
More than half her energy was gone. She could feel the emptiness in her core, her essence pool dangerously low. Even her wings — ethereal, dark, once proud — were flickering at the edges like smoke fighting against a storm wind. If Rilith or Velara turned on her now, she wouldn't last more than a few seconds. It wasn't just exhaustion.
It was fear.
She looked down the hole again. Darkness stared back. That was the only place he could be — Shennong.
Why aren't you here yet? Why aren't you waiting like always?
She stepped forward, preparing to drop in—
"YENISSA!!"
