Li Wang's shoulders trembled as he knelt there, forehead nearly pressed to the floor, the weight of his guilt leaving him breathless. Jian sat still, eyes fixed on him in silence, then slowly shifted his gaze to the ground between them.
"What good is it if you leave?" Jian said at last, his voice quiet but cold. "Tell me, Li Wang… do you truly not intend to hurt my kind?"
Li Wang flinched at the words but looked up slowly, his face streaked with tears. His lips parted, trembling.
"I… I don't. I swear I don't."
Jian's expression didn't change. His hands gently wrapped around his mother's cold fingers, brushing them softly against his cheek.
"Initially…" Li Wang continued, his voice hoarse, "I was given an order to bring you back. I… I was planning to follow through."
Jian raised an eyebrow slightly, but kept rubbing his face against his mother's unmoving hand, the warmth of his skin a stark contrast to hers.
