Taotao sat up slowly, the pain in his ankle still pulsing but bearable. His
breath was shaky, his clothes damp with sweat and rain. Ju Xian hovered
nearby, exhausted but watchful.
"I… I saw something," he began, voice hoarse.
Ju Xian looked away, her hands busy packing herbs and sealing vials. "Don't
speak. Rest."
"No—listen," he insisted. "It wasn't just a dream. I remembered... things.
From before."
She stiffened. "You're delirious from the venom."
"It was real," Taotao pressed. "A battlefield. You were there. So was I. And
Sky—Sky was still alive, even after we died."
Ju Xian shot him a hard look. "I said don't speak of nonsense. You nearly
died. Now you're spinning fairytales?"
"I remember your face."
"You only just met me."
"I remember it," he repeated firmly. "And a man. Ren Xu. He—"
She stood abruptly. "Stop it."
He stared at her. "You felt it too, didn't you?"
But Ju Xian turned away, kneeling instead to inspect the trench wall. "We
need to get out of here before another snake joins us. Help me look for loose
earth."
Taotao exhaled, the weight of his vision pressing against his chest.
But he nodded and joined her.
They ran their hands along the damp trench walls, poking for roots or
crumbled ledges. The storm had softened part of the earth. Ju Xian scraped
at it with a broken stick, revealing a patch of rock.
Taotao pointed. "There. If we build a step from stones, I might be able to lift
you up."
"You can't climb with that foot," she argued.
"I'll boost you. Then you pull me."
Ju Xian hesitated, then nodded slowly. Together, they began stacking fallen
stones.
For now, the memory sat between them—unspoken, raw.
But not forgotten.