Su Qinglan felt as though she were floating in a deep, endless ocean of ink. The screams of her husbands and the frantic cries of the cubs had faded into a heavy, suffocating silence.
[Host! Host, wake up! You must wake up!]
A familiar, high-pitched voice echoed through the darkness. Su Qinglan opened her eyes, but she wasn't in her treehouse.
She was in a vast, dark void. Floating right in front of her was a glowing, translucent ball of light that glowed with a soft rhythm.
"Xuyu?" she whispered, her voice sounding small in the emptiness. "Is that you?"
The light bobbed up and down. [Yes, Host. It is me. This is my virtual consciousness manifesting in your mental space.]
Suddenly, the fog in Su Qinglan's mind cleared, and the memory of the birth hit her like a physical blow.
Her face went pale, and she clutched her chest. "Xuyu! Where am I? Where are my babies? And... and the egg? Xuan Long... he..."
