Rin watched the deep flames of the enraged fire through blurry eyes. She couldn't breathe, nor could she hear even the simplicity of her heart racing in her chest. What was once beautiful, was now wilted and cracked under the ferocity of the flames, turning to ash and dust.
"Move your asses! Do you want us to all burn alive?" General Donghai's shouts could be heard through the chaos.
"Yes, sir!"
Currently, everyone was handling the aftermath of the battle that had taken place. Men began extinguishing the fires, the wounded were being treated, and the dead were collected from the battlegrounds.
Rin appeared when the fires were almost out; face smudged and speckled with blood and smoke. She stared upward at the pale, white sky as ash drifted down upon her cheeks and eyelids. With dull eyes, she surveyed the crowd. Her gaze darkened when she could not identify the man she was looking for.
"An Sun..." She unconsciously whispered his name, unaware of the worry within her own voice.
Walking through the wounded soldiers, her footsteps quickened, her gaze growing more frantic.
"Move! Out of the way!" A voice shouted amongst the crowd.
Turning, Rin's expression abruptly changed. When she saw the figure carried by Fan Mingli and Yin Changpu, her mind went completely blank. Without a moment of hesitation, she rushed over.
"What happened to him?" Rin stared at the bloodied and unconscious An Sun. She felt anger settle inside her, a tangible weight.
The unconscious An Sun was covered in a cold sweat. There was an unnatural flush on his cheeks, and his lips were pale and cracked. Fan Mingli was close to sobbing as he looked at his battered captain with red, swollen eyes.
When he didn't answer her question, Rin shot him a fierce glare. Fan Mingli swallowed and replied, "C-Captain Sun was fighting the Tuhan's commander until they retreated...then he suddenly fainted!"
The space between Rin's brows tightly furrowed as she ordered coldly, "Set him down with the rest of the injured, I'll call a physician."
Yin Changpu and Fan Mingli nodded their heads. "Yes!"
The two carried him over stiffly as they sensed Rin's piercing gaze on them as they left. Her eyes shifted to An Sun's pale face as something within her heart awakened.
She took a deep breath and tried to suppress the pain in her chest that felt as if it was about to explode at any moment. When Rin opened her eyes, they reverted to their usual calm.
Right now, she needed to regain control of the situation. Turning around, Rin began directing orders for the wounded.
...
After a night of chaos and tragedy, morning came. The scent of death and smoke lingered through the air as the sun cast upon the province's high stone wall.
Through an open window, a cool breeze brushed against the bedridden figure's skin, sending chills all around their body. An Sun, who lay unconscious until now, slowly opened his eyes.
Turning his head, he observed the morning sunlight shining through and into the bedroom. He blinked several times to chase away his drowsiness. Shifting his gaze just a little, his eyes stopped. His vision was still rather blurry, but he could still make out the person standing in the room.
"...Rin."
At the sound of the man's deep, hoarse voice, Rin turned her head. She returned An Sun's gaze evenly with a quiet and impassive expression. There was no sound but the whispering hush of wind and the morning birds.
