Hyun-ah PoV
"Which is why it won't," I said, my voice hardening with absolute conviction. "I will impale whatever crawls out of this pit before it takes a single breath of our air."
Rashid looked at me, the faint smile returning to his lips, though it carried the quiet melancholy of a man who knew the harsh reality of our world all too well. "I never doubted you, Hyun-Ah. But as a Record Keeper, I write what is, not what I wish to be. If the worst comes to pass, I will protect our daughter with my life. You have my word."
He carefully set his stack of papyrus down upon a nearby stone pedestal, freeing his hands before stepping closer. Reaching out, his warm, ink-stained fingers gently brushed a stray lock of dark hair away from my forehead. The touch was brief, but against the biting, sulfurous chill of the subterranean chamber, it felt like sitting beside a hearth.
