Without a second of hesitation, Ren sprinted past the tiger and dove headfirst into the murky, freezing swamp water, desperately chasing after the cub.
The shock of the frigid water hitting her system was instantaneous. It felt as though a thousand tiny ice daggers had just pierced her skin. The swamp was pitch-black, suffocating, and tasted like a million years of decaying frogs and rotting marsh weed.
Ren's eyes burned as she forced them open underwater, but visibility was less than zero. The pale, fractured moonlight piercing through the canopy above barely penetrated the surface, leaving her in a swirling void of dark sludge.
Panic seized her throat, but she swallowed it down. She kicked her feet frantically, diving deeper into the murky abyss.
Her emerald silk dress ballooned around her legs like a parachute, fighting against her every movement.
