The beeping was the first thing she heard and it felt like a needle poking at her brain.
Am I back in the cafe? she thought, her mind a foggy mess of static. Did the robber miss?
But as the fog cleared, the memories hit her like a freight train. The botanical garden. The gunmen. The searing heat in her chest. The little girl, Zhēnscreaming , for her. And then... the forest. The Goddess with the starlight robes. The choice.
Wait, Bai Yue's internal monologue kicked into high gear. Why do I…..
Wait.
I remember.
Her eyes snapped open.
The light was blinding. A man in a lab coat was standing over her, his jaw dropped so low it looked like it might unhinge. Beside him, a nurse dropped a tray of medical instruments with a deafening clatter.
"She's... she's back," the nurse whispered, her voice trembling. "Doctor, the monitor flatlined for four minutes. Her heart was gone."
