Hearing her voice, Kasen rushed excitedly to Ke Li in the corner. "Ke Li! You're finally awake!"
Ke Li sat on the straw bed, panting heavily. Her eyes were blank and unfocused. After a moment, her gaze slowly sharpened, and she could finally make out Kasen crouching in front of her. "Brother..."
Her lips trembled as she threw herself at Kasen, hugging him tightly and starting to wail. "Sob, sob, sob... Brother Kasen, they're all dead! They're all dead! Waaaaah! Father is dead! My younger brother is dead! My other brothers and Aler... they're all dead! Sob, sob, sob!"
"It's all my fault! It's all my fault! If I hadn't taken pity on her, if I hadn't tried to be her friend, they wouldn't have died! Sob, sob, sob!"
Kasen's eyes grew redder as he held Ke Li tightly, his own quiet sobs escaping.
