"Calm down," I said, placing a firm but gentle hand on Tao Yang's trembling shoulder. Her body was rigid with anger, her golden eyes swirling with a mix of disbelief and fury. I could feel the storm raging within her—pain, betrayal, confusion—but I needed her to hold it together. The truth had cut deep, and she was teetering on the edge.
"I wish it were a lie," I continued softly, my voice carrying a weight that even I hadn't intended. "But it's the truth. Even I felt it when I was Soul Searching, something was missing."
Her gaze met mine, and for a moment, the fierceness in her eyes flickered. She wasn't just angry—she was devastated. The weight of history, the lies that had been twisted around her family's legacy, hung heavily on her, but there was no time for grief, no time for reflection. Not now.