A Breathless Fight.

The water gripped Ying Lan like an iron hand; dragging her down from light to darkness; from life to death. She fought with all her might against it; kicking with her feet; thrashing with her arms; but the river was stronger than she was. Deeper it pulled her; deeper into its cold embrace.

She felt her life ebbing away — breath leaving her lungs; sight fading from her eyes. And in her mind, came the fragments of a forgotten memory — she saw herself as a child again, a little girl clad in a familiar tattered and bloodstained pink dress. But this time she was not running from something, but falling toward something — falling into water; sinking; drowning.

She felt now what she had felt then — terror, despair, the need to breathe. She tried to cough, to scream, but water was everywhere; it filled her mouth, her nose, her throat; like a ravenous beast that hungered for her soul.

Then a voice came to her, a gentle voice; a familiar voice; her Shifu's voice. It pierced the darkness like a ray of light; It called her name again and again: Ying'er; Ying'er. And with each call, another memory cleared in Ying Lan's mind; a memory of Jiao city; of the beggars courtyard — she saw herself standing before her Shifu; learning how to fight; she heard her Shifu say: "Ying'er, you must face difficulties with hope, not fear. Fear can be your friend when it warns you of danger, but your enemy when it stops you from acting. Do not let fear control you…"

Ying Lan held on to this memory, to this voice, to these words. She felt a spark in her heart; a will to live. She refused to surrender; to let fear win. She pushed herself up against the water; against the crushing weight. She reached for the light that beckoned above her; for the air that waited beyond the suffocating liquid void.

She burst out of the water, gasping, coughing; she looked around, trying to find her way. The river was sweeping her downstream, away from where she had plunged in. She saw trees on the banks, their branches reaching over the water like outstretched arms. She swam towards one of them, gripped it with both hands, and pulled herself towards the riverbank.

She dragged herself out of the water and collapsed on the ground. She sprawled there for a few moments, panting, feeling the water drip from her hair and clothes. The sun caressed her wet skin with gentle warmth as her body shivered. Then a sudden thought jolted her upright. Her hand flew to her neck. "My pendant!" she cried out.