Rui stood her ground, shoulders squared against the towering, feathered monstrosity that had worn Suki's face.
In a way, she had been expecting this moment—the culmination of her trial of despair.
The mark on her body pulsed with dark energy, but she didn't flinch.
"I am ready," she declared, her voice steadier than she felt.
The Hollow Dove tilted its head, its pure white feathers catching the moonlight. When it spoke, its voice was surprisingly gentle—melodic, even—nothing like the monstrous beasts she'd faced before.
"You have done well, Princess Xiao Rui," it said, its words floating on the night air like petals.
"Few heirs have shown such compassion in the face of despair."
Rui blinked, taken aback by the praise instead of the attack she had been anticipating.
"The trial tests not just endurance, but one's capacity to find light in darkness."
The Hollow Dove's eyes, deep and fathomless, regarded her with something akin to respect.
