The Demons in Ourselves

We returned to the cabin just as the sun broke free of the horizon. Thanks to our small window, however, drawing the curtains was sufficient to keep the room dim as evening, and I insisted that Bai Ye should catch up with some sleep before we returned to the village again. After a futile protest, he obliged, and I curled up next to him as I watched him quickly fall into a nap.

He looked exhausted. Aside from the sheer amount of time he had spent reading for the past few days, the emotional toll of those findings must've weighed on him, as I could see a slight frown knitting his forehead even while he slept. It was no surprise—I wasn't without doubts myself either. Despite my best effort to accept the news with an open mind and convince him that I had the confidence to face such a trial, the many possibilities of how this could turn out troubled me deeply.