Moving on adrenaline, Ariana attempted to retrieve her phone from her pocket. But it took her a while because her hands were slicked with blood and shaking violently. But then, she discovered her phone was turned off, likely due to the lack of charge from her earlier excursion.

With a defeated sigh, she could do nothing but huddle against the cracking wall and wait for rescue. She could feel her strength wane, and her consciousness began to fade, her body gradually turning cold.

Ariana had the dreadful inkling creep into her mind that she might not make it out alive. Her only wish was that Remy made it out with Melon safe and sound. If this was truly the last time she could have seen him, she hoped there would be someone to take care of Melon.

Minutes dragged on like years as Ariana lay there, unaware of how much time had passed. Darkness grasped at the edges of her vision as she lost feeling in her cold limbs.

Amid her weakened stupor, she suddenly felt a pair of warm hands lifting her. Ariana responded instinctively, faintly turning her head and trying to make out who it was in her blurred vision. She caught the faint outline of a man that seemed to resemble Theodore.