Ryu's smile was light, his eyes gentle. It didn't really matter how Yaana's face was obstructed or how he couldn't see her usual soft cheeks and delicate button nose.
He knew his woman when he saw her. Just like he had realized that she and the Phoenix Sky God must be one and the same during the Title Stele event. This was precisely what he had figured out. It was just that he wasn't sure if he was correct.
Time was a finicky thing, but the one truth that had seemed to always remain steadfast was that while it was possible to travel forward, going back was impossible.
This was the understanding Ryu had always had, and it was also this understanding that had made him question the Zu Clan Ancestor's existence. It didn't make any sense to him.
But those details, they didn't mean much to him right now.
Yaana looked up at Ryu, hints of helplessness in her eyes. She had hoped that it wouldn't end like this, but it always did, didn't it? Why was he so smart?