XiShi's brow furrowed, a deep line etching itself between her eyes. Why, of all the nonsensical, ridiculous things, was this happening? Why her? She wasn't some chosen one, some destined protagonist. She was XiShi, a person who just wanted a quiet life, maybe a good cup of tea, and definitely not to be stuck in a damp, echoing cave while the world outside descended into what felt like a serpent-themed apocalypse.

She stood there, knees slightly trembling, HuanHuan clinging to her like a particularly tenacious, albeit adorable, barnacle. Outside, she could see, or rather vaguely sense, the chaos through the cavern's mouth. BaiDi was a stoic sentinel, a silent promise of protection that felt increasingly hollow with each passing moment. And then there was her HaoYue, leading the charge against what was probably half the viper population of the region. The others, they had formed some sort of impenetrable square―or so they hoped―a last-ditch effort against the scaly hordes.

This whole scenario, this entire debacle, was deeply, fundamentally wrong. A prickle of unease, cold and sharp, began to blossom in her stomach, twisting and knotting like a particularly agitated cobra. And then, for no logical or sensible reason, the waterworks began. Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision, each drop a salty testament to the sheer absurdity of it all. HuanHuan hugged her tighter, a small, warm anchor in this sea of impending doom. XiShi desperately tried to push away the dark thoughts, to focus on literally anything else. But the truth was a giant, venomous snake in the room, writhing and hissing. They were in trouble, deep, deep trouble. These snakes weren't slowing down, not even for a minute. What was the worst that could happen? Well, she thought with a morbid sense of humor, quite a lot actually.

And then, of course, things took a turn for the dramatically worse. A scream, a pained, panicked wail pierced the air, and XiShi knew it was HaoYue. Of course it was. It was always the Gojo look-alikes, wasn't it? Why did they have to be so dramatic, so prone to suffering? It was like a cosmic joke, a cruel punchline she was forced to endure. Something inside XiShi snapped, pushing aside fear and logic and she surged to her feet. There was no more point in safety. The lines were down, the iron wall had crumbled, and there was only one direction to go.

Towards the chaos.