Entya's panic had not subsided when the heavy ger curtain was drawn back, letting in a single shaft of dim light. Beihe stepped in calmly, carrying a tray with warm herbal tea and a bowl of beef soup. Her usually gentle face was now etched with worry. She saw Entya still huddled on the rough floor, clutching her knees tightly, her wrist still rubbing as if trying to erase the lingering touch.

Without a word, Beihe set the tray down beside Entya, then knelt before her. She pulled the small, trembling body into her embrace. The soothing herbal scent emanating from Beihe enveloped Entya, as if trying to chase away the fear that strangled her. Entya hugged her back tightly, burying her face in her aunt's shoulder, her sobs finally breaking free after being held back for so long.

"I just want to vanish, Aunt," Entya whispered between sobs, her voice hoarse. "My freedom... my future... they took it all. I was sold. I am nothing but property now."

Beihe gently stroked Entya's charcoal-black hair. "I know, my dear. I know this is hard. But you must be honest with yourself. What do you truly feel?"

Entya looked up, her tear-soaked larimar eyes staring at Beihe with confusion. "I despise him, Aunt! I despise that Lord Nashr! He seized me, he ruined everything!" She clenched her fists, allowing the anger to burn within her. "But... when he touched me, it was unsettling. A frightening shock went through me, but there was also... a strange comfort. And the fact that I felt that comfort is why I loathe myself." She pointed to her wrist. "It lingers right here. It feels wrong, but at the same time... it makes me nervous."

Beihe sighed deeply. She knew exactly what Entya meant. "I get it, sweetheart. It's confusing. It feels like being pulled in two directions at once, doesn't it?" Beihe took Entya's hand, holding it gently. "I know your fear is real, and I am right here with you. But listen carefully, Aunt needs to tell you something important."

Beihe took a deep breath. "Your power, Entya... the power of healing and growth you possess, it's growing too strong. It's surpassing the capacity of your current body." Beihe looked into Entya's eyes with a profound gaze. "That monthly fever and pain isn't just discomfort. It's your body protesting the sheer volume of power it holds. It's reaching a breaking point, and if this continues, that energy will consume you before you even have a chance to control it."

Entya fell silent, processing Beihe's words, which felt like a new burden.

"That man," Beihe continued, "Lord Nashr... he is not a monster intending to devour you, my dear. Aunt can feel it. His energy... he possesses a strength that can counter, maybe even calm, the untamed power inside you." Beihe stared intently at Entya. "You felt it, didn't you? That resonance. That warmth. It suggests that there is something in him that can stabilize the turmoil within you, and perhaps... help you develop your potential without consuming you."

Entya lowered her head, rethinking the strange sensation of electric shock, the warmth that followed, and how it felt like a "confirmation" to Nashr. A terrifying puzzle piece was now beginning to fit.

"If you choose to stay in this village," Beihe went on, "I fear we won't be able to help you. Your power will continue to grow, and you will continue to suffer. Perhaps even more than that." She stroked Entya's cheek. "I am not asking you to fall for him, or even tolerate him. I am only asking you to seek knowledge. Learn to master your strength, learn who you are. Maybe, through him, you can discover how to coexist with this power, rather than constantly battling it."

Entya was speechless. Beihe had given her a choice, a choice that felt both cruel and logical. A choice to develop her power and save herself, or stay here and let the energy destroy her. However, there was one more thing, a question that tore at her heart.

"What about Yul, Aunt?" she whispered, her voice heavy with grief. "How can I just forget him? I dreamed of marrying him, to be his wife, to live freely, riding and hunting together..." Tears streamed down again. "Every hope I had... they've been ripped away."

Beihe could only hug her again. She knew how deep Entya's love for Yul was, how much she dreamed of a future with him. But fate, sometimes, has other plans.

After Beihe left her, leaving behind an untouched meat soup and a cooling glass of herbal tea, Entya sat lost in thought in the ger's gloom. Beihe's words spun in her mind, offering a way out of her physical suffering, a chance to understand and control the power she had always considered a curse. This was a choice for herself, for survival.

But on the other side, there was Yul. Yul, who was always by her side, Yul who taught her archery, Yul who accompanied her during fevers, Yul who held her when she was most broken. Her first love. Her dream. How could she abandon all of that? How could she betray her own heart?

A decision had to be made, but Entya felt her soul split in two. Before she decided, before everything ended, she had to see Yul. She had to hear from Yul's own lips what he felt, whether their dreams still existed, or if everything had truly turned to ashes. Entya needed to know. She needed clarity, even if that clarity would crush her further.