Cho tried to breathe, and when she came back, she could hear someone shouting. Everything was still fuzzy, and the act of breathing hurt too much.
Turning her head to the side, she looked into the light. Her father was there, and others too. She frowned. "Father?" she said in Mandarin, as she attempted to reach out for him.
There was someone shouting in the background, but the sound was fading. She focussed hard on her father, and the more she reached for him, the further away the pain, and the noise was.
It was blessed relief.
"Father, is that you?" she said again, feeling the strain in her voice starting to dissipate.
"It's time, Cho," he said. "Don't fight it. It's not worth it. Come." He held out his hand and Cho hesitated for only a moment.
This was her father. Why was she so happy, yet confused about seeing him. That's right, he was dead. This had to be an hallucination. It had to be, because now her pain was going and she could breathe, and the light surrounding her was not hurting her eyes.
Still reluctant to take his hand, she saw another shadowy figure step into the light. "There's no need to suffer any more, Cho. If you go back, well, you'll be as unhappy as you have been for a decade. It's time."
Her heart skipped a beat at the unbelievable sight, and she clutched her hand to her chest. She'd cut herself off from all emotion, but this...
"Cedric!" Cho called out his name, taking his hand and feeling the last of her pain vanish.