The morning fog was thick, cold, and wet. It rolled over the heavy gray stones of the mountain path like a thick blanket of smoke.
Lin Wan ran.
She ran until her chest burned with a sharp, heavy pain. Her soft leather boots were completely soaked through with cold morning dew. She did not care. She did not dare to look back at the city behind her.
Her fingers gripped the edges of her dark cloak tightly, pulling it over her shaking shoulders.
*Gasp.*
She stopped by a large, cracked rock to catch her breath. Her mouth was dry. She took a deep, shaky breath.
*Inhale.*
The cold air hurt her lungs. Inside her mind, a loud, red alert sound was still ringing. It was making her ears buzz.
"Weiwei," Lin Wan thought, her voice shaking violently inside her head. "Tell me the blocking field is gone. Tell me we can teleport now. Please!"
A sharp, digital chiming sound buzzed in her brain.
