Crunch. Crunch.

  Their boots pressed into the layered snow, sinking just deep enough to leave small tracks along the man-made path. The air was icy and gray, serene in its stillness, with fine flakes drifting lazily down, swirling on invisible drafts before settling. It was the kind of silence that wasn’t heavy, but steady... so calm that even the faintest sound seemed louder than it should be.

  Jett walked in front, her steps firm, guiding the way. Beside her was Ron, her younger brother, his stride calmer, yet steady as he matched her pace. Not far behind trailed Liz and Dan. Liz moved as usual, while Dan, with his unmannered nature, walked normally, letting his coat shift slightly with each uneven step.

  Behind them all was Emma.

  Emma’s head tilted low, her silver-white hair spilling forward with each movement. Her unique white eyes, often so striking, now carried the weight of drifting thoughts. She walked calmly, though her hands clenched faintly against her sides as sadness pressed at her mind like a steady tide, but whenever it threatened to consume her, she pushed it aside with the reminder of why she was here, to learn transmutation magic, to heal Anna, her best friend legs.

  The path stretched long, but after what felt like an endless walk, Jett came to a halt. She slowed first, then stopped, boots sinking slightly deeper into the snow as she turned her head back toward the group. A small smile touched her lips, faint and calm.

  “We’re almost close,” she said.

  Liz let out a breath she’d been holding, puffing out in a mist of white against the cold air. “Thank heavens,” she muttered, her voice sharp with relief.

  Jett gave a small nod, then continued, her tone more deliberate this time. “As we walk through here, we’ll be passing Xin Region’s inspection area.”

  That was all she said before she turned again, her long light-brown coat shifting with her movement as she resumed walking. The others followed.

  They hadn’t gone more than twenty or thirty steps before the path ended.

  And before them stretched something Emma herself hadn’t expected.

  The road simply stopped at the edge of a river, deep, vast, and impossibly blue. It gleamed with clarity, a color more vivid than the pale snow surrounding it, flowing endlessly forward. Unlike the frozen land around them, the river was untouched by ice, its surface smooth, moving with gentle waves like a living thing. It looked too beautiful, too alive, as if no winter could touch it.

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  Emma’s breath caught slightly. The clear, deep blue was nothing like the gray skies above. It was like a fragment of some untouched sea, brought here in defiance of the snow.

  Liz stepped closer, her boots crunching more quickly now as curiosity tugged at her. Her red hair, tied in two neat buns, shifted slightly with the motion, the fur of her long coat brushing softly against her arms. Her emerald eyes widened as she took in the sight.

  “Uhmm… Jett,” Liz began, her voice uncertain, though her curiosity was clear. She tilted her head, still staring at the endless water. “Where are we going to pass from here? Are we supposed to fly through or… something else?”

  Her words lingered in the cold air as Jett turned her head calmly, a small smile softened her face. She lifted her hand, pointing toward the far direction where the river stretched endlessly.

  “We are going to walk through,” Jett said simply.

  Liz blinked, taken aback. She turned quickly toward her, the surprise etched clearly across her face. “Walk? ” she repeated, almost in disbelief.

  She moved closer to the river’s edge, crouching slightly as she leaned forward, the hem of her furry coat brushing against the snow. She dipped her hand into the water, scooping up a handful. Droplets slipped between her fingers, running down in thin lines as the cold liquid dripped back into the river. Her green eyes narrowed slightly, troubled by the thought.

  “How are we going to do that when if we try to move through this, we’ll end up drowning,” Liz muttered, flicking the cold water from her hand before stepping back again. She glanced toward Jett, waiting for an answer,

  Jett pressed her lips together, trying to stifle the laugh threatening to spill, yet a quiet sigh escaped her throat. Her shoulders shook slightly, betraying her amusement. She had just discovered something new... something she found surprisingly endearing. Liz, the ever-bold one, was afraid of water.

  Turning her pale-gray eyes toward the river, Jett took a deliberate stride forward, her coat brushing against her legs with each step. She halted just at the river’s edge, letting the breeze tug faintly at her hair before glancing back at Liz.

  “Watch,” she said simply, her voice soft, carrying just enough weight to command attention.

  Without waiting for a response, Jett lifted her boot and stepped into the river.

  The water rippled, faint circles expanding outward from where her foot touched, yet surprisingly, she did not sink. Instead, her figure rested gently upon the surface, standing firm as if the river was nothing more than frozen ground. She remained there calmly, coat swaying slightly in the air, the water beneath her reflecting her outline like a shifting mirror.

  Liz’s emerald eyes widened, a furrow forming between her brows as confusion flickered across her face. Her lips parted, voice barely escaping.

  “How…”

  The word hung, lingering with uncertainty. Yet even as she asked, some part of her already began to understand.

  Jett’s expression softened as she looked back at her. “You just have to believe in yourself that you can do it.” Her tone was quiet but certain, like a truth she had already tested many times.

  Liz’s gaze lowered again to the water, her hands tightening against the sides of her coat. Believe? The word echoed inside her. To believe she could walk across what she feared, to accept that she wouldn't drown if she tried to walk through.

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