The snow kept falling.

  Flakes danced through the cold air like white ash, whispering against coats and settling on dark hair, piling onto the path they walked. The mountain stretched high above them still, its peak hidden behind veils of swirling mist and wind. Every breath taken came out like fog, instantly stolen by the breeze.

  Emma kept her gaze forward.

  Her unique white eyes, clear and reflecting like polished glass, searched through the snowy curtain ahead. But no matter how much she stared, she still couldn’t see anything past the shifting white. It was all just fog and flurries and cold silence.

  She blinked slowly, her lashes wet with melting flakes. The ground beneath her boots crunched again, the packed snow giving way to shallow prints as she moved. Then, with a quiet breath, she turned to Jett beside her, continuing in her discussion with her..

  “Were you coming from the Xang Region?” she asked softly, her voice barely rising above the wind.

  Jett, who had been silently observing the slope ahead, paused. Her footsteps slowed, and she turned her head slightly toward Emma, dark strands of her black hair fluttering across her cheek.

  She shook her head once, then answered.

  “No...”

  Her voice wasn’t hurried. It came slow and clear, like the wind had to carry it carefully between them. She walked a few more paces before she continued, her breath curling into the air with every word.

  “I was completing a mission.”

  Her boots pressed deeper into the snow as they reached a more uneven patch. Emma watched her for a moment as she adjusted her steps, her movements steady, practiced.

  “It was a lone mission, something the elders of Xin assigned to me.” Jett kept her gaze ahead as she spoke, her pale gray eyes calm. “They sent me south... not too deep, and definitely not close to Xang.”

  As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward Ron, who walked just ahead of them.

  The boy’s shoulders stiffened slightly as if he sensed her stare. A second later, he began to whistle... off-key and a little too loud. His eyes darted to the side, looking at the mountain wall that the snowy wind blocked, he couldn't see anything even if he stared deeper, he just stared at it like it was the most interesting thing in the world, just to distract himself from his elder sister's gaze..

  Jett narrowed her eyes a little.

  “I didn’t even know he was following me,” she said, her voice dipping lower, more pointed. “Not until I was already halfway through my mission.”

  Ron’s whistling faltered.

  Emma’s lips curved faintly.

  “I had no choice but to turn back,” Jett went on, her breath now rising more quickly as they reached a steeper incline. “And while I was heading back... that’s when I met them.”

  She tilted her head forward, gesturing lightly with her chin.

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  Up ahead, Liz and Dan were walking just slightly ahead of the rest of the group. They weren’t talking seriously. Not even a little.

  Liz suddenly kicked at Dan’s thigh, not hard, but enough to make him jump and mutter under his breath.

  “Ow. What did I do...?”

  Her red hair bounced as she turned sharply to glare at him, her deep green eyes narrowed like daggers.

  “You know what you did,” she huffed. “Hmph!”

  Dan blinked, clearly caught off guard.

  “I really don’t... ”

  “Exactly,” Liz cut in before he could finish, turning her head away dramatically.

  Emma watched the exchange in silence, a little surprised at how casual and familiar it all felt. The two of them didn’t just seem like traveling companions. There was something more natural in the way they bickered, something easy and lived-in.

  They must be pretty close, Emma thought, her gaze lingering on them a second longer.

  But then Jett’s voice came again, pulling her back.

  “I met them while I was returning,” she said. “They were headed in the same direction, toward Xin. So we grouped up. It made more sense than going alone.”

  Her voice was calmer now, less stern, the earlier irritation toward Ron fading slowly as she spoke.

  Emma nodded slightly, her silver white hair catching the wind as she turned her eyes forward again.

  She didn’t say it out loud, but she understood now.

  They weren’t from Xin either. Not originally. Maybe not even from this Fruit.

  Travelers. Foreigners. Just like her.

  So the journey continued.

  Their boots pressed deeper into the snow as they kept climbing higher, step by step. The wind grew sharper, colder though it didn't seem like they felt it... It whipped around their legs and pulled at their coats, tugging like invisible hands. The sky above was a pale, silent gray, soft like faded parchment but endless and wide, hanging above the snowy mountain like a heavy breath yet to fall.

  The climb never seemed to end.

  It was quieter now.. less talk, more breathing. The only rhythm left was the sound of feet breaking fresh snow and the soft howl of wind through rocks.

  Time passed.

  Moments blended into minutes. Minutes faded into hours. The mountain stretched onward, but the peak no longer looked as impossibly far. They had gotten higher. Even Emma could tell. The wind was colder here, harsher. Thinner. The mist curled slower in the air, clinging to the narrow path like an old ghost unwilling to let go.

  Emma let out a slow, controlled breath, the white fog of it trailing behind her like smoke. Her unique white eyes narrowed against the flurries ahead as she walked, her mind slowly drifting into her own thoughts again.

  We’re close, she thought. So close to the top.

  And with that nearness, the thoughts she had been holding back began to return again.. soft at first, like the snow brushing her shoulders, then louder, clearer.

  Once I find the egg... I need to make sure it's safe, she thought, her boots crunching a little deeper as the incline steepened. It’s the most important thing right now... but after that...

  Her steps faltered slightly as her thoughts unraveled.

  After that, I’ll find a way to learn more about the Tower of Mutation... I need to know where it is, what it really is...

  The wind blew again, tugging at her skirt and ruffling the ends of her white-blue shirt sleeves. Emma brushed away some snows from her arms as she walked, her pace slowing slightly.

  I’ll ask the people near the tower... they must know something, she thought, her unique white eyes gleaming faintly under the shadow of her lashes. They have to. And Xin.. yes, Xin Region... I’m sure they’ll know more. I’m sure of it.

  A strange flicker of warmth touched her chest. Not visible, not loud. Just a faint curl of hope. She exhaled softly again, letting it show through her breath rather than her face.

  But at this moment..

  Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

  Her steps slowed.

  Just for a moment, something flashed.

  A light, barely noticeable cut through the gray chilling mist ahead. Not bright, not blinding. Just a flicker, soft and fast, like a pulse. Emma froze mid-step, her breath catching. Her eyes widened slightly, searching the mist again as she stood still, waiting.

  But the light didn’t return immediately.

  Was that... real? Or just another illusion from this cold? she wondered. Her brows knitted, and her fingers curled slightly..

  Just then, beside her, a pair of steps paused too.

  Ron, quiet for nearly the entire climb, tilted his head slightly and looked at her,

  “Something wrong, Emma?” he asked softly, his voice nearly drowned out by the wind.

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