Minutes had passed since the Hamtile had drifted away, leaving the fruit behind. Emma, Liz, Dan, Ron, and Jett had finally reached the other end of the deep blue sea and stepped onto the snowy land.

  Liz let out a long breath, her shoulders sinking as though she had been holding it for hours.

  “Finally…” she whispered, though inside, her thoughts swirled with relief. I thought I was going to drown. Warmth welled in her chest from simply standing on firm ground again.

  Emma, who had been holding Liz’s hand during their crossing, released it the moment they stepped ashore, since there wasn't any need of holding hands with Liz anymore as they've left the deep blue sea

  Hearing Liz’s sigh of relief, Emma allowed herself a small smile. Then her gaze drifted forward, to the land that awaited them.

  Snow stretched endlessly before her, a quiet white blanket swallowing everything in sight. The flakes still fell, soft and unhurried, each one catching the pale, muted light. The sky above was neither bright nor fully dark, an in-between shade that hinted at evening drawing near. The air felt hushed, as if the land itself demanded silence, and yet the snowfall gave just enough clarity to see faint shapes in the distance.

  A deep sigh slipped from Emma’s lips, vanishing into the cold air. Without a word, the group pressed forward.

  Jett led at the front, her long light-brown coat swaying with each step. Ron walked close at her side, his movements calm and steady. Behind them trailed Liz, Dan, and Emma. Together, they pushed on toward the direction of the Xin Region.

  The crunch of their boots against the snow was steady, rhythmic. Frost clung to their coats, and their breaths came out in pale clouds, rising and dissolving into the white evening air.

  As Emma walked, she felt a gentle tug of presence beside her. Liz turned slightly, her emerald-green eyes flickering towards Emma as she spoke softly, her voice carrying just enough to reach her companion.

  “Emma.”

  Emma turned her head, calm and unhurried, silver-white hair brushing against the fur of her coat collar.

  Liz hesitated for a heartbeat, then adjusted the folds of her long ash coat, tugging it closer around her shoulders.

  “I… have something in mind that I’ve been meaning to ask.” Her words carried a weight of uncertainty, yet also curiosity. She paused, fingers curling lightly at the edge of her sleeves, as if unsure how to frame the thought.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Emma’s expression softened, patient.

  “Go on,” she answered. Her voice was steady, the faintest edge of warmth in it. “I would like to hear.”

  Liz’s lips curved into a small, grateful smile. Then, after a brief pause , she finally asked:

  “Did you travel to this fruit alone? Or… was there someone with you? Maybe a family member… or something?”

  The question slipped out almost calmly, yet it lingered in the air like mist.

  Anyone who saw Emma.. so young in appearance, traveling through different fruits of narratives, might have asked the same. For dangers always hid around, and not all of them could be escaped.

  When Emma heard Liz's question, her lips curved faintly into a smile. “Yes, I traveled here alone,” Emma replied softly, her tone calm like water smoothing over stone.

  Liz gave a slow nod, her emerald eyes observing Emma for a moment longer before glancing away. “Alright,” she said, voice even, as if to confirm she herself had no more questions to press. She knew better than to prod further; and she also don't want to ask unnecessary questions that'll make Emma feel uncomfortable when answering..

  The silence returned, broken only by the Crunch!! Crunch!! of their boots biting into the frozen ground.

  It was Jett who spoke next, her voice sharp. “We’re almost close.”

  Emma, her head lowered, had been staring at her own footsteps marking the snow. The rhythm of her boots seemed like a heartbeat against the stillness of the icy expanse. At Jett’s words, she lifted her gaze, her breath catching slightly as her eyes fixed on the horizon.

  There it stood.

  A frost wall, towering and magnificent, glimmering faintly beneath the pale light. Its surface shimmered with frozen luminescence, like crystallized greater stars etched into its span. It wrapped itself around Xin Region, concealing what lay within. The world behind it could not be seen, but the wall itself told enough, it was a shield, beautiful and impenetrable, alive with a cold majesty that demanded reverence.

  Emma’s eyes widened as a faint light returned to them. Her chest rose, her breath quickened. At last, after almost two endless days of trudging through snow.. Xin Region was before her.

  A joy welled within her so bright she almost let it escape aloud. She swallowed it, holding it inside, though inwardly her heart screamed out with uncontainable relief. The weight pressing on her seemed to loosen, the world ahead of her finally opening.

  But just as that fragile flame of happiness lit within her..

  Her expression faltered.

  A shiver, not of cold but of intrusion, slid across her skin. The smile vanished from her lips as her brows knit tightly. Her unique white eyes, partly lidded moments ago, now sharpened.

  Someone… is trying to manipulate my existence again, Emma thought, her lips pressing into a thin line.

  She wasn’t the only one who felt it.

  Dan’s footsteps halted first, his presence stilled. Liz’s steps halted also, her emerald eyes narrowing with anger. Ron becane alert as he shifted closer to his sister. Jett’s boots dug deeper into the snow, steady yet alert,

  Liz’s voice broke through, sharp with restrained fury. “It’s that damn Eradicator again. And its main body isn’t even in this fruit.”

  Jett's gaze drifted toward Xin Region, as she added flatly, “That’s if it even has a true body.” Her eyes slid briefly toward Ron beside her. He stood calm but too still, as though fighting against a trembling that wanted to reach him.

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