Yu Holea gritted her teeth and pushed everything she had into her core.
Power surged through her, a glowing circle of mystic energy forming beneath her feet.
Sparks snapped in the air, her hair whipping around her face.
"You're not taking her!" she shouted.
The mist shrieked, twisting violently.
A beam of energy burst from Yu Holea's hands and slammed into the mist, disrupting the pull. The resistance was crushing, like pushing back an avalanche.
She fought for every inch.
Until, finally…
The mist cracked.
And then shattered into pieces, vanishing into the air.
Yu Holea collapsed to her knees, panting.
The room was silent again.
Yu Mei—gone.
And in her arms, Ou Xiaoxiao's body rested, unconscious but safe.
Yu Holea looked down, brushing Xiaoxiao's hair from her face. Her lips were tight. Her body trembled from the strain.
"We were close," she whispered. "So close."
She looked toward the place where Yu Mei had vanished.
Her expression turned grim.
