I was flying, Chen Wei holding me in some kind of tunnel. Weird, flickering lights danced all around. The air felt off, my head spinning.

  I glanced at them both. Chen Wei—her school uniform was gone, replaced by a pale jade robe. She looked… different. Calm. Untouchable.

  And then Liu Hao… my brain froze. "Shit… she's a girl?" A crimson tunic floating beside me. Not the same person I knew from school.

  I looked down at myself. "Oh… I didn't change." Same old hoodie, uniform underneath.

  Chen Wei's eyes met mine. My heart skipped. She was… prettier than before.

  We went deeper into the tunnel. A crack opened from the side, big enough for the three of us. Chen Wei and Liu Hao floated toward it, and I followed, though my legs felt like lead.

  The light was blinding at first. I had to squint, shielding my eyes. And then… it faded. All I could see were trees, animals, the soft rustle of leaves.

  I swallowed hard. "Where… are we?" I asked Chen Wei.

  She glanced at me, calm as ever. "Mount Wulang. We need to stay hidden for a while."

  I didn't know what to think. None of this made sense. I wasn't part of their world, and somehow… the two of them had dragged me along, like I was some kind of hostage. At school one minute, and now… here.

  My body was shaking. I tried to confront them, to say something, but before I could, an extreme pressure slammed into me, forcing me to my knees.

  "Don't think about it, kid…" Liu Hao's voice echoed in my head, sharp and commanding, his finger pointing at me.

  I sank lower, like something invisible was pressing me down from above. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe properly—everything in me screamed to resist, but I couldn't.

  Then Chen Wei's calm voice cut through the chaos. "Enough."

  Just like that, the pressure vanished. My knees were free, my chest no longer crushed. I blinked, trying to process it.

  Chen Wei's voice was calm, almost gentle. "This is the safest way. If the government finds us… who knows what could happen."

  I tried to reason with her. "But I'm not part of this. You two dragged me down here—"

  Liu Hao laughed, loud and sharp. "You're not? Hahaha… do you think you're not?"

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  I looked at Chen Wei, completely lost. I didn't know what he was talking about. All I knew was… I was just a hostage here.

  "So… why am I here?" I asked, voice shaky.

  Chen Wei's eyes softened a little. "You're here because, like us… you have Qi. Only you, and her, in this world. And… someone you know."

  The word hit me like a boom in my head. Qi? My ears rang. I couldn't help it—I laughed, sharp and bitter. "Qi? My ass… what are you, some kind of cultivator? Xenxia-type shit?"

  Before I could recover, a hard palm slammed into my cheek, swelling it instantly.

  "Do you think you can talk to a young lady like that?" Liu Hao's voice cut through, calm but deadly serious.

  Chen Wei reached out and gently patted my shoulder. She seemed to understand why I said what I did.

  "It's okay… for now," she said softly. "You're part of us, so… don't think about running away."

  I shook as I listened, a mix of fear and reluctant acceptance settling in. Maybe… I really had nowhere to go.

  Tears pricked my eyes. All I could think about was my mother—what she'd do if she knew where I was, or if I ever got back to her.

  After four hours of walking along the side of Mount Wulang, we finally stopped.

  In front of us, a massive rock blocked the mountain path. It wasn't just a boulder—it felt like a wall, impossible to climb.

  Chen Wei and Liu Hao stood before it. Calm, focused.

  Without a word, they began throwing small, glowing flags into the air. Each flag seemed to spin, leaving streaks of light.

  Then… something incredible happened. A large circle appeared on the surface of the rock, glowing with intricate lines and symbols. A diagram, alive and visible, etched itself across the stone.

  I stepped back, eyes wide. My chest tightened. Magic… or Qi… or something far beyond anything I'd ever seen.

  I couldn't help myself. I had to ask. "What… what are you doing?"

  Liu Hao glanced at me, a faint smirk on his face. "It's a prohibition."

  I frowned. "A… prohibition? What does that mean?"

  Chen Wei gave a small, knowing smile. "Let's make it simple. It's like a lock screen on your phone. And now… we're using the password to unlock it."

  I blinked, trying to process it. A lock… a password… on a rock? My mind spun. This was way beyond anything I'd ever seen.

  "Okay… sisters," I asked, heart racing, "if you unlock it… will it float?"

  Liu Hao's face twisted in disgust. "Please… shut up. I don't want to hear your voice. Are you ready, young lady?"

  I went silent, swallowing my words, and watched as they worked.

  The pattern on the rock began to rotate, glowing lines shifting, one by one. Slowly… an entrance appeared, dark and yawning.

  Chen Wei gestured toward it. "Let's go."

  I hesitated for a second, my stomach twisting, then followed them into the unknown.

  As we stepped into the passage, darkness swallowed everything. I could barely see my own hands.

  Liu Hao waved her hand, and a stone appeared, glowing brightly in her palm. It was like a small flashlight… but better, sharper, almost alive.

  All I could see were stone walls, scattered bones, and a rat scurrying by. The smell made me grimace, but I didn't dare complain.

  As we went deeper, the scenery slowly changed. The dungeon-like walls shifted into something older, grander… an ancient ruin.

  I blinked, my mind racing. Mia had shown me a history video once… and the walls, the inscriptions… they matched exactly.

  They stopped walking. Chen Wei looked at me calmly. "Okay, we'll stay here for now. You don't need to worry."

  We sank down onto the cold stone floor. My heart was still racing, my mind spinning with thoughts I didn't understand. Yet… I had nowhere to go. I was stuck here, with them, in this strange world.