The weight above her hands was too much.
It didn't just drag—it lurched, the way a bucket tilts when it's too full. The sphere trembled hard enough that her elbows nearly buckled. Water churned inside it in uneven rolls, sloshing against the loose shape she barely held together.
It was bigger than she expected.
Almost as big as she was.
The strain crawled down her arms and into her ribs, each second feeling like her body was warning her she'd already crossed her limit.
Then, the mass wobbled again.
She felt the shift—the exact moment before control slips, and if she hesitated, even for a second, it would collapse straight over her.
So she didn't wait.
Yao Yao tipped her arms forward and pushed with everything she had left.
The weight lurched from her hands like a released stone and flew toward the beast. It unraveled mid-air, falling into a single heavy sheet—nothing like what Kaireth had shown her, just size and momentum in one overwhelming drop. It crashed over the beast's head, spilling down its face and wings before flooding across the floor.
The beast jerked its head up with a sharp, startled cry. It shook once, sending droplets scattering through the chamber.
Yao Yao ran the moment the weight left her. Her boots skidded across the soaked stone, slipping twice before finding enough grip to carry her forward.
The beast's wings snapped open, and a second spray of water scattered through the air. The gust that followed wasn't as strong as earlier—the soaked feathers dragged—but even dulled, it hit her hard enough that her steps buckled.
She caught herself on the next stride and lifted whatever magic she could still reach. It had no shape now—just instinct gathering the last of what she had left. She scooped the water together and flung it toward where she guessed its eyes would be.
The splash burst upward beneath its beak. Most of it hit lower, but stray droplets arced high enough to sting its eyes.
The beast jerked its head back, blinking hard.
For the first time, it looked awake.
After nearly an hour of harmless splashes, it had grown sluggish—half-asleep from boredom. And the clumsy force behind this one carried was enough to break through that drowsiness.
Yao Yao pushed herself upright and kept running, not wasting a single moment.
The beast recovered instantly. Its head whipped toward her, water trailing from its feathers. Their gazes met for a single, sharp heartbeat as she passed the midpoint of the chamber—her chest heaving, its eyes narrowing in rising fury.
This time its entire posture changed.
No more half-hearted movements. Its body pulled taut, wings lifting despite the water still trapped in its feathers. A low growl rose from deep in its chest, vibrating through the chamber walls.
Then its claw swept toward her in a clean, decisive arc.
She caught only the edge of the motion—the flash of it—and her pupils widened.
Behind her, Kaireth shifted—one foot already leaving the ground, eyes sharpening, ready to intervene the moment the beast crossed the line from restraint into true intent.
But Yao Yao moved first.
It was raw instinct. Pure survival firing through her body faster than thought.
Both of her hands shot upward, fingers locking into a shape before she even understood what she was doing. Index fingers pointed outward, thumbs lifted like makeshift triggers, the rest curled tight—forming the outline her mind seized in a flash.
A gun.
Not a real one—but the bright plastic water guns she used to carry around on long summer days in her old world. The kind that fired the instant she pressed, simple and direct, no structure or shape required.
Just aim… and the stream would go exactly where she wanted.
Her magic surged the moment the image took hold, rushing to her fingertips with a clarity she had never felt.
A sharp burst shot from her index finger.
It wasn't powerful or well-aimed. But it struck the beast's eyelid at the exact moment its claw should have reached her shoulder.
She braced for pain—fabric tearing, skin splitting—but something else reacted first. Her sleeve puffed outward in a sudden swell, hardening instantly to meet the blow. The claws scraped across it with a metallic drag before glancing off.
Yao Yao blinked, startled as the fabric tightened around her arm before settling back into its usual softness. Rui had said the dress would protect her, but watching it react on its own still rattled her.
She didn't stay still.
Both hands lifted again, fingers locking into the childish shape with more certainty. Magic dragged up her arms in a heavy pull, breath wobbling through her throat as she forced it toward her fingertips.
A narrow jet shot from her left hand this time, cutting straight for the beast's left eye. It dodged at the last instant, and the stream scraped across its cheek.
She shifted at once. Her right hand lifted in the same breath, firing toward where she expected it to dodge next.
Another miss.
But the magic hadn't left her.
Another pulse gathered as she raised her right hand a touch higher—barely an inch, just enough to chase where she thought its eye would be.
This time, it hit.
The stream struck the beast's right eye sharply. It recoiled with a furious cry, wings flaring wide as the ground trembled beneath its staggered steps.
Yao Yao gasped, lungs burning.
The door was right there behind her. She didn't even have to look to know how close she was.
But the beast took flight before she could conjure another stream. It rose quickly, wings spreading wide before sweeping down in a violent force.
The gust slammed into her and lifted her off the ground, hurling her into the far wall. Her dress puffed up on impact, catching her like a padded shield, but the shock still ran through her limbs as she fell to her hands and knees.
She barely caught a breath before the air around the beast changed.
It moved its claw, pulling the wind with it. A moment later, the wind snapped free.
A sharp crack split the stone beside her. Another line tore across the floor toward her hand—and then something thin grazed her cheek, warm blood sliding down her jaw.
Yao Yao flinched, arms rising to shield her face. Another slice swept across her back. The dress hardened to block it, but her exposed skin burned, shallow cuts opening along her forearms.
The wind wasn't pushing anymore.
It was cutting.
The door was to her right. That was all that mattered.
So she grit her teeth and crawled.
The wind clawed at her back, tugging at her clothes, trying to peel her upward. She pressed her chest low, palms dragging along the floor like she was pushing through a current that wanted her off the ground.
Her breath stuttered, tears already slipping from the sting on her cheek and the dust whipping through the air.
And before the next blade could touch her—
Kaireth moved.
His eyes narrowed. With a sharp flick of his hand, the water on the floor rushed toward her. It gathered fast and rose around her, closing into a sphere. The surface sealed tight, water holding firm with a pocket of air at its center where she knelt.
A blade-wind struck the sphere and skidded off, splitting it briefly, but the barrier closed again as soon as the strike passed.
Yao Yao turned toward him without thinking. The beast followed her movement and swung toward Kaireth, sending another blade slicing through the air. A thin glint ran along its edge. Kaireth lifted his arm and broke it apart effortlessly.
Inside the sphere, everything eased. The wind no longer tore at her face, and the dust that had blinded her thinned enough that she could breathe without choking.
She leaned forward on her hands and crawled. The sphere shifted with her—gliding around each small movement she made.
The door was only an arm's length away now.
She reached out, fingers shaking as they brushed the cold surface—then pushed.
The door cracked open, and a burst of light spilled through, bright enough to make her squint and turn her face away.
Only then did she look back.
The beast's claws were already above her, coming down with full intent, ready to tear through whatever stood between them.
The water barrier broke apart the instant before the claws hit. The water rose in a rush, twisting upward until it tightened into a spiraling funnel above her head and shot straight at the beast.
The impact drove the creature backward. Its wings flared wide as it tried to brace, claws dragging deep through the stone. The funnel kept pressing, forcing its body across the chamber while a harsh, furious cry tore out of its throat.
And the wind returned the moment she was exposed again. Dust whipped across her face, stinging her eyes, tugging her hair across her cheek. She lifted an arm to block it, blinking hard as she tried to see through it.
Through the mess of wind and dust, Kaireth finally came into view. One arm was still raised toward the beast, water pulling around him in thin, uneven lines. The wind tore at his hair and clothes, but he didn't waver.
And his eyes were on her.
His expression was hard to read, but through the chaos, something in that one silent look told her everything she needed.
Go.
Yao Yao turned at once, fingers catching the doorframe as the light surged up around her, bright enough that she had to close her eyes.
She took in a breath—and leapt.