The wind had just died down, and a thin layer of ice had formed over the snow. Chen Wuya rose to his feet and flexed his wrist. The Misaligned Force within him flowed steadily now, no longer carrying that tearing pain. He glanced at Bai Zhi. She was using her sword to slowly push herself upright, her face still pale, but her gaze unwavering.
Mo Feng slung on his backpack. A crack ran across the screen of the mechanism case, yet the points of light were still flickering. He lowered his head to scan the data, and his brow furrowed.
"Let's go," Chen Wuya said.
The three of them trudged onward over the hardened snow. Their footsteps were faint, each step pressing out a shallow hollow that the wind soon smoothed away. A faint green glow spread across the distant horizon, drifting through the clouds like ripples in water.
"Is that an aurora?" Bai Zhi asked.
Mo Feng did not answer. He stared at the mechanism screen as its readings suddenly surged upward. Raising a hand, he pressed the small receiver by his ear. It gave a beep.
"The system's reacting," he said. "A high-dimensional energy fluctuation has been detected. Recommend detouring."
Chen Wuya stopped.
"What is it?" Bai Zhi turned toward him.
"It isn't a natural phenomenon." Mo Feng's voice dropped. "There's something in that light. Its frequency is wrong. It's moving, like it... has consciousness."
Chen Wuya narrowed his eyes at the sky. The green light flickered between bright and dim, drifting slowly, yet it continued in the same direction they were traveling.
"The Misaligned Force feels a little hot," he said.
Bai Zhi immediately moved half a step closer. "Something feels wrong?"
"It doesn't hurt. It's... resonance." He raised his hand, palm up. Beneath his skin, blue