Han Yu flew through the forest for nearly an hour, the wind roaring past his ears like the cries of a hundred furious ghosts.
His body trembled from the exertion, his legs tense as he stabilized himself on the shaft of his halberd. Every beat of his heart felt like thunder in his chest, every breath came out as ragged gasps. The air around him was cold and sharp, slicing against his face as he pushed the halberd faster and faster, soaring above the endless sea of trees that stretched below.
He had no idea where he was going.
The forest below was an unbroken maze of green and black, the horizon shrouded by the thick, illusory mist that seemed to swallow all light. Even the false stars above, pale and distant, looked like they were watching him flee in mockery.
His vision blurred at times, not from speed, but from exhaustion and fear. The only thing that kept him from crashing was the sheer instinct to survive.
Han Yu's Qi was draining faster than he had ever felt before.
