Xiao Ming held the small green stone in his palm, looking at it with a mixture of wonder and worry.
It looked like a simple pebble one might find at the bottom of a clear stream, but it felt like holding a piece of solid ice.
The surface was ice-cold, making his fingers tingle with a numb sensation.
As he concentrated, he could feel the air around the stone bending and shimmering. It was like looking at a road on a very hot summer day where the heat makes everything look wavy.
These were spatial fluctuations, a sign that the stone held the power to warp the very fabric of the world.
He was standing on the edge of a cliff, and he knew that shattering this stone was his only way down.
Nearby, the Frost Demon Wyrm's soul form stood as still as a statue. Her golden eyes were fixed on the stone, and her brow was pinched together in a deep frown.
