A World Online

02

They fell.

The wind scattered their dark hair.

Jaden wore her goggles; leaving the sleep mask on her head which, in a way, keep her hair in place. She held onto Ella's arm, slowing her fall but dragging her sister faster, down to the ground. She reached for Ella's goggles and helped her wear them, preventing some particles from entering her eyes.

This action caused Ella to lose balance for a moment. Ella immediately spread her arms and feet to balance herself. She increased the frequency of her ability to float, lessening the speed of their fall.

Jaden then climbed on her sister's back and sat, seiza-style, as if riding a flying carpet that's about to land. She looked around, scanning the land from above. Jaden cheered, "It's a whole new world up here!"

Their speed was still too fast, and Ella is at the cap of her ability. If she increases it any further, it could lead to serious problems.

"Jaden," Ella cried, "I hate you!"

"I love you too, sis!" She laughed.

While Jaden was looking around, she found a large port city on the horizon, and a few villages scattered on the way. She looked down to where they were landing and back up. There were three villages near their crashing site. One is near a river, the other on a rocky mountain, and the last one is on a green mountain.

As they continued to fall, the thin oxygen gradually thickens, allowing them to breathe more easily. The temperature gradually got hotter as they drew closer to the ground.

Ella covered her head with her arms, prepared for the impact and pain that never came. When she opened her eyes, she sighed in relief. She was still floating, 10 meters above ground, with Jaden on her back. She floated down and was 3 feet from the ground and whined, "Jay, get off! You're heavy."

"Ah! Sorry." Jaden hopped down, moved her goggles, and helped Ella up.

Ella straightened herself as she removed the goggle over her eyes. Her heart was still beating fast from adrenaline. She heaved as she chased her breath.

Jaden smiled at Ella and cheerfully asked, "It was fun, right?" But was shot with a glare, and Jaden averted her eyes.

Ella knitted her brows and pinched Jaden's side.

"Ow!" Jaden screamed. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry."

It was painful but the pain gradually decreases. Ella's strength weakened by the second. She felt breathless. Her chest felt heavy and tight, prickling her lungs as she breathed. She heaved, struggling to control her breathing. Her head felt light and her eyelids were gaining weight. She staggered and almost fell, but Jaden caught her in her arms.

"Whoa!" Jaden blurted. Her sister's complexion was turning pale, and cold sweat was trailing down her skin. It seems that she pushed her older sister a little too much. She helped her sit down, "Hey, you doing okay?" She asked and froze when she met her glaring eyes.

"Hey, sis," She waved her hand, slowly stepping away from her, "What's up with the murder eyes?"

"Oh, you know what's up," Ella said, breathless.

"If I say sorry again, will you forgive me?"

Ella took a deep breath and was about to speak when a holographic screen appeared in front of them.

|Quest: Reach your chosen city [Aurora City] without your avatar dying.
|Reward: Map, 5 Random Potions

"The reward... Tsk! Cheapskates." Jaden muttered grudgingly.