[Ding! Mate Bond stabilized. Warning: Wang's suspicion regarding the kidnapping is rising. He is currently cross-referencing the scents he found at the village.]
Wang picked her up in a bridal carry, his grip firm and unyielding. He didn't look at the mountain path; he looked toward the direction of the Leopard Tribe's settlement.
"We are going back," he said, his voice dropping into that low, dangerous register she had learned to recognize. "Kael told me he was hit from behind. He didn't see who did it. But I found a scent, Wan'er. A scent that doesn't belong to a rogue scorpion. It was bitter... like a female who has spent too long seeking what isn't hers."
Lin Wan shivered against his chest. She remembered the "sharp, familiar voice" she had heard while unconscious—the one that had ordered her to be dumped in the ravine.
"Wang... when I was waking up... I heard someone. A female. She told the rogue to take me to the Black Thistle Ravine so the 'feral ones' could have me."
Wang's entire body went cold. The growl that started in his chest was so low it was almost subsonic. He didn't need a name. He already knew.
"Mei Xiu," he whispered, and the name sounded like a death sentence. "She thought the chaos of the raid would hide her tracks. She thought the scorpions would do her dirty work."
He tightened his grip on Lin Wan, his eyes fixed on the distant fires of the village. "She will learn that a leopard does not forgive a threat to his mate. And she will learn it before the moon sets."
The rhythmic, powerful jolt of Wang's stride was the only thing grounding Lin Wan as the mountain peaks blurred past them. She was wrapped tightly in his heavy silver-leopard hide, his arms a cage of steel around her. He wasn't talking; the silence of a hunting predator had fully claimed him, his mind clearly fixed on the looming confrontation with Mei Xiu.
Lin Wan leaned her head against his shoulder, her mind finally having a moment to breathe.
Weiwei, she thought, the mental call feeling heavier than usual. You've been quiet since the mountain base. Are we safe?
[Safety is a relative term, Host,] the voice replied. But the tone was different. The usual bright, bouncy cheerfulness had faded into something more solemn—more mechanical. [Your life signatures are stable. Your mate's protective pheromones are at 99%. However, I must inform you that our communication will be limited from this point forward.]
Lin Wan's heart skipped. What do you mean, limited? You're in my head! Are you leaving?
[Not leaving, Host. But the system's initial 'Newcomer Protection Period' has ended. You have successfully integrated, survived a rogue attack, and healed a High Guardian. You are no longer a 'visitor.' You are now a part of the fabric of the Beast Continent. From now on, I will only appear when summoned or for major mission updates. You must find your own way now.]
A cold wave of realization washed over Lin Wan. The "game" was over. This was her life. Weiwei, wait. If this is my life... what about my home? What about Earth? You said I was here for a mission. When do I get to go back to my own land?
There was a pause. A long, heavy silence that made the wind whistling past Wang's fur sound even lonelier.
[It may not be possible for Host to return, Lin Wan.]
The use of her name, rather than "Host," hit her like a physical blow. What? Why? You dragged me here! There has to be a way back!
[Your arrival through the Convergence Pool happened under incredibly rare atmospheric and spiritual circumstances—a rift that was never meant to open. Unless those exact circumstances occur again, which is statistically improbable within your current lifespan, you cannot return home.]
Then make them happen! Lin Wan's internal voice was rising in panic. Tell me what I need to do!
[I cannot tell you that, Lin Wan. I am not permitted. You are not yet powerful enough to know the secrets of this world's core. If I were to reveal the mechanics of the Convergence Rifts now, the knowledge would cause irreversible problems—for your mind, and for the stability of this realm.]
Lin Wan felt a lump in her throat. She looked at the strange, beautiful trees and the bronze-skinned warrior carrying her. It was interesting, yes. It was magical. But it wasn't her home. She felt like a bird in a very beautiful, very dangerous cage.
[As I recede into the background, I will leave you with this,] Weiwei continued, a final flicker of the old warmth returning to her voice. [The only way to reach the ears of the Masters of this Realm—the Beast Gods—is through greatness. Develop this world. Solve the issues that plague these tribes—the famine, the illness, the war. If you become a beacon of change for the Beast Continent, the Beast Gods may grant you Three Wishes. Perhaps, then, one of those wishes could be a bridge back to your home.]
Three wishes... Lin Wan whispered in her mind. I have to fix a whole world just to get a ticket home?
[You are a transmigrant, Lin Wan. You carry knowledge they don't have. Use it. Live well.]
The voice faded, pulling back into a quiet corner of her consciousness until it was nothing more than a faint hum. Lin Wan felt suddenly, terrifyingly alone, even with Wang's arms around her.
She tightened her grip on Wang's hide tunic, her eyes hardening as the fires of the Leopard settlement appeared on the horizon.
Fine, she thought, a new, fierce resolve settling in her chest. If I have to be the savior of this world to get home, then I'll be the best one they've ever seen. And I'm starting with Mei Xiu.
Wang felt her body go tense and sharp in his arms. He looked down, surprised to see the fiery look in her eyes. "Wan'er? Are you in pain?"
"No," Lin Wan said, her voice like steel. "I'm just ready. Wang, when we get to the center of the tribe, don't go to our cave. Go to the Chief's Dwelling. I want everyone to see us arrive."
Wang's amber eyes flared with approval. He didn't know what had changed in her during the descent, but he liked the fire. "As my mate wishes," he growled.