Shuhua tripped over a large root. The skirt of her nightdress was snagged by something sharp, ripping a part of it.

Just like what her mother instructed her, she ran towards north. After a few hours of zooming past alleyways and houses, she reached the forest surrounding the large royal castle. She decided to go through the part of the forest that is farthest from the castle to lower the chance of bumping into the security.

At first, she thought that it was the best way to reach the borders. But when she was now in the middle of the forest with barely any light, she doubted her choice. This part of the forest was full of large trees blocking out light from the crescent moon. That left her with no other choice but to just feel her way through the forest which was really tough since the roots were huge and winter snow made the way muddy and slippery.

She wasn't even sure if she is going the right way but every time she passed by a bit of an open space, she would look at the direction where she had last seen the castle and decide on which way to go. Also, she could feel the familiar buzzing of magic which signifies that she's nearing the magical border.

Shuhua held on the tree beside her and pulled herself up. She had already slipped a couple of times and she was sure that her pink nightdress was now ruined. The coat her mother gave her was gone, making her vulnerable to the cold weather. Her shoes were also left behind somewhere. She could feel some wounds and scratches all over her body but she did not care. Instead, she let the cold numb those a bit.

The only thing in her mind was to run and find the border. She did not really understand why she has to go but she trusted her parents. Even though her steps are faltering because of fatigue, she did not allow herself to pause even for a moment because if she did, her mind would bring her back to her family. Remembering her family would surely cause her to run back.

She continued going through the forest until she saw some kind of white frosted glass wall. It's glowing on its own faint light. The feel of magic became a bit stronger. It must be the magical border.

Despite all of what she'd been through, she couldn't stop herself from being mesmerized by it. She knew that the magical border is actually like a dome that protects the kingdom. She never knew that it looked like some wall of glass that fades to invisible on its upper edges. It looked fragile but at the same time, the strong buzzing of magic that it emits says otherwise.

As she was slowly nearing it, she heard soft footsteps ahead. She hid herself in the nearest tree and surveyed what's ahead of her.

Because it's still dark, she could only see hints of movement near the wall. She carefully crept towards another tree which was nearer. From there, she got a clearer view of what's ahead.

There is an open distance between the edge of the forest and the wall. It wasn't that long but it's enough to be in danger of being seen. She could also see two royal guards walking together. One is wearing gray uniform and the other one is wearing red.

Shuhua sat down the muddy ground to plan. She had to find the breach in the wall that her mother was talking about. Since it most probably looked like a broken part of the wall, it would be away from the castle. She just doesn't know if it would be on the left side or the right side. She hoped it would be on the right side because that's where she is. But how far is she from it?

She wasn't sure how much time she has left before sunrise but she felt this sense of urgency to make up a complete plan as soon as possible. She decided to open up the rucksack to look for anything useful.

Her heart tightened at the sight of some warm clothes. There were few slices of bread and small jars of medicine. She felt her eyes water at the remembrance of the home she left but she continued going through it. After a while, she finally saw a small map in it.

With the help of the moonlight, she looked at it. Fortunately, it was the map of the kingdom. She recognized the labels as her father's penmanship. He divided places based on the strategical positions of the guards.

She first looked for the castle and searched for where she could be. Then, she tried to find anything that might mark a crack. However, the darkness made it hard.

Her eyes squinted at the dark and found a position with a better lighting. With that, she went through the map again. There were some parts of the border that's circled. She could make out the written label as "weak." According to the map, one normal guard and one magician are stationed near the weak spots. This means that she is near one of the weak spots.

She folded the map and placed it back her bag. She went back to her previous position and surveyed the wall. She stealthily crept back and forth the edge of the forest to calculate the distance being monitored by the guards and to find the breach. It was a small distance that took only about half an hour to go back and forth while walking.

The sky was beginning to brighten up but she hasn't seen any broken part of the wall. She did not even see any kind of door or opening. Is it because of the distance?

Shuhua's heart began to pound harder. The sun is now rising and she has no more time to stall. In a few minutes, the sun will be shining on every dark corner of the forest and perhaps, guards will be searching every inch of the kingdom to find her. All of the things she and her parents had been through will be for nothing.

She spied the guards walking along the borders. Based on their confident strides, it seemed like they weren't expecting any disturbance. However, even though she wait for them to walk past her before running, any noise aside from their footsteps, the wind and the swaying leaves would alert them easily.

She watched them walk past her until she realized the way they were walking. They were walking at the same pace, with the same beat. Their steps were heavy like how most of the guards were. If she were to walk lightly and at the same pace with them, the sound of their steps would drown out hers.

Slowly and carefully, she started walking out of the forest. The sun provides enough light to spot her in this open field. The cold wind blew, biting at her skin. Her heart seemed to be coming off any moment now.

She shut down all her fears and hugged her bag tightly. She fell into the same pace with the guards. With her eyes trained on the two, she walked towards the wall.

Because of the pace she was going, it took her some time before she came near the barrier. The magic is almost tangible in the atmosphere. The energy it emits warm her cold skin. A bit of her anxiety was comforted by the feel of magic.

"You got this, Shuhua," she whispered to herself.

She glanced at the guards and saw them far from her. She has only a few minutes before the guards turn around to walk back from the other side, towards her direction. She knew that because of the sunlight, as soon as they turn around, she would be easily spotted. She needed to find a crack in the border now.

She walked, following the trail of the guards. She was scanning the wall for anything but so far, she found no blemish in it. It was simply a polished frosted glass.

She eyed the guards once more and saw them nearing the end of their area. She has not yet found any crack and she has no more time to look for it.

Taking in a deep breath, she decided to just make a crack herself, which may be possible considering that the border looked some kind of glass. She briskly walked back as far as she could to make her out of the guards' earshot. Without any hesitation, she tried slamming the wall with her already wounded hands.

She bit her lip and restrained herself from hissing in pain. She looked back at the wall and saw nothing, not even a sign of being slammed on. The guards would have turned around by now.

Closing her hands into tight fists, she tried again, only to repeat the same pain earlier. She looked around and found some rocks. She picked up the largest one and hit the wall with it.

Nothing happened.

"Hey!" a guard shouted.

Shuhua did not even glance to the running guards. Instead, desperately, she hit the wall with the rock over and over again. Nothing is happening. The wall was still polished and unblemished.

"Come on," she whispered.

She was losing hope. Everything she did is futile. She could not hide in the forest anymore. The guards are now running towards her and telling her to stop. She threw the rock, with her blood now in it, somewhere and decided to just give up.

"I'm sorry," was all she could mutter. Everything her parents did were washed into the drain. She was going to be captured and brought somewhere. The danger they protected her from found her in a matter of hours.

The wind blew along with her last sliver of hope. She looked down and stared at her hands. There were cuts on it. Some were still fresh from her efforts to break the wall. She watched as blood drip from the deepest wound in her hand.

All of a sudden, she remembered her father. If he were in her position, he would not give up. He may not be one of the guards who could wield magic but he was respected by all. He might not be the strongest but he was persistent. And even earlier, he was holding the door close even though he knew that soon, the guards will break through.

"I trust you," she remembered her mother's words.

Even if she is going to be caught, she should not just stand there and wait. She should hold her ground. She should claw her way out. She should fight even for the slightest bit of hope.

Her parents were brave. What makes her not share the same trait?

With the new found desire to go on, Shuhua slammed the wall with her hands. She did not care if her blood splayed on the wall. She did not care if she would win or not. She just needed to fight.

"Break, will you?!" She shouted in frustration as the guards neared her.

Just as she said that, the smeared blood on the wall glowed. After a second, the wall shattered.

Without thinking, she went out of the border and ran as fast as she could.