The fog was moving unnaturally, slowly approaching Myrra while she was busy trying to break into the dome.

Fuck, that's not good.

I tried everything. Throwing myself at the barrier, jumping at it, striking it. Nothing worked.

A few seconds later, Myrra stopped, looked left and right, took one step backward, and closed her eyes.

What the hell is she doing? With that suspicious fog behind her too. Shit.

Then, she opened her eyes, a focused look on her face. Her eyes were... glowing. A golden glimmer swam in them.

Her irises moved around at an insane speed, seemingly evaluating every inch of the invisible barrier. She grabbed the supply bag I had left behind and, with the stick still in her hands, started running at the edge of the barrier, circling it again.

"Wait!" I yelled in surprise.

I ran to keep up with her from the inside, still not understanding what she was up to. In the middle of running, however, something caught her attention, and she looked left toward the forest.

She had realized something was wrong with the fog. One second later, she resumed her running, even faster this time. I almost couldn't keep up with her. How the heck is she this fast? Wasn't she stumbling like a drunkard three hours ago?

All of a sudden, she stopped and, with the stick, started frantically digging a hole right at the edge of the barrier. She looked behind her once and increased her pace.

I looked around the inside, trying to see if there was something I could do to help. "Uhhh, fuck..."

Glancing back and forth at her and then at the antenna, I decided to sprint to the huge metal pole in the middle. Maybe there was a configuration, an option to let her in or something.

Getting to the foot of the antenna, I looked at it. It seemed made of metal, but it was smooth, with nothing to it other than some thin lines and a small indentation at shoulder height.

I looked at the blue marble in my hand and back at the pole. Should I...

It was awfully convenient that this tiny sphere appeared to be a perfect fit for the single irregularity in the pole. Hesitating only for a moment, I stepped closer and inserted the marble into the socket. I approached the socket and inserted the marble.

One second later it shone blue, and marble hovered above the socket, as if magnetized, gently spinning.

A cold metallic voice resounded: "Martha Narumio, Chief Researcher #03," surprising me.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

A piece of grassy ground opened up, like a trapdoor, revealing stairs going down. What the hell? I don't have time for this.

Looking back at the edge of the barrier, Myrra had just stopped digging, the fog getting closer.

"Myrra?" I yelled, "Can you hear me? HEY!" I ran back to her and banged on the dome, trying to see if it had opened. Shit, it's still solid.

She took off her necklace and deposited all the powder in the superficial hole she had made. Next, she opened the supply bag and got the other pouch. Oh shit.

I distanced myself from the barrier. Let's hope this works.

The fog kept approaching her, now getting taller, eager to engulf her.

The two powders mixed, and she grabbed the stick and pressed one end of it into the barrier. The thing started smoldering, and soon there were some tiny embers on it. Her eyes glowed again with golden light, and the end of the stick almost ignited. The fog was upon her now.

She looked behind her, brandished her arm to disperse some of the fog unsuccessfully, and took some distance from the barrier, disappearing inside the fog. Fuck.

Then a pair of floating golden orbs appeared inside the mist, and something flew at the hole she had dug. A burning stick.

'BOOM'

A huge explosion resounded, the sound trespassing even to the inside of the barrier, followed by an agonizing wail of something. A large section of the dome flickered with a pale, transparent light, like static on an old screen.

To my desperation, fog began seeping into the barrier, creeping closer. If that thing got inside, I’d be completely trapped.

"MYRRA?!" I screamed, "Where are you?"

Out of nowhere, something came hurtling through the fog, crashing hard against the ground. I rushed toward it, frantically waving my hand to clear the dense mist.

There, all burned, face full of soot, coughing, bleeding, and with parts of her body grey and discolored, Myrra lay, alive.

"Holy shit," I looked back at the barrier. The fog had stopped entering, with what little had gotten inside dispersing completely. Thank God.

"Hey, Myrra, hey," I went to her, "You are fine; it's safe." Her caramel-colored eyes darted around, worriedly taking in the scene before they softened.

"Oh," she murmured, letting her head fall back in my arms, "Vidya mor."

"What is that fog?" I asked, looking at the mist surrounding the dome. It seemed to be retreating, albeit slowly.

"Dunno," she said tiredly.

I nodded and examined her. We could talk about that later. "Are you fine? You don't look fine."

There was blood on her nose, and her face was filthy with dirt and soot. Her hand was grey and dehydrated as if it had the life sucked out of it. She also seemed burned in some areas.

She let out a weak laugh. "Hah—hah—" Her laugh turned into a fit of coughing.

"...What?" I stared at her, baffled.

Why the fuck was she laughing?

Then it hit me. I was completely clueless about what was possible—and what wasn’t—in this place. The realization sent a chill down my spine. My face paled, and my heart sank.

Is she possessed? Please, don’t tell me she’s possessed.

"Nnnnn, nothing. Just happy we alive," she said, sounding sleepy.

Huh, alright then...

It happened sometimes. Giggling and laughing were ways to deal with stress, after all. Everyone coped differently.

"Will you need more cores?" I asked her. She definitely looked like she would need more cores — well... and extensive medical assistance.

She nodded, "Ya... Dibietri."

"Dibietri?"

"Uhhh... Sorry."

"Ah." I said quickly, "No, it's okay."

New word for my mental dictionary. Actually, now that I think about it, I didn’t even know the name of her language. I’d have to ask her later.

"You think the beasts can enter this dome?" I asked, glancing toward the forest. "I mean, you managed to get in. Actually, how exactly did you—"

I turned back to her mid-sentence, only to notice her eyes were closed.

"You are sleeping, aren't you?"

"..."

Yeah, she was.

"God damn it!"