Kael lay near the fire, wrapped in a thick fur blanket. His sword rested beside him, its dark blade reflecting the soft glow of the flas. His eyes were closed, his breath steady, as if he were deep in sleep.
But suddenly, his eyes flickered open. A slow smile crept onto his lips.
"Yooo!It seems I have so toys to play with."
.....
At the finest hour before dawn, shadows moved across the snow. A group of cloaked figures walked carefully, their steps light to avoid making noise. Their eyes scanned the area, sharp and cautious.
"See, I told you... there are humans nearby," one of them whispered.
"This doesn’t make sense," another murmured, looking at the camp. "They might be scouts who got stuck here."
"Now what should we do?"
"We should alert the others. They’re too strong for us to handle alone."
"Yeah, you’re right—"
The man speaking stopped mid-sentence. His body tensed, his breath caught in his throat. The others noticed and turned quickly.
A figure stood behind them.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, with a black sword resting casually on his shoulder. His eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.
The man took a mont to react.The first man lunged, drawing his dagger in desperation.
Kael moved faster. His sword flashed, and the man’s arm flew into the air, severed cleanly. Blood sprayed across the snow. The man barely had ti to scream before Kael’s sword pierced through his chest.
The second cloaked figure tried to strike from behind. Kael twisted his body, dodging effortlessly. He grabbed the man’s wrist and snapped it with a sickening crack. The dagger dropped, but before it could hit the ground, Kael shoved his sword through the attacker’s stomach and kicked him aside.
The third and fourth n tried to retreat. Kael was faster. He dashed forward, his blade slicing the throat of one, sending a crimson arc into the cold air. The last man turned to run, but a sharp pain froze him in place. Kael’s sword had pierced through his back, straight through his heart.
The bodies dropped into the snow, staining it red. Kael exhaled, wiping the blood from his blade. A strange glow pulsed through his arm as he absorbed their essence. Warmth spread through his body, his strength surging slightly.
He licked his lips and scoffed"Pathetic."
"Are such groups of weaklings causing the troubles," Kael shook his head and decided to wake up everyone.
....
The campfire crackled softly, casting flickering shadows on the snow. Kael stood near the flas, his black sword still stained with blood. The others were now awake, their eyes sharp with concern. Albert rubbed his temples, his breath visible in the cold air.
"This doesn’t look good," Albert muttered. "If there were scouts here, that ans there’s a much bigger group nearby. And if they’re guarding the mine, we might be walking straight into a trap."
Gregor frowned. "Sothing doesn’t add up. Monsters attack this area all the ti. How is a large group managing to survive here without getting wiped out? Either they have a safe spot, or they know how to avoid the beasts."
Kael remained silent, thinking. His eyes narrowed, deep in thought. Then, he spoke. "It’s risky... so let go alone. I’ll disguise myself as one of them and move ahead."
Albert’s expression darkened. "That’s insane. What if they find out?"
Kael smirked. "Then I’ll make sure they don’t live long enough to report it."
Albert sighed in frustration but knew arguing was pointless. Gregor exchanged a glance with him before nodding.
"We’ll alert the troops," Gregor said.
Kael didn’t wait for further discussion. He knelt down, stripping a cloak from one of the fallen n. It was tattered and stained, but it would do.
Wrapping it around himself, he adjusted the hood and covered his face.
After ripping everyone, he found sothing strange.
"Huh...A serpent tattoo.."Albert gasped in shock.
"Isn’t that an evil group,"Finn and Justina spoke at the sa ti.
Gregor crunched his brows and asked, "How did they end up here when the fortress had been guarding the passage."
"That’s not the only pass," Albert said.
"You should go and alert them. Lyria also goes with them."Kael ordered while bending down to grab the corpses and butcher them.
"You!!"Albert and others gasped in shock at the sudden display of cruelty out of nowhere.
Then without another Kael turned and walked into the darkness, vanishing into the snow before they could ask anything.The others watched him go, a heavy sigh escaping their lips.
......
Kael moved sneakily and found many appearances hiding around. It’s as if they are guarding against it.
Doubts that had arisen before slowly found their marks.
Kael stepped forward, his boots sinking slightly into the thick snow as he reached the crest of a frozen ridge. His breath ca out in soft puffs, and his sharp eyes scanned the sight before him.
The mana crystal mines stretched across the land like an ancient, forgotten ruin. Jagged ice walls, towering like the ribs of a long-dead beast, surrounded the area, shimring under the faint glow of the aurora above. The ground was a vast, frozen field, glistening with frost, reflecting the eerie blue light of mana crystals embedded deep within the ice.
A small town stood at the base of the mines, its wooden houses still intact, roofs heavy with snow. The structures bore no signs of destruction—no broken doors, no claw marks, no blood. It was as if ti had frozen them in a perfect state of abandonnt.
But the place was not empty.
A low, rumbling growl echoed through the frozen air, sending a chill through Kael’s spine that had nothing to do with the cold. Shadows shifted in the mist, massive figures moving between the ice pillars. The guardians of this forsaken land had not left.
Ice Titans and towering beasts with bodies sculpted from pure ice, their eyes glowing with an otherworldly blue light. They stood like statues, motionless yet exuding a terrifying presence. Their limbs were thick, their fingers ending in jagged claws. Frost clung to their enormous fras, giving them the appearance of frozen gods watching over their domain.
Among them lurked Ice Trolls, hunched and monstrous, their fanged maws curling in twisted grins. Their breath ca in ragged puffs of mist, and their thick, armored hides bore scars from past battles. Unlike the Titans, they moved, sniffing the air, their heads snapping in different directions as if sensing an intruder.
Kael’s fingers twitched near his sword.
It wasn’t just the monsters.
Dark figures stood in the distance, barely visible against the icy backdrop. They wore black attire that seed to absorb the light, their presence exuding sothing sinister.
Their movents were slow and calculated, their posture rigid with purpose. Even from afar, Kael could feel the air around them crackle with sothing dark and unnatural.
Then..
Swish!
A sharp sound split through the silence.
Kael’s instincts flared, and he turned his head slightly, drawing his sword to intercept.
Swish!
His sword cut through the air but....
It stopped as two figures materialized beside him, their presence sudden yet eerily calm.
Kael’s grip tightened on his sword, his eyes flicking between them. The two n wore similar cloaks, blending into the night like shadows.
He exhaled slowly, suppressing the irritation rising in his chest.
"What are you two doing here?" he asked, his voice low and edged with sothing unreadable.
The silence stretched between them as the two n put down the hoods.
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