"Here again?" Zerin spoke, tilting his head up to the Howler, brushing against his side.
The fanged beast, draped in white, offered no gaze at all; its hollow, glowing blue sockets stayed fixed ahead. The path led to a wall of trees, and every fifth trunk bore the rune: Winter's Repose.
"You've been here before? And you decided to not tell us?" Evan prodded, stepping beside him.
Maybe it was just Zerin, but he could feel an edge to Evan's voice, the kind that felt accusing. Normally, he wouldn't have cared, but the irony struck deep.
There was no reason for him to endure such a grueling journey. What was the point of it all—giving himself over, sacrificing his time, for their sake? They ought to be thankful, because he didn't have to be here.
But steadying himself, he drew a long breath, swallowing the anger rising, fixing his thoughts on the goal.
"I was hunting in the area, completely forgot to mention it..." Zerin said, his voice trailing off. He gave the Howler a firm pat on the shoulder, urging it forward.
Trudging through, the Howler obeyed, carving a path in the snow with great strides. Eventually, it crossed the threshold between two trees.
Zerin, following closely behind, stepped forward only to slam into something unseen.
A white-hot fire bloomed behind his eyes. His nose burned, and a metallic warmth trickled down to his lips.
"Arghh!" He clutched his face. Tears blurred his vision. Blood dripped into the snow.
The group immediately was struck with confusion, when they heard Zerin randomly cry out in pain while clutching his face.
"What happened?" Serenity gripped his shoulder, her eyes darting from the red staining his hands to the Howler up ahead, that was completely untouched.
Zerin sniffed, swallowing his blood, then wiped his nose with the back of his hand. "Did I... run into something?" He straightened up, dazed.
Evan joined Serenity. "Nothing I saw..." He looked down to see Zerin's hand smeared with blood. "Holy shit, are you bleeding?"
Facing forward, Zerin studied the Howler, confusion crossing his features. The creature mirrored his confusion, its head tilting to the side.
Cain, standing behind, cast careless glances until his eyes landed on the rune etched into the trees. He stepped forward, shooting a spear of bone from his forearm and catching it in a tight grip at his side.
And, with a sharp thrust, he drove it towards the empty air beside them—only to meet resistance.
Though invisible, the impact rang like steel striking glass.
Cain's gray brows lowered, his head turning toward Zerin. "Looks like you've hit a wall."
Zerin extended his hand out and when his palm flattened out on an invisible surface, his pulse quickened. Unbeknownst to the rest of them, including the Howler, there was a wall between the trees the entire time—one they couldn't see.
Taking a step back, Zerin wiped residual droplets of crimson from his nostrils. That's when he recognized it as well, once his eyes landed upon the rune marking the tree.
"Winter's Repose..."
"Is that what it says?" Evan beside him squinted, folding his arms and leaned a bit forward. "Shoot... I can't even read it."
"Yeah, I am struggling as well... The Spell really isn't much help..." Serenity admitted.
Zerin glanced at them before returning back to his thoughts. What did the Howler have that they didn't? Right... It was [Winter's Repose].
"Okay, then… sure, Winter's Repose, whatever," Evan said. "But how can that big guy pass through while we're stuck over here?"
"Winter's Repose…" Zerin murmured.
"Yeah, I heard you. But—"
Zerin cut him off. "The Howler has Winter's Repose as an Attribute. That's why it can cross through."
It was really just that simple.
Though the purpose of the Howler's Attribute remained unknown, and its true function unclear, Zerin could deduce one thing: it was the Howler's key to passing the barrier. Its influence extended beyond just this single occurrence—it protected the Howler from the storm, and from the profound peace that lulled Zerin to sleep. To Zerin's knowledge, Winter's Repose protected its wearers from the very effects it imposed on others.
"So, can we go around it?" Serenity asked, her voice uncertain as she scanned the invisible wall just a few feet from her.
While snow swirled around them, following the wind, Cain retracted his bone spear back into his arm. "They are keeping us out." his eyes narrowed on the rune etched tree.
Evan stepped closer. "W—wait... Who is keeping us out again?"
Zerin exhaled. " The Nightmare creatures. The same ones who carved the mark on these trees. The same ones who took Ecludia... and Cain's brother. The same ones who piled those corpses in that quarry.
Serenity's face was drained completely of color. "Nightmare creatures... that can read and write in runes?" Her voice barely drifted over the hushing wind blowing through the trees.
It was exceptionally rare for Nightmare creatures to display a measure of intelligence above just their own survival. But, in very few cases there have documentation of crude or broken speech—but this was different.
Coherent thought, sustained focus—and the most concerning, the ability to read and write in runic? That was utterly unheard of. Such a development was not something to be received lightly, for only one class of Nightmare creature could approach such capabilities: the Tyrant class.
Tyrants, among all well documented classes, possessed superior intelligence. Joined with their ability to create and command armies, this made them one of the most notorious of Nightmare creatures. Their tendency to gather vast legions hardly could go unnoticed, a well-seasoned Awakened could often recognize the pattern in their behavior, sparing themselves the danger of direct contact.
But now, they were walking straight into the belly of the beast.
And Zerin wasn't going to stop that momentum.
"Any of you want to stop now that a Tyrant could be our enemy?" Zerin swept his gaze over them.
"Of course not!" Evan shouted.
Serenity, hesitant, nodded. "If it is a Tyrant that gives us even more reason to save her."
Cain, resting both of his hands atop his head, spoke plainly. "Just tell me who to kill, and it will be done."
Lowering his gaze, Zerin weighed some potential possibilities. The first was quite obvious—Winter's Repose, stemming from winter meant that it was vulnerable to fire. Serenity could unleash her brazier against the barrier, and with great effort, it might shatter allowing them to pass through.
But that option carried risk.
Tearing down such a field couldn't possibly go unnoticed, and in due time they would be swarmed by Nightmare creatures of such a number they couldn't be certain of.
Then came the second option—the one Zerin felt a bit of pride conceiving. Once again, it hinged on Serenity, and he was quite uncertain if she had such a thing in her arsenal, but this would bank on something she only recently gained.
Raising his head, a stray strand fell in front of his eye as he stared at Serenity, causing her to flinch slightly.
"W-What is it?" Serenity asked confused.
"Serenity... can you summon your Echo?"
***
"Oh, okay..." Serenity mumbled, giving a subtle nod.
Zerin could sense her uncertainty, yet his words seemed just enough to convince—if only just a bit.
He waited, patiently, as she drew the Palehollow from her Soul Sea.
In an instant, sparks of white erupted from her body. The luminescent energy, drifted away from her and coalesced, forming a towering remnant of wood that was ghostly white.
Its face was jagged, its maw crooked, and massive hollow sockets that were pitch black housed dull blue flames. Broad arms of wood hung at its sides, while a canopy of pale and azure leaves hung from atop its head. Behind it, tendrils writhed sharp enough to pierce flesh, and eight thick, legs that were once roots supported its immense frame.
But also, with its emergence, a whisper of peace seeped outward.
Zerin recognized the difference immediately. The Howler, born of flesh and blood, had been alive in every sense of the word. While the Palehollow, in Echo form, was vacant—soulless.
Its previous tranquility, once dense like a heavy fog, saturating everything it touched, now tickled out thin and muted—a mere suggestion.
Zerin quite concerned, checked his runes, hoping that something changed, and once he saw it, his lips curved into a small smile at the sight of something new.
Attribute Name: [Winter's Whisper]
Attribute Description: "When my voice graces your ear, you would do well to heed it. To disregard me is to disregard your very being. For who, if not I, discerns the truths that slumber within you? You crave truth? Then unveil what is dormant within." —The Mother of Preservation
Zerin was puzzled, though it was not exactly what he had hoped for, it might be enough—enough to get them through the barrier. Yet even with this hope, Zerin found himself lingering on the description. Were these really the direct words of The Mother?
Strange occurrences piled upon one another over the short time he had received The Spell, and it never failed to surprise him...
"I don't even know what the hell is going on anymore..." Cain muttered staring up at the towering Echo.
"No kidding..." Evan said, mouth agape, taking in the Echo's appearance.
Serenity shifted to face the invisible barrier, drawing a breath. "So... we just walk through and hope it works?" she asked, doubt rising in her voice.
"How about making your Echo go first? Just in case," Zerin suggested.
"Sounds good," She pulled the makeshift hair tie from her wrist and bound her long brown hair
"I've never actually used an Echo before..."
Zerin's brow arched. It was a fair admission, though she seemed far too worried about something so simple. Compared to the Howler, who was a creature that was sentient, and Echo didn't have such a luxury, instead it was bound entirely to the user's will.
"Just tell it to walk through."
Serenity lifted a finger and pointed between the opening between the trees, her finger resting on the Howler on the other side.
"Walk over there."
The soulless Echo obeyed instantly, not even glancing at her. Its many legs skittered across the snow, carrying it cleanly through the unseen wall. On the other side, it marched forward without hesitation, moving straight in the Howler's path as if it weren't even there.
"It worked..." Serenity breathed, her words expelling a plume of white mist.
The Howler tensed, muscles rippling beneath its snow-white pelt, then stepped aside just before the Palehollow claimed the space, it occupied.
They followed one after another—Serenity first, slipping through without resistance. Evan went next, then Zerin.
But when Cain stepped forward, something changed. His knees buckled, and he collapsed into the snow.