As Arthur approached the domain's outer boundaries, something stirred in the depths of the supernatural winter that had claimed this territory for generations.
Deep within the forest, on an ice bed carved from ice so ancient it had become harder than diamond, a presence that had slumbered for a few days began to wake. The disturbance was subtle at first.
A slumbering beast, whose form dwarfed three-story buildings, slowly lifted eyelids that hid eyes that could freeze mountains.
Each eye was the size of a human.
The Winter Beast's awakening sent ripples through the forest itself.
Temperatures that had remained constant for millennia suddenly dropped further, and ice formations that had achieved perfect equilibrium began shifting and reforming.
Its breath emerged as visible clouds that hung in the air like frozen air, each exhalation creating snowfall that settled on the icebed. The creature's massive form remained mostly hidden within its ice-carved lair.
