We kept moving forward.
The cold kept biting at our skin. Even with the warm armor and fur, it didn't help. It gave no comfort.
Everyone looked cold except for Sakura. She walked ahead and kept watch as the day slowly became night. We saw no sign of General Iskander but still pressed on.
We stayed quiet to keep our warmth. Rei's small flame helped a little, melting the snow in front of us. The fire touched the snow, and the smell of steam filled the air.
The forest looked peaceful. Blue eyes peeked out from under the snow. It felt like animals were moving near our feet, hidden in the deep snow.
Rei finally broke the silence.
"We should probably set up camp."
"I thought we didn't need to," I said.
"We don't have the stuff for that," Teruki added with a sigh.
"Why don't we just teleport back to base?" Sakura asked, her voice a bit muffled by the mask.
"We'll all end up in the same place anyway," Viri said.
"That's a good idea," Rei smiled. "Anything to get out of…."
"AHHHH!!"
A scream cut through the air.
The scream cut through the forest. Rei looked straight toward it.
A pillar of red mist floated a few hundred meters away.
A flare.
We ran. Rei jumped ahead, followed by Viri.
They moved too fast to see clearly. Teruki stayed behind with me as Sakura disappeared into the snow.
Teruki couldn't keep up and soon they vanished into the snow-covered forest.
Snow started falling. Light, heavy snow.
Teruki walked beside me, staying just behind.
Reyna let go of her flame as she went further. The flame slowly died out.
"I never played that game," I admitted quietly. "You, Sakura and Viri were so obsessed with it."
Teruki smiled. "It's fine. There's no point now."
She looked at me kindly. "Being with you all is enough."
After we beat the boss, she said, "I want to relax. Maybe see my mom and dad with Valen."
I nodded. "We forget sometimes. We're always fighting."
I paused and then asked, "What about Sakura?"
"Sa... Sakura?" Teruki said softly.
"What happened that night? Why does she hide her face?"
"It's not my place to say," she sighed. "But once she feels safe, she'll show you."
Show me?
CRACK.
A red light surrounded us.
When the light faded, I was standing beside Rei.
"Took you long enough, Rei," Teruki said with a grin. "This forest is so cold."
"Your flame is the only thing keeping us alive," I laughed.
Rei looked at her seriously.
"Tenshi, can you heal this player?" she asked.
I looked down and saw a woman.
She has soft brown hair tied into a loose braid that rests are coming apart, with a few strands framing her face. Her pink eyes are dull.
Almost dead.
She is lying in the snow. Blood covering her face. Her breath comes in short shallow huffs.
She wears armor that is black and silver.
On her armor is a symbol I had never seen before. A silver crescent moon with a sharp black blade slicing through it. Lines below are shaped like waves.
I looked closely at her. Her hair is messy and uneven, like something had happened suddenly.
"What guild is she from?" I asked Rei.
"I'm not sure," she said.
Teruki began healing her. The blood started to disappear as her wounds closed. But then the woman began to struggle, as if she was in pain.
Gasp!
She suddenly sat up, her hair falling to her sides. Her hand moved to her dagger.
"No need to be frightened," Rei smiled.
"What happened?" Teruki asked.
The woman stayed quiet as she stood. I noticed she was shorter than Teruki and looked young and tired.
"I was separated from my guild," she finally said.
"What guild? We will help you find your way back," Teruki smiled.
"Sho."
"I thought Sho's guild logo was a snowflake," I said, watching the girl closely.
She shook her head. "She changed it. Said a snowflake wasn't intimidating enough."
"Sounds like something she'd say," Rei added with a small smile.
"Let's get back to the teleport rune, …" Viri said, glancing at the girl.
"I'm Selene," the girl cut in before we moved.
We followed the footsteps back through the snow.
"Are you here to kill the boss?" Rei asked sharply.
"No," Selene said quietly. "I was sent here to investigate something."
"Then what are you here for? What did Sho send you to investigate?" Rei pressed.
Selene looked down. "It's complicated. I wasn't just sent… I was forced."
"Forced? By who?" I asked.
"By the Reapers," she said bitterly. "We were tracking a group. Members of the Reapers. They separated our guild. They attacked me. I was left for dead."
"Wait, so you're at war with the Reapers?" I asked.
"Yes," she nodded.
"Did you follow them here?" Teruki asked.
"Kind of. After teleporting to this floor, they used some kind of magic. It threw us all apart. We were scattered across the area."
"Scattered? How?" Rei asked.
"They did something to the teleport rune. The moment we arrived, there was a flash. Next thing I knew, we were separated."
"Why did they even come to this floor?" I asked. "Are they trying to beat the boss?"
Selene blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Sho made it clear that if anyone beats this floor, it would cause conflict."
"Why would Sho risk that?" Rei narrowed her eyes.
Selene paused. "Sho benefits if you beat the boss. I'm not really sure how, though."
"What does she gain?" Viri asked.
"Something important," Selene replied quietly.
Viri frowned. "If you're already watching the boss… why send us to look?"
Selene gave a small shrug. "Character development? I don't know. Sho makes strange decisions."
"Maybe she wants to slow us down," Rei muttered. "Give her time to beat the Reapers."
"I don't think that's it," Selene said. "Even Sho wants to see you beat Valen in that bet."
"The bet?" Rei raised an eyebrow. "Sho wants us to win?"
"I guess," Selene said. "I'm not totally sure. Someone came to her, asked her to keep an eye on the boss."
"Do you remember who?" Teruki asked. "What did they look like?"
"I don't remember the name… Aldric? No, that's not right."
"Adrian Kundra?" Rei offered.
Selene's eyes lit up. "Yes. That's the one," she said with a small smile.
The air turned colder.
The snow stopped falling.
Viri froze.
Rei froze.
Teruki froze.
Sho appears
She steps into view as we pause at the edge of the clearing.
Grey hair stirs faintly in the chill breeze. Her cloak drifts like liquid shadow. Her armor is dark. Polished silver buttons and trim that catch what little moonlight filters through the trees.
My breath catches on her eyes first. Red. Deep. Unyielding. It feels like she's already seen straight through me.
She stands silent but commanding. Beauty cloaked in quiet authority. But something about that sigil says she moves like water, ready to cut deeper than anyone expects.
I swallow hard.
She sees me.
She sees all of us.
Selene runs straight toward her, throwing herself into her arms.
"Sho!" she cries, tears falling fast.
"Selene…" Sho exhales, holding her close.
Selene clings to Sho tighter.
"They… they…" The words tremble on her lips, but she can't bring herself to say them.
"I'm sorry," Sho whispers, gripping her tighter.
Selene buries her face against Sho's chest. The top of her head barely reached Sho's shoulder.
She looks small in Sho's arms, who stands a few inches taller than her.
Kindness. A side of Sho I've never seen.
"I'm so sorry," Sho continues. "Thank you, Teruki, for healing her."
Before Teruki can reply, Sho turns sharply.
"Reapers need to PAY!!"
MANA
Raw, unfiltered rage. It pulses in waves, crashing through the forest like a storm.
The air thickens. The world narrows.
My chest tightens. My legs give out, and I fall. Blood rises in my throat, warm and bitter, spilling from my mouth into the snow.
Viri drops next, body trembling as she hits the ground hard. Her hands claw at the snow, trying to hold on, but there's nothing to grip.
Rei grits her teeth, forcing herself to stay up. But even she buckles, falling to her knees, eyes wide, breaths shallow.
Only Teruki remains standing. Her body shakes, blood trickling from her nose, but she refuses to fall. She plants her feet, shoulders squared, silent beneath the crushing weight.
The sky above tears open. Streaks of red rip across it like veins of lightning. The trees bow. The wind dies. The snow hangs motionless in the air.
And there, at the heart of it all, stands Sho.
Still. Cold. Absolute.
She is not shouting. She doesn't need to. Her rage is not loud. It is quiet. Heavy. Final.
Her mana doesn't burn. It freezes. Not with ice, but with power so absolute it denies warmth itself.
Every breath feels distant, every heartbeat slowed by the weight of her presence.
And yet, Selene doesn't seem affected. While the rest of us are crushed by the pressure, she stands beside Sho, untouched, as if the mana flows around her like wind around stone.
Sho notices. Her eyes shift, the fury behind them dimming. The mana stills. The storm retreats. The rage folds inward, fading into something calm… something terrifyingly controlled.
"We need to go," she says, turning away.
"Wait," Rei calls.
Sho glances back.
"What is it, Reyna?" Her voice is calm, almost bored.
"Why do you have people watching the boss?"
Sho looks at Selene. "What did I say about talking to the enemy?" she says with a smile.
"That's very kind of you," Rei says, bowing low.
She lowers her head to the ground. "Thank you."
"Yeah, yeah," Sho mutters. "Come on, Reyna. I still need to find my dad."
In the distance, a red flare rises into the sky.
"Watch Selene!" she shouted.
Sho disappeared.