As they trekked along the narrow path winding up the mist-veiled slopes of Mount Baiyuyan, the crunch of snow beneath their boots was the only sound accompanying them. The trees around them were dusted with thick layers of frost, their branches heavy and still. Astra walked with her arms tightly crossed against the cold, her eyes darting nervously across the white landscape.
A soft rustle made her freeze. She turned her head slowly and spotted a pack of large, white-furred dire wolves perched silently on a distant ridge, their glowing eyes tracking every step she took. On a lower ledge, a massive snow bear twice the size of any bear she'd seen, snorted a puff of mist from its nose, unmoving but clearly aware. A snow leopard lounged above them on a boulder, tail flicking lazily, while a small white mountain lynx padded nearby, looking harmless but alert. Even a long-eared snow hare stood up on its hind legs before dashing back into the underbrush.
"They're… everywhere," she whispered under her breath, quickening her pace and moving closer to Daita. Her eyes stayed locked on the animals. "They're going to eat me. I'm going to get eaten alive. This is it. This is the end."
But strangely, none of the creatures attacked. They watched with sharp eyes and sniffed the air, but not a single paw moved toward them. Astra kept close to Daita, puzzled.
She turned to him, noticing the cautious tension in his jaw, the way his eyes scanned the path ahead with quiet sharpness.
Then, her fear ebbed into mischief. She leaned toward him, whispering with a giggle, "Look! They're all scared of your serious face! That's why they're not attacking us!"
Daita gave her a sidelong glance, clearly unimpressed. "Opposite," he muttered. "They should be throwing themselves at us, attracted by this charming face."
Astra burst into laughter, loud and unfiltered, clutching her stomach. "Pfft—'charming'!"
"Shhh!" Daita hissed, scowling. "Are you trying to get us mauled?"
Still snickering, Astra covered her mouth with her sleeve. But even as she teased, she stayed close to him just in case one of the wolves changed its mind.
Daita slowed to a stop, his gaze narrowing as he turned back toward the ridge where the dire wolves stood motionless. He muttered under his breath, confusion flickering in his eyes.
"This doesn't make sense," he said. "They shouldn't just sit there like that. Creatures of this territorial especially dire wolves they'd usually attack invaders without hesitation. Tear them apart by now." His eyes lifted to the snow leopard still lounging overhead, its tail flicking lazily. "Why are they just… watching?"
Astra, still giggling and clinging to his side, mumbled, "I told you. It's your face. They're too scared to move."
Just as she said it, her boot caught on something hidden under the snow and with a yelp, she pitched forward, landing face-first in the snow with a loud thud.
Daita blinked and then his composed expression cracked.
He burst out laughing.
Actual laughter sharp and clear in the cold mountain air. He pointed to the deep face-shaped dent left in the snow, completely unbothered by her death glare as she sat up, snow plastered to her hair and face.
"You—You left a perfect imprint!" he choked, clutching his stomach. "Should've brought charcoal to frame it!"
Astra spat out a mouthful of snow and scowled, wiping her face as she stumbled to her feet. "Laugh all you want. I hope one of those wolves eats your face first."
She bent down, brushing the snow where she'd tripped, intending to find the root or rock responsible but then her fingers paused.
Her eyes widened.
Half-buried in the snow was a pale, almost invisible white snake, its glistening scales blending seamlessly with the ground. It would've been impossible to notice… if not for the sharp contrast of its narrow, slit-pupil red eyes and the flick of its black tongue.
"Daita," Astra whispered, slowly backing up. "That's not a twig I tripped on…"
"Daita," Astra whispered, slowly backing away, her eyes fixed on the pale, red-eyed snake. "That's… that's not a twig I tripped on…"
"It's a demon," Daita said flatly.
"Huh?! Wait—WHAT?!"
Before she could react further, the snake suddenly lifted its head, hissed, and lunged toward her with lightning speed. Astra froze, eyes wide.
But in the same heartbeat, Daita stepped forward, placing himself directly between her and the snake.
She braced herself for impact—but it never came.
The snake halted a mere breath away from Daita's boots, its red eyes locked onto something unseen. Then, without a sound, it recoiled—visibly trembling—and shot back into the snow, slithering away so fast it vanished like smoke into the white mist.
Astra let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "T-thanks to your face—I mean, thanks to you—it got scared," she muttered, still shaken. "But… how can you say it was a demon? It looked exactly like a normal snake to me."
Daita turned to her, brow furrowed. "Didn't you see it?"
"See what?" she blinked.
"The symbol," he said. "On its back."
Astra squinted, trying to picture it again. Her memory offered a flash—a brief glimpse of something like a design etched into the creature's scales.
"I… think I saw something like that."
Daita nodded. "That's how you can tell. It was a low-tier demon. Maybe Tier 4."
Astra's jaw dropped. "You call that low-level?!"
He shrugged. "What else? Demons below Tier 5 are basically just furious useless animals. They can't take human form yet, but they're still dangerous. Especially to humans without spiritual protection."
Astra muttered under her breath, "Great. So even the low-level ones can launch themselves at my face. Is my spiritual powers really that weak?"
Astra muttered under her breath, "Great. So even the low-level ones can launch themselves at my face. Is my spiritual power really that weak?"
Daita glanced at her. "You can say that...but it was a Tier 4 demon it isn't so weak that it'd just turn tail and flee like that. It was furious at first… but something changed. It looked like it was afraid to even come near."
At that, Astra slowly turned her head, eyes scanning the snowy terrain around them. But there was nothing particularly threatening just the silent presence of those same animals she'd seen earlier. A snow leopard crouched silently atop a boulder, a white bear lounged beneath a tree, and the pack of dire wolves stood in the distance, watching. None of them moved closer.
"Maybe…" she mumbled, "it got scared because of those animals?"
Daita gave her a skeptical look. "It's a demon with power. Why would it fear them? They're weaker than it is. One bite from that snake and they'd drop instantly."
He turned his gaze back to the snow-covered mountain path, his eyes narrowing. "No… I think there's something wrong with this place itself. Everything's reversed. Instead of attacking us, they're avoiding us."
Daita narrowed his eyes at the snow-covered trail ahead. "Something's off. Seeing all this… I should hurry up and finish the mission I came for. No more delays."
Astra, walking close behind, raised her brows. "Can you now at least tell me what you're searching for? We've been walking for hours. I don't even know what part of the day it is anymore the sky's completely hidden!"
Daita stopped and looked at her. "Astra… last night, before you passed out, you muttered something. You said you'd been here once before… and saw one of the prettiest flowers. Do you remember where you saw it?"
"Did I say that?" Astra blinked.
Daita raised an eyebrow. Astra squinted, trying to dig into her foggy memory.
"It's true… I've been here before. And about that flower…" She started pacing in the snow, muttering to herself, trying to recall details. Daita crossed his arms, watching her impatiently.
After a few minutes of aimless steps and mumbled "mmm… no, not there…" Daita groaned, nearly giving up. "You really have the memory of a goldfish. I regret bringing you—"
"Yes! I remember it!" she suddenly shouted, pointing upward as the dense clouds shifted slightly, revealing the peak of the mountain. "It's up there! At the top!"
"You're sure?" Daita asked, straightening. "Can you describe it?"
Astra nodded eagerly. "Yes! It's a white flower with…" She counted her fingers and held up seven. "Eight petals."
"You mean seven petals?" Daita corrected, frowning.
"Maybe," she shrugged. "But one of the petals was gold. It smelled so sweet I got attracted to it and climbed all the way up just to take it."
Daita sighed, finally hearing what he'd been hoping for—but the relief barely lasted a second before his expression snapped into one of shock, eyes wide as if he'd been slapped by the wind.
"You—you took it?!"
Astra raised her hands quickly. "No! I couldn't. The place was covered in spider webs—huge ones! Big enough to trap four people at once. Just as I was about to get caught, Ryoma appeared out of nowhere and dragged me back. I got scolded too, for sneaking off."
Daita let out a long breath, rubbing his temple as the tension left his body. "Thank the gods…" he muttered, shaking his head. "At least something that valuable didn't end up in your hands."
Astra's mouth dropped open. "Huh?! What's that supposed to mean?!"
Daita rubbed the back of his neck and gave a half-smirk. "Well… are you interested in completing what you couldn't back then?"
"What?" Astra snapped, still fuming, eyes fixed anywhere but on him.
He leaned slightly closer, voice light. "You know… getting to see the flower again. Up close. Maybe even taking it with us this time? Don't you want it?"
Astra slowly turned toward him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Say you want it more, seeing how you're the one asking like a desperate merchant."
Daita tilted his head, offering a lazy smile. "Not a lie though."
She clicked her tongue, arms folded. "Fine. I would like to see it again. That scent….it was so sweet, I still remember it. So…I am willing to come with you and I'll also help you heading in the right direction this time."
"Perfect. Then what are we waiting for?" Daita stepped forward with a grin. "Let's go."
"Wait, wait," Astra said quickly, raising her hand. "Before that, I have a condition."
Daita stopped. "A condition? Don't tell me you want the flower for yourself."
She scoffed. "No, I'm not that greedy. Especially after watching how you reacted to just hearing about it."
Daita blinked. "Then what is it?"
Astra took a breath and looked at him squarely. "I'm suspicious of you."
"…Me?"