After a brief discussion, they decided to set off without delay. It had only been a few minutes since Ice and the others had resumed their walking, so he still felt relatively fresh for now.
Julius and Natasha moved as if they could march forever, as long as someone tossed them a piece of meat from time to time.
Ice felt like they could push through for at least two days straight. But that was something the group couldn't even consider at the moment, given Celestia's low stamina, Ray's injury, and his own near-nonexistent resistance to the heat.
The temperature didn't seem unbearable at first glance, mild even, but Ice couldn't stand it. The moment he stepped out from the shade of the trees, his head felt like it was about to boil, as if he were melting from the inside out. And once again, he seemed to be the only one affected.
"Why do we have to go toward that?" he muttered under his breath, glaring at the distant light on the horizon.
When Julius had said they were heading "toward the sun," Ice's heart had skipped a beat. For a second, he'd almost believed he meant the real sun, blazing in the sky like a death sentence. But no. It was just a direction. Probably.
Still, ever since waking up in this strange place, Ice had lost all sense of reason. He wouldn't have been surprised if someone told him they had to climb a mountain or build a ladder to reach the sun.
"How long will it take?" Ice asked with a grimace.
"I'd say three days... well, 'days.' You know what I mean," Julius replied after a moment of thought.
Ice swiped at the sweat stinging his eyes, his hand trembling.
"Hang in there, Ice. Just three more days. Three days until you meet your destiny."
And so, they continued their march.
They had already cycled between walking and resting six times, and by their estimation, nearly three days must have passed. The destination had to be close. It had to be, because Ice was nearing his limit.
Though he had gradually adapted to the harsh environment, he wasn't growing stronger. He was resisting. Enduring. But his willpower was beginning to fray.
"Why does the heat affect me like this...?"
He couldn't figure it out. There had to be a reason his body reacted this way. The only link he could think of was his name: Ice. He hadn't thought much of it when he first said it — it had felt natural. Obvious. But now... maybe there was something more to it. Maybe he was cold, in some way that truly mattered.
"You okay?" Celestia asked, concern flickering in her eyes.
"I'll manage," Ice replied, pressing a hand to his forehead.
"Let's take a break. We'll need our strength later," Julius said, bringing the group to a halt.
They stopped without complaint. Quietly, they gathered and prepared what would likely be their last meal with Julius inside the prison.
The mood had lightened somewhat. A fragile trust had begun to form between them. Even Natasha, once fierce and guarded, now seemed less hostile. She no longer looked at them like prey and even mumbled the occasional thanks when they offered her meat.
...
For now everything seemed to be going smoothly, except for Ray.
He stood apart, leaning silently against a tree, clearly troubled. Something was gnawing at him. He didn't understand his own actions, didn't recognize the person he was becoming.
It had all started when he met Ice and Celestia. He still didn't know why he had taken such a risk to help them. He had never been the type to gamble his life for strangers, yet here he was.
In the end, maybe meeting them had been the luckiest thing that ever happened to him. But still... it wasn't the result that haunted him. It was the reason. He didn't known how useful they'd become when he chose to help. So why had he done it?
At least in the fight against the beast, Ice's logic had been flawless, and Ray's decision to follow could easily be chalked up to a fear of dehydration outweighing the fear of death. That, he could justify.
But everything else?
'Why...?'
The more he thought about it, the less sense it made. He was sure all his courage had left him. After all, he had been the one who killed him...
"Hey. You don't usually zone out like that."
Ray's eyes widened. He hadn't realized Ice was watching him. He was sure his face had remained neutral, no expression, no movement, so how had Ice known?
"If you keep this up," Ice said, casting a quick glance at Natasha, "you're going to get us all killed."
Ray narrowed his eyes and raised a finger to his lips.
"Careful what you say. There's no proof."
Ice shrugged, unimpressed.
"Suit yourself. Just don't drag us down."
Ray gave a faint smirk as they rejoined the group. It had been rare, but lately they'd experienced a bit of peace. No pitch-black corridors to flee from, no desperate battles against impossible odds, just a slow, steady march toward freedom.
And then Ice stopped in his tracks.
His body stiffened. His eyes darkened, not with rage, but with something deeper. Something ancient. A primal fear.
Ray also came to a halt, frowning. "What now?"
Ice didn't answer. His expression remained unchanged. His gaze was locked.
Ray looked around, unsettled. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But Ice could feel something. No — he could sense it, like a pressure building in the air.
And then it appeared.
Right behind Natasha, without warning, without a sound, as though it had always been there and they were the intruders, stood a creature made of light.
It had the shape of a large humanoid, its form glowing with a pale, whitish brilliance. For a fleeting moment, one might mistake it for an angel.
But that grin.
That monstrous grin, filled with jagged teeth and malice, shattered any illusion of divinity.
Paradoxically, its light didn't brighten the surroundings. It darkened them, as if it swallowed the sun wherever it passed.
Julius and Natasha reacted instantly, their faces twisting in alarm. Julius tried to rise, preparing for a confrontation, but before he could even stand fully, Natasha was struck.
A single, brutal blow sent her flying through the air, crashing violently into the terrain.
And just like that, she was out of the fight.
Julius stepped forward to defend them, frantically scanning for a plan, while Celestia, overtaken by panic, had already taken off running.
Ray turned to flee as well, but stopped when he noticed something.
Ice wasn't moving.
Ray stared at him. "What are you doing? Run!"
Ice's eyes stayed fixed on the creature. His voice was steady, low.
"I can't."
He took a step forward, gaze unwavering.
"It's here for me."