The bitter Russian wind whipped around Maria and the two agents accompanying her, biting through layers of their cold-weather gear. The road they traveled was clear of the recent blizzard, but the air was a palpable, icy presence that seemed to steal the very breath from their lungs, a stark contrast to the relative warmth of the airport they'd just left.
"It's so cold..." the female agent shivered, pulling her collar tighter. She had long black hair styled in a side braid, adorned with a white flower bow that now looked incongruous against the desolate landscape. "Maria, how come you look so fine?"
"I'm using my ability to shield myself from the temperature," Maria replied smoothly, a half-truth that concealed the warmth provided by Yumi's enchanted clothing.
"Can you also use your ability on us?" she asked with hope flickering in her eyes.
"No, it only works on me," Maria stated.
The shivering agent then turned her attention to their male companion. "What about you, Shion? How are you still staying so composed?"
Shion, a man with long black hair, sat casually with his legs crossed, his arms covered in bandages, and his eyes was closed as if meditating. He didn't open them as he spoke. "Hah... you think the cold can touch me?" He scoffed. "This pitiful chill is nothing but a whisper before the roar of my cursed soul."
"Long ago, I made a pact beneath a blood-red moon. I offered my mortal warmth in exchange for the eternal flame that burns in the void—the Abyssal Pyre of Erebus. Now, where others feel frostbite, I feel power."
The female agent rolled her eyes. "Why did I even try talking to this chunibyo... And your abilities aren't even remotely related to fire..." She sighed dramatically. "I can't believe I missed my farming event to be dragged to this godforsaken place."
Shion's eyes snapped open. "In the shadow of the dying stars, as the threads of fate tremble on the edge of oblivion... you dare chase fleeting worldly desires? Have you forgotten, Kagura, the sacred burden etched into your soul by the Covenant of Light? Has the weight of destiny... forsaken you?" He leaned forward as his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "Or has your heart grown too enamored with illusions to hear the cry of a world teetering on the brink?"
"Can't you communicate like a normal person?" Kagura snapped back, visibly annoyed. "And I didn't think you were stoked about this trip either!"
"Indeed..." Shion conceded, his theatricality dimming slightly as a more mundane frustration creeping into his tone. "My soul recoils at the thought, yet the chains of this cruel reality tighten. They dared to threaten the flow of my lifeblood—my wages. Such villainy knows no bounds!" He clenched a bandaged fist. "O tyrants of bureaucracy, may your greed be swallowed by the abyss you've summoned!"
"Can you two shut up?" Maria interjected with a sharp voice that cut through their bickering.
They immediately fell silent, chastened by her authority. As they drove on in silence, Maria found herself wondering about Kaito and the others. She hoped they were doing alright, wherever they were.
___________________
The blizzard had finally cleared, revealing a vast, silent expanse of snow under a muted sky. Kaito, with Tamamo cradled comfortably in his arm, and Eleanor standing elegantly on a platform of ice she had conjured, soared through the frigid air toward Oymyakon. Their destination was now visibly close, a small cluster of lights barely discernible against the stark white landscape.
"Kaito, there's someone down there," Eleanor's voice cut through the quiet hum of their flight, her gaze sharpened as she pointed towards a particular spot on the ground below. "It seems like they're not moving."
Kaito followed her gaze, spotting a huddled mass that resolved into a pack of reindeer and a single human figure. Both the animals and the person lay on the ground, almost entirely obscured by a fresh blanket of snow. With a shared glance, Kaito and Eleanor descended, landing softly a short distance from the scene to investigate.
Kaito carefully approached the nearest reindeer, his brow furrowed with concern. He reached out a gloved hand, gently touching its still form. It was cold to the touch and entirely unmoving, seemingly dead. Yet, thanks to Shikabanehimes Blessing, Kaito could sense a faint spark within it. The creature still possessed life, though it appeared profoundly dormant, as if in a cryostasis deep sleep.
Eleanor, meanwhile, had already knelt beside the human figure. With quick movements, she used her hands to brush away the accumulating snow, revealing his face. His features were clearly Asian, distinct from the rougher, indigenous characteristics of the local inhabitants of this Siberian region.
"What is going on?" Kaito murmured, his gaze sweeping from the dormant reindeer to the inert man as a profound sense of unease settling over him. "I can tell that they're still alive, if dormant."
Tamamo eyes narrowed with a rare expression of serious concern on her face. "They've lost their souls," she stated gravely. "And something is protecting their bodies, keeping them from truly dying."
Tamamo's voice, usually laced with sarcasm, now held a chilling gravity. "Not only that, but the method used involves tricking reality and the body to continue to register that it's still alive despite the soul being completely severed. This is beyond the skill of many great Onmyoji of the Heian era."
Kaito's gaze sharpened as a knot of unease tightening in his gut. "Are you suggesting someone is protecting them? And is there a way to recover their souls if their bodies are like this?"
"It's technically possible to recover them," Tamamo confirmed as her eyes fixed on the inert forms around them. "As whoever is protecting them is a master of their craft. However, it shows a more dangerous sign. What were they fighting against that led to this?"
Kaito was conflicted, the logical part of his mind urging caution, but his growing sense of responsibility pushing him forward. "It's counter-intuitive to turn back now," he decided. "Let's check out the situation in the town."
"Normally, I would disagree with your rash decision, human," Tamamo admitted with a rare flicker of genuine interest in her eyes. "But I'm also intrigued by, and interested in, meeting this skilled spiritualist." She then produced two talismans, handing each to Kaito and Eleanor. "Here, take these. They will shield your souls to a certain extent."
With the new talismans in hand, they continued their flight and swiftly approached the town. Along the way, the grim tableau repeated itself: they spotted a few more bodies in the same unnervingly dormant state as the man and reindeer they had first encountered.
They landed silently within the town's plaza. The air instantly felt heavier, colder, permeated by a profound stillness. As Kaito's feet touched the snow, Eleanor suddenly clutched her head, her hand pressing against her temple. "I'm starting to feel really dizzy all of a sudden," she whispered in a strained voice.
Without a word, Tamamo slapped several more talismans onto Eleanor's back. "It seems a powerful force is trying to pull your soul away," Tamamo explained. "Us two possess natural resistance to this kind of tempering; however, you're different."
Kaito surveyed their surroundings, a chilling realization dawning on him. "The entire town is like this..." Around them, countless bodies lay unconscious on the ground, slumped in doorways. Through opened doors and windows, they could glimpse scenes of domesticity abruptly halted: food on dining tables while families were slump over chairs. It was as if this bizarre phenomenon had occurred without so much as a moment's warning, catching everyone unawares.
Then, an unexpected sound shattered the eerie silence of the desolate town: a series of measured footsteps, crunching softly on the snow. They were approaching. From the swirling edges of the remaining mist and the dim light, a figure slowly emerged. He was a man with shoulder-length black hair and a full beard. As he drew closer, his striking grey-blue eyes became visible. He wore simple, dark garments that seemed to blend into the somber landscape. He possessed a mesmerizing, yet deeply unnerving aura, a subtle pressure that made the very air around him feel charged.
Kaito and Eleanor immediately tensed, snapping to full alert as their senses honed on the approaching stranger. The unknown man continued his steady advance until he stopped at a respectful distance and sweep his gaze over them.
"A rather unsettling sight, wouldn't you agree?" The stranger spoke in a calm, measured voice laced with a melodic Russian accent.
"I am Grigori, title mage of the Veiled Circle. I hadn't expected to cross paths with you here of all places... Durandal's chosen."
At the mention of that name, Kaito's expression sharpened. His eyes narrowed, and without hesitation, he summoned Durandal into his hand.