The first light of dawn crept through the curtains like a reluctant witness to what was about to unfold. I'd been awake for hours, staring at the ceiling and running through every possible scenario, every way our mission against the Frost Walker could go catastrophically wrong. The weight of the red stone in my pocket seemed heavier than usual, as if it too understood the significance of what we were about to attempt.
The house stirred to life around me with the quiet efficiency of people who knew that today might be their last normal morning. Footsteps moved across floorboards, muffled conversations drifted through thin walls, and the familiar sounds of breakfast preparation began to emanate from the kitchen. But underneath it all was a tension that made the air itself feel heavy with the knowledge that we were about to face something that could kill us all with a single touch.
