The first sensation I felt was the cold. Chilling, brisk air as it entered through my sleeves and collar.
The sound of the wind rushing past at a distance reminded me where I was. Painful, immobilizing jolts across my body stopped me from jumping up to my feet. My eyes longed to open, but the attempt was stopped by the sense of vertigo I felt.
I lay there, seconds passing into minutes, then what felt like hours. Like I was dreaming, all sense of time escaped me.
Nothing felt real until someone grabbed me and pushed my body up into a sitting position. Too afraid to look at what was near me, my mind raced for an explanation of what it could be. The force of the impact was too much for something human…
"Look…" a gravelly voice resonated ahead, like they hadn't used it in a week.
I felt the dizziness leaving me, so I did what the voice said. When I opened my eyes, I instinctively wanted to back away. But I found myself relaxing, breathing a ragged, painful sigh of relief. The thing in front of me, whose voice I had heard, was Mr. Dunam, a resident of the Middle District who treats me with respect and helped me a week ago.
Once the initial shock was gone, reason took over. "Mr. Dunam! How are you here? And your coat? That one's too thin." I spoke. My voice sounded worse than his like I had taken a big hit to my vocal cords. Breathless and in pain, I didn't speak any further.
He paused, collecting his thoughts, "Sent here, found you." He replied, not really answering my question.
I looked around, taking in my surroundings and condition. We were in a cave, the wind from outside was lessened, but not gone. It was still cold, and while the wind entered at an angle, the force of it was still enough to send shivers through me and goosebumps.
The cave's ceiling and floor were covered with stalactites and stalagmites, making it hard to find comfort on the rough terrain.
Although the stone protrusions were mostly concentrated along the edges of the cave, having to rely on the walls for support made it hard to keep myself sitting upright. There was pain radiating from my thighs and right side, hinting at a bruise. My head was wrapped in a cloth, painted red from my blood, but the bleeding had stopped, and began to crust.
Mr. Dunam looked me over, observing me as I struggled to keep my attention on him and the cave entrance simultaneously. My eyes constantly jumped from one to the other.
"Want to know where you are, yes?"
I slowly nodded my head in confirmation.
He recognized my action and continued. "Domain. Domain… of Lord Beast."
My eyes shot wide. Cold sweat arose on my neck.
No way. Not possible!
What would a Lord Beast be doing in the Middle District of Oston. How did no one notice it? The intense strength of their Aura should have been more than enough to mobilize every guard in the District.
A Lord Beast is the most feared in the whole world. Often used as a night-time story to scare me into getting to bed on time. To frighten me into thinking I'll end up lost in their Domain if I'm not snug in my bed.
A Lord Beast has the power to bring one into their Domain with a simple touch. It's a region in which their power is near absolute. It could take a squad of three or four skilled Elite-Will Holders to take one down.
My face immediately sunk into a frown. Tears formed in my eyes, freezing a few seconds after they fell. "I'm dead…" I whispered to myself, "My mom… Rose."
My breathing grew heavier, sucking the deathly cold air into my lungs until they started to burn. As the chills spread throughout my body, I attempted to focus on this feeling to avoid becoming hysterical.
I couldn't let it end here; I refused to lay down and die. This may be the Lord's Land, but if I can escape the Domain, and get away from the Beast, then it's not my problem anymore. It was never my problem in the first place. What am I, as a Low-Will Holder, supposed to do?
Die…
My life is over.
"Can we get out?" I found myself saying instead.
"Leave?" Mr. Dunam spoke as if my question didn't make any sense.
"Yes, all powers come from the Will, and Beasts get tired, just like Holder's. So, can we weaken the Beast's hold on their Domain? Or live long enough to escape?"
Mr. Dunam looked at me with worry, like I suggested something irrational, his tone changing. "Can not Leave, it won't let you."
His tone was one of warning, more than a statement.
Like the world was proving his point, a wail echoed from outside. The same one I heard when I came into the Domain. The sound of a high-pitched reverberating siren, like it's signaling a disaster to come.
I jolted in my spot, looking at the cave entrance. My fast-beating heart stuck in my throat.
I'm going to throw-up…
All thoughts of confidence and determination in leaving the Domain abandoned me.
Mr. Dunam looked in the direction of the cave entrance, completely calm.
"It is too close… You are not ready."
"W-wh…what should we do?" Stumbling over my words with a stutter. Every word brought me closer to defiling Asher's baking by vomiting onto the floor.
"Only one thing to do. I will go out there, and lead it away." He speaks calmly as if it were a regular weekday activity.
"Are you crazy?!"
Without saying anything, Mr. Dunam stood up and walked towards the entrance of the cave.
Its sharp features resembled a hungry mouth ready to devour him.
He reached the entrance in stride, his coat swirling in the vicious tempest winds of the storm. His figure slowly disappeared into its cold embrace until he was too far to see.
"He's gone…"
I whispered to myself, trying to act like I was still having a conversation, "What does he expect to do against it? He can't be that strong? Come to think of it, I couldn't sense his Will. I may only have a Low-Will, but I can still vaguely sense the power of someone else's, unless they're suppressing it, or that much stronger than me."
Why would he suppress it though? Unless…
My eyes went wide, realization hit me. A Lord Beast has near absolute power in their Domain, of course, it could sense Wills. Maybe that's how it got so close earlier.
I hastily sensed for my Will, searching for a connection deeper than the basic body enhancements it gave me. But my unrefined Will usage made the connection impossible to grasp. I felt nothing. As if it were dormant.
I could just be too weak for something to sense me… Hopefully.
I just have to stay here and trust that Mr. Dunam can lead the Beast away.
With nothing else to think about, my mind shifted to my stomach. The last thing I ate was a sandwich, but I didn't get to eat anything larger after work.
My stomach growled upon recognition; I needed something to eat. It felt like my hunger was growing faster than usual.
To get my mind off of food, I kept my mind busy with the situation Mr. Dunam might be in.
We are in a forest, but Mr. Dunam grew up in the Middle District, so could he find his way around for the first time?
While I have no experience fighting a Beast, I've been traveling through the forest of the Lower District my whole life. If I leave now, I should still be able to follow his footprints.
With my mind made up to help Mr. Dunam, I made my way towards the cave entrance. Except, my feet didn't move, nor did my legs. It was not due to the pain, which was mostly gone now. That's not what worried me.
I was scared. For the first time since I got here, responsibility was on my shoulders. I gave it to myself. I was the one who had to act, and not wait for someone else to do it for me.
Deep breaths to calm down, deceptive reassurance, but every attempt left me worse than before.
If I die here, then who will take care of my family?
Dying here is a waste. I have no power.
But that's just an excuse… Of course I have no power, but that doesn't mean I can't, and shouldn't do anything. I can help Mr. Dunam traverse the confusing forest. I can help him, and I should help myself.
I spoke aloud. Like the action of verbal words would make the world a carrier of my promise, and not just me. "I can't wait for someone else to save me. I'm done waiting. Responsibility is just an idea, but who decides who it belongs to, and who deserves it? I'm not responsible for Mr. Dunam, or anyone else. I'm responsible for myself, and I've decided that it's time to control it. Responsibility is a crutch, used to inspire someone to do something they otherwise wouldn't want to do. Responsibility is just the result of control, and control is the result of will."
Low, or Lord, Domain or not, Will grows through character.
A cold sense of resolve froze over me.
Standing up, my mind was calm as I made my way towards the mouth of the cave. No longer was the outside the belly of the beast. As I looked back at the cave, I saw a new picture; A cave in the shape of a maw with fanged teeth, and me, walking out of the beast. The storm wasn't trapping me. I was. My inadequate perspective was holding me back.
The cave was a barrier that I made. I pretended it would protect me, so long as I sat inside of it. But it doesn't truly protect me.
I may as well walk, sitting doesn't do anything. The direction is pointless, the destination is what matters.
I studied the snow-covered surface, looking for traces that Mr. Dunam left behind. There, clear across the snow,was a trail of two lines that led to the forest.
I followed them until I was about to cross the tree line when I heard a voice call out.
"What are you doing out of the cave?"
Startled, I whipped my body around, back towards the cave, "Mr. Dunam? I thought you were in the forest. It hasn't even been that long since you left. I came to help you."
"You should stay in the cave. There is no reason for you to leave." He paused, inspecting me with a piercing gaze.
The world froze. His eyes glistened.
He stood there, motionless. Seeing something I couldn't.
"Are you ready?" He emphasized the statement.
"Where's the Beast?" I focused back on the problem at hand.
"Waiting. Are you ready?" He asked again with more inflection in his tone.
"Yes…?"
"Then, stay in the cave."
"But, I'm ready…?"
Cutting me off, he walked away back to the cave. I reluctantly followed. When we made our way back into the cave, he sat. Waving me towards him.
"Come. Sit. Let me tell you about the Beast."
I sat where he gestured, keeping my gaze on him. He looks… tired.
"Should we make a fire? I have a–"
"No… no fire." He blurted out flatly, interrupting me.
Refusing to elaborate, he continued, "The Beast that controls this Domain is powerful. Not because of strength, but because it's calculating, and smart. The beast is a Frost Kieriki. They are silent killers, stalking and learning from their prey until the perfect moment to reveal themselves. It wants to–"
"Then we should leave!" I said in a hurry.
"There's no point. It will find you wherever."
"How do you know?" The blood rushed from my limbs to my head. My breathing sped up again.
"Lord Beasts control their Domain. Their power is near absolute."
"But it hasn't been watching us. It hasn't been nearby."
My body froze from what he said next. All my blood retreated deep within my body.
"There is no need for the Beast to look for you. It is always watching. Its power is nearly absolute in its Domain. It knows all… including the presence of others." A white-blue light glimmered in his eyes.
It's… toying with us… me.
I suddenly realized something. Mr. Dunam, the whole time, seemed off. Even back in the Middle District, on my way to the cafe, and later that day, in the cafe. He seemed partially absent, like he wasn't really there.
My thoughts trailed off. I shot up from my seated position, dashing for the cave entrance. My foot caught, causing me to crash to the ground. I looked back to see Mr. Dunam holding onto my feet, keeping me in place. "Stop! There's no reason to run. It's not…"
"What! The hell are you!" I yelled. Kicking it in its face.
It rolled over to the side, losing its grip on my leg. I quickly stood up before it could regain its composure. Not wanting it to chase me, I ran over to it, stepping on its left kneecap with as much force as I could generate. A noise echoed through the cave, the sound a mix of glass and bone breaking apart, or… ice.
It didn't wail in pain, or recoil from the broken leg.
Not showing any form of discomfort from its injury, it stood up, letting its left leg dangle and drag.
It didn't move. I just stood there with a concerned look.
When I'm already turned away, it speaks. Its voice somewhat like Mr. Dunam, but with a high-pitched shriek underneath. "Don't go. I won't–"
I ran off, not bothering to listen to what it had to say. It can't chase me, that's all that matters.
Leaving the mouth of the cave again, the cold wind rushed into my ears, growing stronger in the minute I was inside.
Not bothering to look back, I ran straight for the forest. The pain in my leg radiating to my side at every limping step.
From behind, Mr. Dunam called out from the mouth of the cave. "Stop! There's no reason to run. It's pointless, I know where you are Rin!"
And from in front, somewhere in the foggy forest, the familiar death call of the Kieriki.