Western Region, Black Forest, City of Hurnlum.
Throughout the continent, the western region received the heaviest snowfall.
Its initial resistance to the winter curse was like building up a dam. It held for a time, remaining in its unbroken state of summer. Unfortunately, after a point, the damn walls broke, and the endless waves of rolling snow collapsed inwardly. Like a tidal wave, the onslaught of snow covered the region in a thick blanket. Black became White, and the already relatively flat landscape became an endless plane of white snow as far as the eye could see. In some places, this sea of snow reached twenty meters deep, burying many houses.
To combat this, many different methods were used, ranging from manual to magical means.
Around Hurnlum, a large team of citizens were diligently shovelling snow away from the public roads. Some citizens were working with their hands, shoveling and plowing snow, while others worked with magic, melting the snow with fire, or moving it away with wind.
As the city was slowly cleaned up, a team of experienced mages were quickly generating a large scale magic circle that would cover the city with a barrier. This was a very expensive option that was made in the last minute.
Despite the urgency, the atmosphere was surprisingly united. Perhaps the hard lives of the Western people had created an unseen unity, but there was little discourse, their focus was on finishing the defenses.
The workers were racing against time.
With each shovel of snow they removed, a new sheet of snow fell. If it wasn't for the help of the mercenary alliance, then it was likely that many of the settlements in the western region would be gone by the time the curse of winter ended.
-
Within the city, a small meeting was under way.
Four people sat at the table, each unique in their own way.
They were unprofessional, seemingly more focused on relaxing, as opposed to working.
The smallest man, despite his hawk-like features and a somewhat terrifying face, looked very innocent as he curled up in his robe, shivering from the cold. It would seem like those with bird-like traits were often not very fond of the cold.
He complained. "I hate the snow! I hate the Ice! I hate the winter! Why do I have to go through this, wasn't the western region supposed to be safe?" His little face spat, clearly reaching some limit.
This man was one of the big figures in the Silver Eye.
A woman in a dark purple dress laughed. "There's nothing we can do. The boss said that the High Elves are behind this stupid weather, what can you change?" She played with her pointy ears, her head retracting deeper into her comically big white scarf, hiding the slight shiver from the wind. "Anyways, it's not that bad~."
As an elf from the White Skull, it was not strange for her to passively agree with anything said or done by the High Elves.
Although it was just speculation, the elves had an unhealthy fascination with the high elves. This strange obsession sometimes even extended to an indirect worship.
If it were ever confirmed that the high elves had something to do with the calamities, these unpredictable 'aesthetic obsessed long eared perverts' would immediately become a problem. Elves were often unpredictable, their erratic personalities flickering between contradictory and hypocritical actions. One moment, they would want to turn the forest into their homes, and the next, they would want to protect and slaughter anyone who dared hurt the trees.
That was how the 'normal' elves were.
"I thought the high elves were a victim of the calamities? Why are they suddenly behind them?" a Burley man spat. He wore the badge of the silver shield.
The fourth man, a skinny youth with mouse-like features, explained. "The boss said that it's related to the reason the Elfefalein Empire fell. He thinks that they either made a deal with something, or were forced to do something.". This youth, Mousa, shrank his neck. "At least, that's what I've heard." It was unknown whether his shaking was from fear or the cold.
The hawklike man scoffed. "What nonsense, if the high elves really were forced to make a deal with 'something', then I'm more inclined to believe that whatever that thing was, it could just kill us, why go through all the trouble?"
The woman glared at him.
"Maybe it's a test...?" Mousa whispered.
The burly man glared at him. "Don't be stupid, what test!? Remember, it's just a chance, a small chance! The boss is guessing! We don't know anything yet! Don't make an unnecessary enemy! Think about it, do you think that something that involves the gods would be a test for the High Elves? Whatever's going on, it's way above us. We're just unlucky to get sucked in. Now, go outside and start shoveling some more snow!"
"Speaking of gods, have you met Kilemin? That guy's really a monster!" The elven woman grinned.
Mousa and the hawk-like man shook their heads.
The burly man, however, grinned. "I've seen him once. That guys a real monster in human skin!"
The woman asked, "What's he up to now?"
The burly man shrugged his shoulders. "I heard that he's gone into some kind of special seclusion. It was before the calamity even started. Who knows what he's been up to."
Mousa looked over. "You think we'll need him?"
The Burley man shrugged. "You've read the news. You know what's coming. It's only a matter of time until the Corpse Sea gets out of hand."
The hawk like man frowned, slightly worried. "Let's hope that it won't be that bad. I don't want to fight an army of glowing blue skeletons."
"Haha! You might not have to. Those things can combine together, right? What if the Corpse Sea forms a massive monster! Hahaha!" The burly man laughed.
The other three looked at him, suddenly hoping he wasn't a jinx.
* * *
Western Region, Volcanic Caves.
This was a large mountain covered in black trees. Unlike the sea of white that had cloaked the rest of the region, this place was mostly untouched by the encroaching cold. Hot steam escaped from the ground through volcanic geysers. Bubbling black pools screeched when met with the chilling air. Crisscrossing rivers of molten lava surrounded the foot of the mountain, almost simulating a moat.
The nearby cliffside was guarded by no man.
This was the ancestral land of the Blackswamp Barbarians, a remote western tribe that prioritized strength over strategy. These people were strongly connected to the earth, usually worshiping the Earth God as there guardian deity.
Within the stone walls of the Blackswamp Mountain was the ancient trial known only to those of the elite class of the Blackswamp Barbarians.
This was also Kilemin's Home.
-
Within the sealed stone tomb, a lone man sat cross-legged, his chest bare and his eyes closed.
This was Kilemin Thorn, the western regions heaven's chosen, and the most mysterious of the three Heroes. He had short black hair and brown eyes, with golden scars beneath his eyes like divine markings. His muscular upper body looked like it had been sculpted by the world's greatest artisan, and his unparalleled aura was like a world, slumbering and sitting cross legged, waiting for it to split, birthing an unmatched warrior.
Around him danced a torrent of violent energies, enough to rip a normal person to dust. Despite the unstable air, Kilemin seemed to almost tame the unruly energy, calming it like a gentle flow of water. The temperature from the volcanic rifts and the pressure from the gravitational anomalies were enough to destroy a normal human, but this hero sat there, unmoved.
He tempered his body in this primitive environment, moving closer and closer to the ideal starting point he sought with each day.
Yes, you read that right, the ideal starting point.
Unlike Dorthy, Arthur, or Elena, Kilemin had not started cultivating yet. He was by all measures of the word, 'Mortal'.
He was different from the others. He was wiser, more experienced, and more ambitious. He was unlike the raging beast that he was said to be. He wasn't the simple minded Blackswamp Barbarian, he wasn't the obedient Hero, and he wasn't a simple pawn of Fate. This man was different, unique, unlike the other Heroes. Kilemin didn't want protection, instead, he wanted to reach a level that the others could not.
He didn't have Arthur's ambition to protect.
He didn't have Elena's goal to survive.
He didn't have Dorothy's intention to run.
If one were to talk to this man, they would realize that he cared far more for power compared to saving the world. This was a stark contrast to the other heroes. Unlike Kilemin, the other three Heroes, regardless of their plans, still needed to protect the world.
For Kilemin, he didn't care if the world ended or not.
The reason for this?
Perhaps, only Kilemin knew.
He sat there, eyes closed, unperturbed by the outside world. Kilemin didn't even know that the first calamity had started.
* * *
Western region, Corpse Sea, Guard Line.
This was the coastline of an endless expanse of black water. The air was filled with the smell of sulfur and rot, causing the eyes to burn if approached. The local flora was either extremely poisonous or dead, and the surrounding fauna was a mixture of mutated monsters or deadly insects. Countless bones protruded from the shoreline, and even more disappeared into the depths of the water.
This was the Corpse Sea.
Although the true history of this place was unknown, most people believed that it was this place where the western region received an 'attack' and was promptly turned into the land of death.
Currently, thousands of people surround this massive lake.
These people were a mixture of Adventurers, Mercenaries, and Commoners. These people were here for one thing and one thing alone, and that was to keep the ice demons away from the Corpse Sea. Although slightly naive, it was still something that they had to try.
A few weeks ago, a massive barrier was put up around this small 'sea' to prevent the curse of winter from reaching here. Now, the only thing that they needed to do was prevent the ice demons from corrupting it.
Through the dense snowfall, surrounding the sea of corpses, the only thing that stood between the countless glowing blue eyes and the Corpse Sea was these few thousand people.
Unfortunately, this mission was destined to fail. No matter how well they guarded, it was impossible to prevent the influence of the curse of winter from reaching here.
The unseen influence had already seeped into the corpse sea, and now it was just a matter of time.
Just because the Ice Demons appeared around the same time didn't mean that some of them didn't appear earlier.
The high elves had understood that the western region was the most problematic. The central region had received a normal snowstorm, the eastern region had chosen to cut itself off from the outside world, the southern region faced the advance of the ice castle, and the northern region was filled with easy targets to transform into Ice Demons.
Only the western region had an innate resistance to the curse of winter.
This was solved by a combination of small-scale interventions, such as the spell stone planted by a certain gloomy half-undead high elf that weakened the western regions natural resistance to curses.
They had made many of these preparations in advance.
The corruption of the Corpse Sea had started way back at the beginning of the first snowfall.
Now, it was time for 'it' to awaken…
The glowing eyes in the snowstorm all began to act erratically...
Perhaps a knowledgeable scholar would describe there behaviour as 'excitement'.
The changes started slow.
While the surrounding faces were guarding against the lurking Ice demons, they suddenly felt the ground shake.
Small at first, but slowly it evolved into violent tremors.
The snowstorm started to distort in ways that were unnatural, almost like the sky was coming alive. It twisted into funnels of icy wind, bending in a way that seemed to be welcoming the approach of something.
The tall and slender Ice Demons all began to distance themselves, disappearing back into the depths of the snowstorm, their neon blue glowing eyes disappearing into the wall of white, leaving behind an ominous silence with the hiss of the wind.
The surrounding people suddenly felt their hearts drop.
In the center of the Corpse Sea, the water began to ripple.
The snowfall was pushed away, and the air rippled with an unseen presence.
One ripple became two, then three. Small waves lapped against the shore, splashing black water through the air. The wind became colder, and the rumbling became stronger.
Soon, a column of water pierced forth from the depths of the Corpse Sea and shot into the sky.
When the water retreated, a towering serpentine titan stood tall in its place.
Its trembling cry pierced through the ears.
This creature was a rotting amalgamation of countless corpses, black waste, and glowing neon blue bones. It was shaped like a fusion between the eastern dragon and a centipede, crowned by a cobra's hood that was formed from pure bone. It stretched over a kilometre into the sky, whipping its body around to create a torrent of wind that cleared the surroundings. Its hundreds of 'feet' were formed from dozens of corpses each, all stitched together by sharp shards of glowing bone. This creatures ribcage was exposed, displaying a shining blue cage of icy blue bones and a pulsating black heart.
The terrifying Demon Dragon raised its head and roared at the heavens.
"Screeeeeeeeeac!"
A high-pitched screech ran through the swamplands, shaking the snow and declaring its birth.
It dove down, leaving the corpse sea and disappearing into the sea of snow, like a shark in water.
-
At the same time, in the Volcanic Caves, a pair of domineering dark eyes slowly opened.
* * *