Chapter 1
The snowstorm raged without mercy, swallowing everything in white.
A small girl stumbled through the drifts, her feet bare and her breath ragged. Her silver hair clung to her face, and her pale blue eyes, though filled with tears, refused to close.
Her name was Aria.
She was only seven years old.
Left behind by those who once called her family, she wandered the wilderness with nothing but a tattered cloak. In a world where strength was everything, she had none—no magical affinity, no blessing, not even the stamina to swing a wooden sword.
"Why… why was I even born?" she whispered, her voice nearly stolen by the storm.
Her legs gave out. The cold bit into her skin, and darkness crept at the edges of her vision.
Then—
Hooooowwwwwllll!
The sound pierced the blizzard like a blade. A cry that was ancient, lonely, and powerful.
Aria's eyes widened. Through the curtain of snow, a massive silhouette appeared—white fur glowing faintly in the moonlight, eyes as blue as the frozen sky.
A wolf.
No… The White Wolf of Eternal Frost.
Legends whispered of this beast. Said to be a guardian spirit of the north, a monster feared even by kings. Hunters spoke its name with dread, for wherever it appeared, blizzards followed.
Aria froze in terror. The wolf approached slowly, each step shaking the snow beneath its paws. Its gaze fell upon the trembling child—yet instead of hunger, there was something else in its eyes.
Something… gentle.
Aria tried to crawl away, but her body no longer obeyed her. Tears streamed down her face as she whispered, "I don't… want to die…"
The White Wolf lowered its head, pressing its cold nose against her cheek. The icy touch should have frozen her, yet warmth bloomed in her chest.
Suddenly, words—not spoken aloud, but echoing within her mind—resounded.
"Little one… do you wish to live?"
Her eyes widened. "Y-You can… talk?"
The wolf's gaze deepened. "Answer me. Do you wish to live, even if the world has cast you aside?"
Aria's small hands clenched into fists. Every memory of being mocked, ignored, abandoned by her family burned within her. She was powerless, useless, unwanted. But now…
"Yes!" she cried. "I want to live! Even if I'm weak… even if I'm alone… I don't want to disappear!"
The wolf's icy breath swirled in the air like mist. For a moment, the beast simply stared. Then, with a deep, rumbling voice, it spoke again.
"Then take my fang. Share my blood. From this day, your soul and mine shall be bound."
A sharp pain pricked her palm. Aria gasped as a white glow enveloped her body, seeping into her veins like frost and fire all at once. A mark shaped like a snowflake formed on the back of her hand, glowing faintly.
The wolf's voice grew softer. "Rise, child. You are no longer alone. From now on, you walk with me… the White Wolf."
Her vision blurred, exhaustion finally claiming her. But before she slipped into unconsciousness, she smiled for the first time in years.
"…Not alone…" she whispered.
The wolf curled its massive body around her, shielding her from the storm. Its golden breath warmed her frail frame as the blizzard howled outside.
And so, in the endless snow, a bond was born—between a powerless girl and the legendary beast of frost.
The world would one day remember this night.
The night when Aria, the girl with nothing, became the one who walked with the White Wolf.