In the village center, life pulsed with warmth amid the bitter cold.
The old man, in his heavy woolen robe, was hard at work clearing snow from the paths. On the other side, children's laughter rang out as they pelted one another with snowballs and built funny statues, and sometimes snow monsters with carrot noses and stone eyes.
Despite its simplicity, the village was living a magical moment, like nothing so much as a warm dream in the middle of a storm.
(The same old man Ethan met)
In the midst of it all, a familiar voice called out to the old man: "Is what I asked you for ready?"
The old man turned in surprise toward the voice and found Nicholas standing behind him, dressed in winter clothes from head to toe, hands in his pockets, staring into the old man's eyes with a firm, serious gaze.
The old man leaned calmly on his shovel and took a deep breath. Then he looked at Nicholas with a mixture of fear and concern in his eyes. "Are you still sure about this decision, my boy?"
Nicholas answered, his voice full of resolve: "I already told you my reasons for what I want to do, old man. So please, talk less and give me what I asked for."
The old man let out a faint sigh, resignation and a touch of sorrow on his face. He walked over to the mound of snow where he had been piling up what he cleared.
He reached into it and pulled out a medium-sized bag, then walked back to Nicholas and stopped one step away from him.
He held the bag out in silence, but before letting go of it, he said in a low voice, almost encouragingly: "I would have tried to stop you. I would have tried to talk you out of this reckless act. But your cause is different... Just go. Don't keep them waiting any longer."
Nicholas took the bag without hesitation and slung it over his shoulder. He simply nodded his head in respect to the old man... then turned and left, his footsteps creaking on the snow under the weight of the decision he had made.
Minutes and hours passed slowly, and night fell over the village as everyone drifted off to sleep.
Everyone except a small group of five people who were awake in front of the shattered gate, assigned to guard it that night until it could be repaired.
Jesse was telling Ethan a story, while Jenny sat alone, gazing silently at the moon. Elsewhere, Joseph was playing a board game with Luke, the tension between them running high. All of them sat around a lit brazier to keep warm.
Jesse suddenly raised his hand, pointing with excited eyes: "And so the knight managed to save the kingdom from destruction..."
Then he calmed down a little, a relaxed look on his face. "Did you like the story?"
Ethan answered, his eyes blazing with excitement and suspense, nodding in agreement.
On the other side, Luke pressed a game piece down hard, then slid it forward, saying in a challenging tone: "Checkmate."
Joseph raised his eyebrows and let out a short, carefree laugh. "That easily? You obviously cheated somehow."
Despite their laughter, Jenny stayed as still as a statue, staring at the moon as usual, her hair stirring slightly in the wind.
Jesse rose from his seat, feeling thirsty, and looked around for water but couldn't find any. He called out loudly: "Joseph! Where did you put the water jug?"
Joseph answered quickly, as though he had been waiting for this moment for years, a wicked grin on his face: "It's up your ass, hahahahahaha!"
Then he burst into hysterical laughter. Jesse felt annoyed but tried to restrain himself. "I'm talking to you seriously. Where is it?"
Joseph calmed down a little and answered with a mocking smile: "Hahaha, sorry, but I forgot to bring one."
Jesse sighed in displeasure, then turned toward the village. "I'll go get it, then." He began walking toward his cabin until he disappeared from everyone's sight.
The others went on with what they had been doing after he left.
Ethan stayed seated, quiet and absent-minded, thinking about the story Jesse had told him and replaying its events.
A few minutes passed in heavy silence, and Jesse still hadn't returned. At first no one noticed, lulled by the brazier, which kept giving off its intermittent warmth in the cold air.
Luke glanced at Ethan, then at Joseph, and said in a quiet voice tinged with worry: "Uncle's taking a while. Don't you think?"
Joseph answered indifferently: "Don't worry, maybe he ran into some minor trouble."
Luke replied as he moved his knight: "But what if it's major trouble?"
The other answered lazily as he moved his king: "If you're so worried about him, go to him. Nobody's stopping you."
Luke replied coldly as he moved a pawn: "Fine."
Then he stood up and began walking, following Jesse's footprints.
Joseph shouted after him angrily: "Heyyy, you idiot! Go when we're finished, not now!"
But Luke ignored him and kept walking.
Joseph slapped his own face in displeasure and annoyance, then turned back to the fire, trying to pass the time until Luke returned.
He looked at Ethan for a few seconds, then at Jenny, and found both of them lost in thought.
He quietly adjusted his seat, and then, in a swift motion, once he was sure no one was looking at him, he rearranged the chess pieces in his own favor, a wicked smile spreading across his face.
Just then, Nicholas walked out through the gates, so quietly that his footsteps could hardly be heard on the white snow, carrying a large backpack with a submachine gun slung behind it, one that had clearly been handmade.
He kept advancing calmly toward Joseph, who watched him with a mix of surprise and tension. "Uhhh, Nicholas?? What's going on, pal?"
Nicholas stopped close to him, determination and seriousness in his eyes. Then he squared his shoulder and held out his arm toward Joseph, saying gravely: "Give it to me."
Joseph raised an eyebrow in confusion and asked: "Give you what? And why?"
Nicholas answered, his tone starting to show some irritation: "The map. And what I do with it is none of your business."
Joseph stared at him for a few seconds, as if trying to make sure he wasn't joking, then slowly stood up, saying in a mocking tone: "And what exactly do you want to do with it? Go fight Katoran, hahahaha?"
Nicholas didn't laugh. He didn't even smile. He stood there like a wall, looking at Joseph with a hard stare.
He said quietly, his voice laced with irritation: "Give me the map."
Joseph scratched his head, tension beginning to show on his face, and said in a joking tone mixed with worry: "Even if I gave it to you, how would you even understand it? You don't know how it works or how to read it."
Nicholas put a hand to his chin and began to think, as if the point had only just sunk in. Then he said: "Then you're coming with me."
Joseph answered quickly: "Wait, what?"
Nicholas then grabbed him by the arm by force and began walking away from the village.
Joseph tried to wriggle out of his grip, saying in annoyance: "Wait, let go of me! Where are you taking me, you idiot?"
But Nicholas only answered, his voice full of hatred and loathing: "Grab your damn bag and guide us to Katoran's place."
Shock and terror took over Joseph's face. He swallowed slowly and said hesitantly: "Wait, wait, wait. Are you really planning to go to Katoran?!! Have you lost your mind?!"
He began trying to break free with more and more force, horror and dread plain on his face.
In a moment of rage, Nicholas drove a violent punch into Joseph that doubled him over in pain, clutching his stomach before he began to vomit heavily.
This alarmed Jenny and Ethan, who rushed over to see what was happening between them.
But Nicholas paid no attention to either of them and said angrily: "Take the map and lead us to Katoran."
Joseph slowly raised his eyes to him, his face twisted with pain and fear, and muttered in a faint, shaky voice: "You're insane, man... You're walking to your death on your own two feet, and you want to drag me to my doom with you."
Ethan hurried over to Joseph to check on him, then turned his gaze to Nicholas, the innocence on his face mixed with sudden confusion and obvious shock.
Meanwhile, Jenny shouted at Nicholas in confusion: "What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?"
But Nicholas simply went on dragging Joseph along, indifferent to both of them, while Ethan tried to pull Joseph the other way, but only ended up being dragged along with him, to no real effect.
Through all of this, Jenny stood frozen in place from tension and fear, unable to decide.
Her heart pounded. A bitter struggle raged in her chest between running after them and going back to the village to ask for help.
Then, in a moment of confusion, as she noticed them vanishing from sight, she began running after them, hoping to find some way to stop this madness.
... She reached them with difficulty and stretched out a trembling hand to grab Nicholas's shoulder, breathing hard from the cold and exhaustion, and said in a voice full of pleading: "Nicholas, please stop what you're doing and let's go back to the village."
He didn't turn to her or even look at her. He only said calmly: "If you want to go back, go back. All I need right now is Joseph. As for the rest of you, what I'm doing is no concern of yours."
Jenny froze in place and shot Joseph a quick glance. His face was pale, and she saw him stumbling along as if he had lost the ability to walk normally.
She felt something squeeze her heart. That look in his eyes... a look of pleading and fear, as if he were screaming inside, wishing Nicholas would leave him alone.
Her voice trembled as she murmured, not daring to touch Nicholas again: "I won't go anywhere unless you let Joseph go. He's not safe with you..."
Nicholas looked at her out of the corner of his eye for several seconds, then turned his gaze forward again and went on walking calmly, while Ethan and Jenny exchanged uneasy, worried looks and followed him, hoping he would stop what he was doing at some point.
After several minutes, Jesse and Luke came back from the village. Jesse was carrying the water jug and said to the others: "Sorry I took so long. The snow changed the look of the place, and in the dark I forgot where the cabin was, so it took..."
Then he noticed that no one was there. He turned to Luke in confusion and asked: "Where did everyone go?"
He found him looking left and right in confusion and unease, then Luke said, muffled worry in his voice: "I don't know... They were here when I left."
Jesse scratched his head in bewilderment, looking at the campfire. "They were supposed to wait for us here... I don't think there was any reason for them to leave in this weather."
Luke walked over to where he had been sitting and noticed the board scattered on the ground. At the same time, Jesse said to him: "Is that... vomit?"
Luke quickly turned his gaze to Jesse, worry and unease taking over his face as he realized what was going on. "Oh, damn... they must have been attacked!!"
Jesse's breathing quickened as he said with obvious worry: "Then we have to find them fast. They can't have gone far."
Luke nodded in agreement, and they began searching everywhere for any trace of them.
Around the village walls.
Inside the village.
Near the place where they had disappeared.
But they found nothing to show where they had gone, as if every clue had been erased.
Luke slumped wearily in front of the fire, worry slowly gnawing at his heart, and said bitterly: "Ugh, damn it, why is there nothing? We should be able to see where they went from their footprints in the snow."
Jesse answered as he slumped down too, with an exhausted face: "The snow is falling heavily and the wind is fairly strong. It must have wiped out their tracks."
Silence lingered between them for several minutes as they tried to think of anything at all under the weight of dread and worry.
Luke turned and looked back at the thick snow covering the area, watching expectantly, waiting for this to turn out to be one of Joseph's pranks.
Meanwhile Jesse couldn't sit still from restlessness.
He was lost in his own thoughts, forgetting the cold around him, one palm pressed to his face in distress.
"You failure... All you had to do was protect him... just stay with him or take him with you... But no, you left him with them as if they would protect him, forgetting your responsibility toward him... A simple task you had to follow, but you can't even manage that, as if it were something hard..."
He took his hand from his face, revealing features overwhelmed by exhaustion and grief, then muttered in a voice no one could hear: "Ethan... please... stay safe." He suddenly sprang to his feet, under Luke's puzzled gaze.
He began striding quickly toward the village, and Luke followed, trying to keep up and asking: "Where are you going?"
Jesse answered in a serious voice: "I'm going to ask Mira for help. She'll surely be able to help us."
Luke replied, raising an eyebrow in confusion: "Do you even know where her cabin is?"
He answered in the same tone: "It's in the village center, obviously, man."
Luke replied: "And if she's not there?"
Jesse answered in annoyance: "Just shut up and move."
(To be continued)