"Remember what I'm about to tell you." Finally, Kinsey understood the words because the old woman said it in German. "Change what impossible to be possible. If you fail, your life will full in tears and sorrow. But if you win, you will get your prize possession."
Strangely, even though Kinsey understood what she was saying, he couldn't comprehend the meaning of the statements at all.
"I don't understand. What are you talking about?"
The woman did not answer and just smiled crookedly as she lowered her hands.
"Why do you want to learn from our tribe?"
"There is someone I want to protect without fail," Kinsey said with utmost determination.
The old woman smiled on her side then turned towards her members. She shouted loudly using their tribal language that Kinsey did not understand.
After shouting in unison to the elder, all the Oostven tribe members lowered their weapons and accepted Kinsey as their member. Kinsey smiled broadly with a triumphant smile and glanced at his friend, who was still hiding.
Mertun wiped his sweat and acted as if he was about to faint. He also put on a frown and blamed Kinsey. Whereas Kinsey only responded by rolling his eyes lazily.
Since then, Kinsey continued his high school in Germany and attended the Oostven tribe's exceptional training, making him a strong, sturdy, and invincible young man.
-
At the end of December, the peak temperature in Alaska reaches minus sixteen degrees. The right temperature to perform the ritual. Katie had also consumed the capsule from Umbra a few minutes ago. Now all she had to do was stand in the snow and wait there.
The thing was... since they arrived at the mountain by car, Katie didn't want to come out when she felt the cold wind as soon as she opened the window. She bit her long nails in fidgeting posture. She would be lying if she said she wasn't afraid. She was petrified. Katie had never felt scared like this before.
How could she not be afraid? Even when the temperature was ten degrees, she had to wear double-layered clothes, not mention a thick jacket and a full woven hat to reduce the cold. Now she must stand on the top of the mountain with a temperature of minus sixteen degrees, and she was not allowed to wear a jacket. How could she stand it?
Meanwhile, Umbra accompanied her in the car patiently.
"Should we go back?" asked Umbra.
"What if I fail?"
"If you are doubtful, you will surely fail. We better go back." continued the Umbra while turning on the engine.
"Wait!" prevented Katie. "I ... I want to do it. But I'm afraid... Umbra, I'm really scared."
"Are you afraid of failure or fear of cold temperatures?"
"Both," Katie answered with tears in her eyes.
"All right. How about we imagine if this works? You can dye your hair the color you want. You also don't need to wear contact lenses again because your eye color will definitely not be red. And also, you don't have to worry that nature will react according to your mood. Not to mention, you can sing to your heart's content without fearing that birds will come to you. "
Katie was stunned by the explanation of the man.
"I can do all of them?"
"It goes like that without saying," Umbra replied confidently.
"I will do it." without thinking, Katie opened the car door. Instantly her body shivered as cold wind hit his body.
Katie immediately closed it again and took a deep breath.
"Kei, I'll be here. I won't let anything happen to you."
Katie looked at the Umbra with tearful eyes. It was not sadness tears, but touching tears. Hearing the comfort from the man, she was no longer afraid. She felt optimistic and felt she could do it. She had twenty-four hours before her heart froze completely. Isn't that long enough?
Katie closed her eyes and exhaled the longest breath of the day. Then she reopened the car door and walked through the snow. She only wore one outfit without a jacket, scarf, or hat to warm her up against this cold weather.
In just a few steps, her legs felt weak, and she felt like her entire body had turned to ice. Katie hugged herself and shivered violently. But she did her best to continue walking into the distance where no one would bother her when the ritual sealing proceeds later.
After walking a few more steps, Katie was unable to hold on to her body. She squatted down, more precisely, she curled up like a ball trying to withstand the cold wind attacking her.
Her lips began to turn bluish, and each time she exhaled, she saw that there was cold steam coming out of her mouth.
She felt her consciousness slowly fade, and she seemed no longer able to hold her senses. All of her nerves felt numb, and her body frozen without being able to move anymore.
That's when she closed her eyes and lost consciousness.