The morning sun had barely risen when Frozenfang appeared at the edge of their camp. His presence was as imposing as ever, his cold, calculating eyes scanning the group with a mix of disdain and indifference. The children, who were still reeling from the events of the past two days, looked up in apprehension.
"The day has come," Frozenfang announced, his voice as icy as the winds he commanded. "The tournament will take place at the estate of another lord, across the river. We leave immediately."
As he spoke, his eyes flicked over the group, narrowing when he noticed that several children were missing. "It seems you've already managed to lose some of your number," he remarked with a hint of mockery. "Perhaps they weren't strong enough after all."
One of the children, unable to contain his anger any longer, shouted out, "It's not our fault! You brought a maniac into our group, and now people are dying!"
The child's outburst was met with an immediate, terrifying response. Frozenfang's eyes flashed with anger, and the temperature around them seemed to drop instantly. A chill sensation crept over every child's skin, freezing them in place with fear. Even Kenshin, who couldn't see Frozenfang, felt an overwhelming sense of dread, stronger than anything he had felt when facing the Frostbound.
With a deadly calm, Frozenfang approached the child who had dared to speak out. Without a word, he grabbed the boy by the neck, lifting him effortlessly off the ground. The boy gasped, his eyes wide with terror as Frozenfang's grip tightened.
"If you are so weak that you cannot handle one single problem," Frozenfang hissed, his voice dripping with malice, "then that is not my fault."
With a slow, deliberate motion, Frozenfang removed one of his gloves, revealing a hand that radiated an unnatural cold. He placed it on the boy's face, and instantly, frost began to spread across the skin, freezing it in place. The boy whimpered in pain as his face became half-frozen, his breath coming in short, panicked gasps.
"For this insolence," Frozenfang continued, his tone icy and merciless, "you will walk to the tournament site on your own. You have two hours to arrive. Anyone who fails to make it will be left behind. And they will die."
With that, he released the boy, who collapsed to the ground, clutching his frozen face in agony. Frozenfang turned his back on the group, leaving them to process the horror of what they had just witnessed.
The camp was silent, the air thick with fear and tension. Kenshin's heart pounded in his chest, the reality of their situation crashing down on him. They were trapped in a world where strength was the only currency, and failure meant death.
Frozenfang strode away, not bothering to look back. "Two hours," he repeated coldly as he left. "You have two hours."
The children, still in shock, slowly began to gather their things, the weight of Frozenfang's threat hanging over them like a storm cloud. Kenshin looked around at his companions, seeing the fear in their eyes and feeling it reflected in his own heart. They had to move, and they had to survive. But as they prepared to leave, the terrifying realization settled in: this was only the beginning.