The winds howled across the frozen landscape, carrying with them the sharp bite of cold that seemed to cut through anything unprepared for the relentless chill. Above, the sky stretched in shades of pale gray, a never-ending sheet of ice-bound clouds casting an eerie glow over the land below. Snowflakes fell in slow, swirling patterns, glinting like tiny shards of glass under the dim light. The air felt thick, heavy with the weight of ages, as if the very atmosphere was burdened by the memory of ancient times long passed.