The spring thunder rumbles at the start of what the old sages narrate as the beginning of a new war against the creatures that have tormented humans throughout antiquity. Between the sky, the earth, the mountains, the snow, and the evil in the north, there is a faint trace of an ancient dragon that once astonished the ancient world long before human civilizations slowly progressed over time.
After the thunder gradually subsided, the hours in the world had passed like the sand in an hourglass. At that moment, the drizzle began to spread again over the ancient land, and the few wild birds that had been hiding in a ruined temple within a forest of ash trees finally could not endure the hunger under this apocalyptic weather. They, who had been sheltered for a long time, emerged from the temple to seek food in the rain, abandoning any primitive survival instinct.
But at that very moment, when a black raven soared into the sky, Haldor slowly opened his eyes and regained consciousness. However, he simply had consciousness, feeling as if he were now swimming in cold waters while an animal devoured him very slowly. His eyes, struggling to open, burned intensely and sharply.
With heavy eyelids and confused memories, Haldor tried by all possible means to recall some of the reasons why he felt this way. But during all this time, the only thing he could remember was that he was in this situation because he had been scammed on his trip to India.
But why would someone who was deceived by a fake tour guide end up in this situation? Haldor had not yet reached that answer. Was he drugged, or was he simply experiencing the death that was slowly torturing him?
The reflection emerged spontaneously, almost instantly, and he thought, "It seems that my reflections are not on par with my intellect."
Now that he thinks about it, he was tricked by a tour guide in front of a shop where he supposedly bought a dragon egg that was from a mythical true dragon. Whatever the case, people can make up anything to sell something, but he, who wanted to bring back souvenirs, decided to spend over a hundred dollars on that stone that was supposedly a true mythical dragon egg.
He clearly remembered that when the tourist experience began along with other unfortunate travelers, the man who guided them presented them to some smugglers who attempted to hold them, which they miserably failed at due to the resistance that should not be made in such situations.
"I remember; they shot me in the stomach." Haldor had remembered exactly that he had been shot in front of all the tourists to serve as an example.
No wonder he now felt as if he were in cold waters. It turns out he was actually surrounded by his own blood.
"The feeling of death is truly suffocating... Please, someone save me."
Fake tour guides conspire with human traffickers, kidnappers, and places where they probably hide weapons and have drugs. Haldor would report this to the authorities and expose all the garbage he had been surrounded by if he managed to get out of this place. For that, he would have to become famous with this news, so at least this experience would be worth it if he survived.
"So cold..." Haldor knew that this sensation could be similar to the feeling one experiences when close to death.
Smack!
Unable to tolerate the confusing thoughts swirling in his mind, he thought he was about to die, until suddenly a sensation very similar to slaps burned on his numb face.
Haldor, who had managed to fully open his eyes, saw a blurry figure staring at him. Seeing that human face, he tried to speak but discovered that his voice was hoarse and his throat was sore.
"Help me. Call a doctor!"
"You damn idiot, did you hit your head?" The figure came closer to his field of vision, its voice raspy and rough, as if it had no ethics, speaking so loudly that it exposed its bad breath. "What kind of doctor do you expect to get in the middle of nowhere? Kid Haldor, I advise you to wake up completely, or else, when the slavers from the north catch up with us, I'll run alone and won't carry you like I did before."
Haldor's mind was a mess, and his throat burned because it was completely dry. All of this together was a headache he couldn't shake off. Right now, he could only do everything possible to open his eyes fully, and then he vaguely saw the human head.
Looking at the blurry figure, Haldor thought, 'A tall person with a face with a huge beard, some paint marks on his skin, and long hair in braids...'
Seeing this guy, Haldor was obviously surprised, but his first reaction after swallowing was also strange: "Whoever you are, why aren't you wearing a mask?"
The bearded man was furious and dragged Haldor by the neck. "What mask are you talking about? Brainless kid, if you keep pretending to be unconscious, so I'll carry you, I'm going to leave."
The shouts and curses abruptly stopped because, at the moment the figure was yelling, something was heard... At the same time, the stone ground beneath their feet began to tremble.
"What is this, an earthquake?" Poor Haldor was still a bit dizzy and couldn't understand what was happening.
"You're talking a lot of nonsense that I don't have time to understand because, whether it's the wrath of the gods or some mystery, we're going to die in this place full of ruins if we don't escape." The bearded man sighed, let go of Haldor, and turned around to pack his things.
Haldor, who was left behind, had already noticed that something was wrong, so he struggled to look up, only to see that the bearded man had just kicked a pile of fire, causing a burst of smoke, and the sound of water and fire around confused his dazed mind even more.
The bearded man casually threw a horned helmet into the mud.
Looking at that helmet, Haldor, who stood up from the ground, took the helmet and saw that a viscous liquid was oozing from inside it.
At the same time, there were seventeen exhausted soldiers in the temple. At that moment, they all stood up in panic, whether supporting each other or struggling to walk alone, desperate to escape to wherever they were.
Haldor himself, who was the first to announce the earthquake, did not panic at all because his mind was confused. He shook his helmet, dazed, only to discover that the helmet, which had just been used as a pot, was much harder and heavier than he had imagined. Only then did he notice the irregularities in his body, which seemed to have shrunk. Despite wearing armor, he seemed to be between eleven and fifteen years old.
"What's happening now?" Haldor panicked, looking at his leather armor stained with blood and mud. There was also a hand axe at his waist.
Has he suddenly turned into a Viking from fantasy movies?
Is he now a Viking?
Has he traveled to some historical point full of barbaric chaos? And regardless of the time he was in, just knowing that he was now in the body of a child surrounded by soldiers was more than worrying, without thinking about the various things that could unconsciously kill him.
Haldor, who had done everything possible to straighten his numb body, seemed silently to be receiving all the information possible and thinking of the possibility that all this was a dream. But the most worrying thing is that everything is real. Therefore, he looked around to get more information, but the ground quickly began to vibrate again.
"Hurry up! If you can't walk, crawl! If you can't even crawl, I won't care anymore if you live or die." The man who had grabbed Haldor's neck earlier was Ravyn, who put on a helmet, took a long-handled short knife, and slung it over his shoulder.
Ravyn then turned around without saying anything else to his followers and walked towards the ruined door of this ancient temple, muttering to himself as he walked: "After the defeat at the Valley Pass, I realized the truth: we can't throw our lives away indiscriminately against those northern dogs. Not to mention all our soldiers; our resources are also worth more than a thousand gold ingots."
"It was just a damn reconnaissance mission; how did we end up encountering a hunting squad and slavers near the border with the northern savages?" One of the Vikings in the crowd complained about the bad luck they had had.
Haldor, who listened to the words of these people, did not bother whether it was a hallucination caused by the blood loss he had before losing consciousness because right now he had a splitting headache that made him unable to think.
Therefore, it is difficult to know whether he was following the other party's instructions out of an instinct for survival or exploration, but he immediately put on the helmet that someone had just used to cook some kind of broth and then tried to stand up by holding onto the stone statue beside him.
But as soon as he stood up, Haldor realized that his legs were so weak that he could only support himself with all the strength of his arms, and even then, he could barely take a step.
And at that moment, something even stranger happened. He clearly felt a strange existence, something chilling and similar to air, flowing from his chest to his abdomen in cascades and then descending to his legs through a repetitive cycle. That sensation was not bad at all. Despite feeling cold, he could feel how that current of strange sensation was helping him stand up at this moment. But the moment he wanted to take another step, he fell to the ground, unable to support himself only with his hands.
"Damn it, what's wrong with my body?"
The rest of the people had already escaped, and Ravyn had also left without even looking at Haldor. However, a man who was far behind the group looked at him and said, "The captain warned you not to take that unknown egg. You should have abandoned that idea when everyone warned you. Now, accept the consequences of what's happening to you. If you think for a second that you can surpass your father's legend by getting yourself killed here, you're very mistaken. You're too young for this mission, but you insisted on coming."
Haldor clenched his fists, filled with rage and confusion. He couldn't understand what these people were saying.
He had just woken up after being shot somewhere in India, so everything happening now was probably a product of his imagination. But why were these people treating him worse than trash?
If it weren't for his current condition, Haldor would have dealt with everyone's problems with him in the way he saw fit. However, this time he didn't have the luxury of thinking about fights he couldn't win.
Boom!
At that moment, another great vibration shook the temple walls as if the entire world were about to split in half. Large pieces of stone began to fall from the temple.
"Kill them all; leave none alive!"
"Don't stop, fight to the death, and may the fortunate celebrate in Valhalla!"
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Haldor soon heard metallic sounds outside the temple—swords clashing and people being cut down to death. He knew that those hunting them had caught up and that a bloody battle was now unfolding at the temple's entrance, where he later discovered they were.
Ravyn, the bearded man, returned with a bloodied face. He looked at Haldor, who was on the ground, picked him up with one hand, slung him over his shoulder, and said, "I really want you to die, but the seer told me that if I let you live, Frostgard will be greater than ever. I didn't want you to come, but I couldn't deny the journey to this place because it was in the prophecy."
Haldor, being carried by Ravyn over his shoulder, didn't understand what he was saying, but he was grateful that they didn't leave him here for some deranged enemy to cut him in half when found.
"Don't forget that all this is for Frostgard. You'll have the chance to take the leader's position once you become a man. If you survive, everyone will recognize you as the leader and be willing to serve you to the death, as they did with your father."
Ravyn's words had completely changed. In the midst of the battle, he remembered the seer's exact words: "You are the bridge of the Snow Alpha. You will know you must fight for him to the death when he is at the gates of the underworld. It will depend solely on you if he lives or dies."
Who was this Snow Alpha?
"[A warrior born of frost, forged in the crucible of icy battles] Marked by the lineage of the ancients, he will be the heir of ice and wind.
In days of shadows and threats, the Snow Alpha will emerge, carrying the glow of dawn in his axes. In his hands, the ancient blade of the cold will become the guide of a destiny sealed by glory.
He will conquer fields of ice and stormy mountains, forge alliances with the creatures of the north, and challenge the forces that seek to devour the essence of Frostgard. His name will resonate in the icy valleys like the echo of winter thunder, announcing the arrival of a leader destined for greatness.
Under his banner, the ice tribes will unite, and his war prowess will resound in the hearts of those who yearn for freedom.
In the chronicles of history, the Snow Alpha will be remembered as the warrior who led Frostgard to worldwide glory, unifying realms under the eternal mantle of snow and erecting an empire that will defy winter itself. "
Ravyn didn't know if he was in the presence of the Snow Alpha, but when Haldor took that ice egg and was cursed in the eyes of others, he knew he was very likely in the presence of the Snow Alpha.
As he was about to plunge into battle, he remembered those words from the seer and felt an urgent need to return for Haldor, who could barely walk. "You'd better fight to the death when they reach us; only then can we survive this battle imposed by the gods."
Haldor didn't bother to listen further. He took the axe at his waist and prepared to fight tooth and nail against anyone seeking his head. He had felt like he died once; the sensation was horrible, so he wouldn't feel it even once more in this place.
The moment Haldor took his weapon, he felt a wool bag on his chest. When he touched it, he noticed it was something round, emitting a cold aura. He didn't give it much importance but remembered they had mentioned the ice egg, so he knew exactly what was inside.
"Attack!"
Ahead, Haldor saw several men covered in thick fur cloaks, holding long swords, and looking deeply at all the survivors from his group.
"Form up, don't be intimidated, and cover your flanks now!" Ravyn, the captain, put Haldor down, stood in front of him, and drew his very large double axes.
"Fight!"
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
At that moment, a fierce battle erupted at the temple's entrance, and soon many began to receive horrible wounds before their necks were cut by the blades' relentless edges.
According to Haldor's understanding, if one is minimally wounded by the cold metal of those weapons, then if the bleeding doesn't kill you, the cut will likely cause an infection.
"Die, damn northern dogs!" Ravyn decapitated several enemies, but soon several arrows landed in his leg and left shoulder.
The warriors hunting them numbered about twenty; now no more than fifteen, as many had died. However, only seven on Haldor's side could still stand.
"We're finished..." Haldor murmured as he crawled toward a weapon one of the Vikings had dropped. He picked it up, and after seeing how he could use it to stand, he planted it in the ground. With support, he stood up, held the axe in his right hand, and looked directly at the enemy, who was getting closer to his position.
"Well, at least it won't be that easy for them to kill me this time." Haldor consoled himself with this after knowing he was about to face enemies twice his size.
"I'll attack their legs and then go for their neck." As soon as he thought this, Haldor ignored the feeling of fear at that moment and immediately tried to ignite the survival flame hidden within him. However, the sensation of killing wasn't exactly something that lived in his body. What he did feel was a desire to fight. He was now fed up with being targeted for death, so at least he would show resistance.
"Now, children, come on your surveillance expeditions? Damn dogs, it doesn't matter; we'll kill you anyway!" said one of the men who had approached Haldor, who could barely stand.
Haldor maintained a serene expression; despite his fear and his heart pounding, there was nothing preventing him from defending himself, and if he had to die, at least he would leave his enemy with a wound that would make him remember.
"Heh, heh, heh!"
Clang!
As the man approached, he attacked Haldor with his sword, who counterattacked with his axe, but the difference in strength and his lack of balance made him fall to the ground.
"Son of a bitch!" Haldor wanted to get up, but at that moment, the sharp edge of the sword was approaching his chest, making him feel weak. After all, he was about to be stabbed once again.
Crack!
But at that moment, the sword's edge struck the egg on his chest, stopping the attack. Filled with adrenaline, Haldor took the axe and attacked the man's leg, which was a short distance in front of him.
Clang!
"Ahhhh!"
Haldor, who struck an artery in the man's leg, was soon blinded by the blood that filled his face, but he didn't stop. He attacked the man's stomach as he fell to the ground, holding the wound with both hands.
"Die! Die! Die!"
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Haldor, driven by fear and anger at having nearly died, attacked the man in front of him repeatedly without stopping until he was lying in a pool of blood, motionless.
"Haldor! Run, get out of here, and don't look back!" shouted Ravyn, seeing Haldor kill an enemy despite barely being able to move. Only then did he understand that Haldor was the Alpha of the Snows.
"You better not die." Haldor didn't want to look at Ravyn, who was horribly wounded. Full of fear, he staggered towards an external exit of the temple.
But as he passed through the door, he felt a dampness in his chest and looked down to see something moving from side to side.
Haldor was so astonished that he stopped moving, and his brain immediately began to work extremely fast, reasoning about what exactly was moving in his chest.
"Rrrr!"
"Ahhhhh!"
But at that moment, Haldor, who was trying to figure out if the egg had broken and what was inside had come out, regained his alertness and walked towards the wet stairs leading to the forest.
Boom!
As he exited, the tremors became more frequent, and the temple, which was practically worn down, collapsed, burying all who hadn't escaped.
Haldor staggered and fell into the mud, his gaze focused on the temple ruins. He sighed, knowing that maybe everyone had died.
The earthquakes became more frequent and stronger, and the ground was extremely slippery due to the torrential rain. Haldor, who didn't want to stop, ran towards the forest, falling to the ground from time to time. But just as he was about to enter the forest, the ground beneath his feet rose. At that moment, a crack that grew larger and larger appeared, forcing Haldor to retreat.
But that wasn't all. Finally, the biggest event occurred. For a moment, the earth rumbled, the mountains shook, and the ground cracked. The cries and wails outside the temple also erupted with the roar of the cloudy skies.
These were not human screams, nor those of normal beasts; it was like the screech of a huge mythological creature.
Crack!
As if that wasn't enough, a new massive crack opened not far from the temple door, shaking the debris and moving the huge fallen walls.
After an unknown amount of time, the movement stopped.
Haldor, lying in the rain-soaked ground, looked around dazedly. He saw how the crows flew away, how the earth was cracked, and how everything seemed to have stopped suddenly.
Rrrroooaaarrr!!!!
At that moment, from the temple, a pair of huge wings extended to the sky, and an enormous body similar to a lizard's, but hundreds of times larger, passed through the sky.
Seeing this scene, despite not belonging to this timeline, Haldor had lost his ability to think carefully and perform basic actions. He murmured, "A dragon..."
There was a dragon hidden in the temple, and it had been underground, so its emergence had caused the temple to collapse. Just a moment later, Haldor was confused again, because after the dragon emerged to reveal its full body, it didn't immediately soar into the air; it first shook its huge wings.
Despite its enormous body, it was a long and somewhat flat dragon. It had four thin wings and a short neck, but this didn't make it look any less terrifying.
Looking closer, Haldor noticed that the dragon's wings had a great wingspan and were also lined with spines similar to those on its face. Its long, bare tail ended in two curved, thin spikes, preceded by a pair of swimming fins.
Its scales, on the other hand, were black with white tips, a very exotic color to Haldor's eyes.
Of course, if this wasn't a dragon, what was it?
Haldor didn't have time to review the knowledge of biology, mythology, and folklore he hadn't touched on for many years in his memories.
"Incredible..."
The next moment, the dragon opened its eyes, and its massive double wings flapped, and in an instant, it soared into the sky.
In a moment, fist-sized stones fell from the sky one after another, letting Haldor know it was time to run.
But before Haldor could get up from the ground, a massive stone struck his head, making him fall unconscious while a large amount of blood flowed from the side of his face.
Unbeknownst to Haldor, a small, luminous creature emerged from his chest and began to lick the wound on his head. In an instant, the blood froze, preventing him from losing more blood from the wound on his head.
That creature, black in color, shook its body, and four wings emerged from its small form. Its tiny head looked at the motionless Haldor and squealed loudly.
Chirp!
Excitement could be heard in its cry, and only when Haldor saw the shell of the egg did he realize it was identical to the one he had bought in his previous life before dying from a gunshot.