---
"Snow has stopped falling..." Alex looked around. They were just about to reach the center of the forest. The blizzard had been going on for a long while, but as he predicted, it finally stopped.
"Yes," Mirko responded, feeling protected being next to Alex. It felt like she was near a wall that would shield her no matter what.
Unbeknownst to her, Alex barely cared about her at all. He was just bringing Mirko along to fight Andrei, knowing he could use her to manipulate Andrei, who would be under the control of The Aegis. Alex thought making Mirko speak to Andrei would make the fight easier.
"I've heard the center of the forest is the most dangerous part. While there aren't any monsters, the animals here are ferocious," Alex said, recalling what Podalirius had told him. Before he left, Podalirius had given him advice to help him survive. Alex was eager to leave, as he didn't want to die because of him.
