Sergie felt the words forming on his tongue, but before he could speak, the world went dark. A heavy, oppressive blackness swallowed everything, thick and smothering like a cold fog. His body tensed, the air around him still and silent.
Out of the void, a figure appeared—ghostly, ethereal. She looked like a young girl, her white hair flowing like a river of snow, eyes glowing a vivid green. Her skin was pale, almost translucent, and she hovered just above the ground, an unnatural grace in her movements.
Sergie blinked, trying to focus, his heartbeat strangely calm despite the eeriness of the scene. He squinted, trying to make sense of her, but his mind felt distant, sluggish.
"You are not ready," the girl said, her voice soft yet carrying a weight of finality. It echoed through the blackness, surrounding him like a whisper that reached into his very soul.
"Who… who are you?" Sergie asked, his voice low, unsure.
She floated closer, her eyes never leaving his. "You are not ready to meet the Ice Emperor. Not yet."
Sergie's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? Why not? And who are you?"
The girl tilted her head slightly, almost in pity. "It is not for you to know yet. But heed my words. Before you meet him, you must find the Princess of the Mud People."
Sergie frowned, confusion turning to frustration. "The Princess of the Mud People? What does that have to do with the Ice Emperor? Who even is she?"
The girl's expression softened, but there was no comfort in it. "In time, you will understand. She is the key. But you… you are not ready."
Sergie clenched his fists, his frustration boiling over. "What is this? Why should I believe you? Why can't I meet him? What will happen if I do?"
Her eyes darkened for a moment, a shadow passing over her features. "If you meet him now, you will lose everything."
Her words sent a chill down his spine, but still, he pressed on. "Everything? What do you mean by that? What will happen to me?"
She didn't answer, not immediately. Instead, she drifted closer, her face inches from his now. "You are not yet strong enough, Sergie."
"How do you know me?" His voice trembled slightly, his calm unraveling. "What are you?"
Her lips barely moved as she repeated herself, this time more quietly, her words carried by the void. "I love you."
Sergie froze. "What?" His confusion deepened. "What are you talking about? What do you mean, you love me?"
She didn't respond, only leaned in closer, her cold breath brushing against his skin. Her lips, soft and icy, touched his cheek. The moment felt strange—wrong, yet there was no fear in him, only an unsettling calm. He felt like he was watching from afar, not entirely in control.
Suddenly, she clapped her hands against both sides of his head. The sharp crack echoed, and he felt a wetness in his ears—blood. His hearing faded for a moment, the sound drowned out by the ringing, but there was no pain. No sensation of discomfort at all.
"Why—why did you do that?" Sergie gasped, his voice muffled by the deafening ringing in his ears.
The girl's form began to twist and shift, her face warping in unnatural ways, limbs stretching grotesquely, skin peeling back to reveal something incomprehensible, something not meant for human eyes. Her voice, distorted and otherworldly, echoed once more. "You will know. When the time comes, you will know."
Sergie tried to step back, but his feet felt like they were stuck, immovable. "Tell me more! Who are you? What do you want from me? Why am I seeing you?"
Her form became less and less human, an eldritch nightmare of writhing shapes and shifting colors. "You will find the answers," she hissed, her voice now a thousand whispers blending into one. "In time."
"Wait!" Sergie shouted, reaching out instinctively, though his hand found nothing but cold, empty air. The darkness closed in around him once again.
---
He awoke with a start, his breath steady but quickened, eyes wide as he scanned his surroundings. He was back in his room, the dim light of the morning casting long shadows on the walls. He touched his cheek where the ghostly girl had kissed him, expecting to feel some trace of her, but his skin was smooth, unmarked.
His ears were fine. No blood. No pain. But the memory lingered, sharp and real.
"That wasn't a dream," he muttered to himself, running a hand through his dark hair. It couldn't have been. He had felt it—every moment, every word. The girl, the warning, the monstrous transformation… everything.
Either I'm going insane, or something's wrong with reality, he thought grimly.
He pushed himself off the bed and stood up, glancing at the room. His mind raced as he replayed the girl's words in his head. The Ice Emperor… the Princess of the Mud People… if I meet him now, I'll lose everything…
But why? And what was it that she didn't want him to see?
Sergie sighed and wandered into the small kitchen, grabbing an apple and biting into it absentmindedly. He chewed, deep in thought. The girl had given him a clear warning, but no real explanation. Still, the way she spoke, the certainty in her words, told him that he couldn't dismiss her. Not yet.
As he mulled over the events, his gaze drifted to a stack of books on a nearby shelf. He frowned. Had those always been there? Something tugged at him, urging him to take a closer look.
He picked up the top book, its cover old and worn. When he opened it, strange symbols filled the pages. They resembled hieroglyphs, not letters he recognized, yet as he scanned them, they made perfect sense. The words formed clearly in his mind, as if they had been written in Russian.
The story it told was dark—fairytales of a forgotten world, but these tales weren't meant for children. Each page was filled with betrayal, murder, and twisted creatures lurking in the shadows of ancient kingdoms.
Hours seemed to pass as Sergie read, the strange allure of the book pulling him deeper into its world. The warning from the girl echoed in his mind, but still, he couldn't stop reading.
It wasn't until Valenora finally emerged from her room that he snapped out of it. She looked at him, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Sergie, are you reading?"
Sergie blinked, looking up at her. "Yeah, I found these… weird books. Something about ancient fairytales."
Valenora's eyes narrowed. "Those books aren't just 'weird,' Sergie. They're written in an ancient script. Few can read them. How can you?"
He shrugged, setting the book down. "I don't know. I just… can. It's like reading Russian. It feels natural."
Valenora gave him a skeptical look but didn't press further. Before she could say more, Dante entered the room, his presence as commanding as ever. He kissed Valenora on the cheek and said, "I'm heading to Qyed. Got some goblins and orcs to hunt. The guild pays good money for that sort of thing."
"The guild?" Sergie asked, intrigued. "What's that?"
Dante raised an eyebrow. "You don't know about the guild? It's an organization created by the Seven Kingdoms to fight the Ice Empire. They deal with everything—protecting the innocent, slaying monsters, feeding the poor. You name it."
"And… they pay you?"
Dante grinned. "Of course."
Sergie's mind churned with possibilities. "Can I come with you?"
Dante shrugged. "Sure, if you think you're up for it."
Valenora shot them both a glance. "You boys can discuss this later. For now, go clean up. I'll make breakfast."
As Dante moved to help her, Sergie walked toward the bathroom, his thoughts a swirling storm of questions. The guild, the Ice Emperor, the strange girl. And now, the Princess of the Mud People. How did it all connect?
The cold water from the bath hit his face, but he barely felt it. His mind was too far gone, lost in the puzzle that was growing more complex with every passing moment.