The storm outside had lessened by the time Shroud emerged from the cave. The sky above was still gray, but the blizzard's fury had subsided to a whisper. His body was stiff, his wounds still raw, but the brief respite allowed him to focus on the next step. He pulled his cloak tighter around him, his thoughts still on the battle in the cave, but now, with every breath, there was something else gnawing at him—hunger.
The trial had already pushed him to his limits, and the monster he'd just defeated was only the beginning. He had no idea what else this cursed place held, but he wasn't about to wait around to find out.
But as he trudged onward through the snow, a faint, rasping sound cut through the storm's diminished roar. It was so soft he almost missed it—just a weak cough, a cry barely audible over the wind. Shroud froze mid-step, his breath caught in his throat.
"Someone's out there," he muttered under his breath, a twinge of urgency in his voice. The bitter cold had already claimed many, and he wasn't going to add another to the list without trying to help.
He turned, scanning the snowy wasteland with narrowed eyes. Another cough. It was human, weak, struggling for air. Shroud's heart raced, adrenaline surging as he began to push through the snow, fighting the painful tremors in his limbs, each step heavier than the last. The world around him was a frozen nightmare, the snow and ice blurring his vision. But there—just ahead, half-buried beneath a mound of snow—he saw the figure.
A girl.
Her skin was pale, frost clinging to her face and limbs, and her body lay twisted in a position that screamed of exhaustion and near death. But there was life in her eyes, barely there, flickering as she fought to stay conscious.
Shroud's heart pounded as he rushed toward her, each movement filled with both pain and urgency. He knelt beside her, his hands trembling as he gently pulled her from the snow. She was so light, too light, her body stiff with the cold, her skin burning with fever despite the freezing temperatures.
Her lips barely moved, a whisper lost almost instantly to the wind. "Please..."
"Stay with me," Shroud said urgently, his voice hoarse, not just from the cold but from the fear creeping into his chest. This was another life he could save—or lose. He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her with whatever strength he had left. The girl's body was freezing, but she wasn't dead yet. Not yet.
A jagged rock formation loomed in the distance, an outcrop that could offer them shelter from the storm. With no time to waste, Shroud dragged her toward it, the struggle to move her through the knee-deep snow feeling like an eternity. His body screamed for rest, but there was no time for that.
The wind tore at his face, the cold gnawing through him like teeth. But when they reached the cave, the relief was short-lived. The entrance was narrow, a jagged maw in the side of the mountain that offered little protection. He collapsed against the stone, dragging her inside with a last, desperate burst of energy.
The cave was small, barely more than a hollow in the rock, but it would have to do. Shroud lowered the girl to the ground, his breath ragged, body aching. He immediately started scanning the area for anything useful—firewood, shelter, anything—but the cave was barren, empty except for the ice that clung to the walls.
The girl was still unconscious, her breaths shallow and labored. The sight of her pale face twisted in discomfort stirred something deep inside him—he couldn't let her die here. But how? His Pathway was not designed to heal others. He could barely keep himself alive, let alone someone else.
As he stared helplessly at her, a thought struck him—her cold, her body temperature. She wasn't just weak; she was freezing to death. Her Pathway. She had to have one, something that could help her survive. He couldn't afford to wait any longer.
Shroud's hand hovered over her icy skin, feeling the cold seeping through him as he reached out, gently brushing his fingers against hers. "Stay with me," he whispered, his voice almost lost to the wind that still howled faintly from outside.
And then, just as he was about to withdraw his hand, he felt it—a faint pulse of energy beneath her skin. At first, it was barely noticeable, a flicker of something cold and ethereal. But as he focused, it grew stronger, radiating from her, a shimmer of ice forming around her fingers.
A soft glow lit the cave, the ice coalescing into a delicate pattern as it spread, wrapping around her body like a protective shield.
Shroud's heart skipped a beat. She was controlling the cold. Not just enduring it, but using it—turning it into a shield that could save her.
With the faintest of gasps, the girl's eyes fluttered open, weak and exhausted, but the ice surrounding her now glowed with a soft light, the frost forming into a shimmering cocoon around her. As it spread, the temperature in the cave shifted. The freezing chill of the air began to retreat, and the cold that had pierced Shroud's very bones seemed to ease.
She muttered softly, her voice barely audible, "Cold... so cold..."
The ice wrapped tighter around her, but in a surprising turn, Shroud felt the warmth begin to seep back into his own body. Her energy wasn't just protecting her—it was radiating outward, pushing back the bitter cold. The shield that had formed was as much for him as it was for her.
She managed a weak smile, her eyes fluttering closed once more. "I… can help... with the cold."
Shroud leaned back against the wall, relief washing over him as his body finally started to relax. The girl was safe—for now. And for the first time in days, he allowed himself a brief moment of peace.
She had saved them both.
And together, they might just have a chance.
End of Chapter