The sharp sting of cold snapped him awake. His body, heavy and stiff, resisted his attempts to move. For a moment, he wasn't sure if this was real or just a fading nightmare. The freezing air made it clear—it was real.

Crunch.

He blinked into the darkness. His breath, visible in pale clouds, felt shallow and uneven. His hands pressed against the ground, cold and hard, slick with something that felt like frost. Creak… The faint noise of his palms dragging across the icy surface echoed in the silence. He sat up slowly, his muscles aching with every movement.

"Where…?" His voice cracked, barely loud enough to break the silence. The emptiness around him gave no answers.

Drip… drip…

He exhaled slowly, forcing his pulse to steady. Panic wasn't going to help, and he knew it. Years of training taught him to stay calm, even in the unknown. But this? This felt… wrong.

A faint light flickered in the distance. He squinted, trying to focus. The glow stirred something in him—fragments of memories, disjointed and unclear. A burst of light. Patter-patter. The sound of rain. A bright flash. Then… nothing.

Hummm.

A faint hum broke the silence, so soft it could've been imagined. He froze, his hand brushing against the ground. The vibration grew stronger, a low, rhythmic pulse that seemed to come from everywhere at once. Thrum… Thrum… His chest tightened as it echoed around him, steady and mechanical.

"Lights," he muttered, standing slowly. His gaze fixed on the faint glow ahead, and he began moving, each step crunching against the frost-covered ground. His limbs were stiff, but he pressed forward, driven by the need to find something—anything—that made sense.

The darkness lifted as he walked, revealing an icy expanse. Whoosh. A gust of wind swept past, rattling through the cliffs. Snow-covered rocks jutted from the ground like jagged blades. Behind him, the cave loomed, black and empty, a reminder of where he'd started. He glanced back, his breath catching. This isn't home. Where am I?

Hummmm… The hum grew louder, deeper, vibrating through the ground and into his chest. He crouched instinctively, scanning the horizon. The sound was closer now, sharper, its rhythm irregular.

Rumble. The snow beneath him shifted, and he tensed.

BOOM.

The ground erupted. Snow and ice sprayed into the air, throwing him backward. He landed hard, the impact jolting pain through his ribs. THUD. Groaning, he rolled to his side, forcing himself up. "Not now," he muttered, frustration rising in his chest.

Thump… Thump… A shadow moved through the haze of snow. Then, it stepped into view—a hulking beast. Its metal frame gleamed faintly in the light, jagged and unnatural. The beast growled, a deep, grinding noise—Grrrrk…—that vibrated through the air as it turned toward him.

"A Mercha?!" he exclaimed, disbelief etched into his voice. Aimless, dangerous, and unpredictable, a Mercha only ever meant one thing—trouble.

Ade's instincts took over. He shifted his weight, readying himself. His hand shot out, as though reaching for something that wasn't there. His heart sank, but he didn't stop.

Rumble. The beast's growl turned into a roar—Raaaaugh!—as it charged. Its movements were fast and deliberate, the snow crunching under its weight.

Ade lunged to the side, barely avoiding its attack. WHOOSH. But the icy ground betrayed him. He slipped, landing hard on one knee.

Gritting his teeth, he stood again, his hand stretched out once more.

THUMP-THUMP. The beast roared again, closing the gap. He steadied himself, frustration flickering into nervous energy. "Guess we're doing this the hard way," he muttered, bracing for the fight.