Cale leaned back, his eyes fixed on Snow. "So… what happened after you met him? Do you remember anything he said to you?"
Snow's jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing as if he was fighting an inner battle. For a moment, Cale thought he wouldn't answer. But then, with a voice weighed down by reluctant truth, Snow spoke, "He said to me, 'This gate is just a trial for the catastrophe to come... and you are the worst obstacle in my plan.'" His voice grew colder. "Then he attacked me. That's the last thing I remember… until I opened my eyes again."
Cale leaned forward, his heart thundering in his chest. "And where was that?"
Snow's gaze grew distant, his words heavy with nostalgia and pain. "A cave… surrounded by water on all sides. I was on an island in the middle of an endless ocean. I didn't know how much time had passed or even what year it was. My body was broken. I couldn't stand. I couldn't feel any mana." He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "It was like I was hollow inside."
Cale felt a chill crawl up his spine. He'd never heard of Snow being this vulnerable. "You… lost your mana?"
Snow's voice grew bitter. "That was the price of surpassing my body's limit… of using my life force to power my mana. I had burned through everything, leaving me… empty. My memories were fragmented. I couldn't remember my power… or who I was. For years, I stumbled in that haze. But…" He looked at his hands, the fingers trembling slightly. "The experience of the Calamity Killer… that was harder to forget."
Snow's voice grew steadier as he continued, "Day by day, I trained my body, trying to remember my powers, refining them without mana. It was hell. But I clawed my way back… to this state." He exhaled sharply, his shoulders sagging. "But even now, I am far from my prime. Without my mana… without Shelly…"
Snow's crimson eyes flickered with longing. "Shelly… my familiar… my sword. She's not here. I remember… sending her away after clearing the Inferno Gate… but where did she go?"
Cale's mouth was dry, his mind struggling to catch up. He opened his mouth, closed it, then finally managed, "You just dropped that story on me… and then you're casually asking about Shelly? Give me a damn minute to process this! Maaan, I'm freaking out!" He buried his face in his hands. "You went through all of that… and then just disappeared? And now you're back… without your powers… or Shelly?"
He looked up, his eyes wide with disbelief. "For your information, I don't know where Shelly is. She vanished just like you did."
The air grew cold. Cale felt it immediately—a bone-chilling, suffocating pressure. He looked at Snow… and saw crimson eyes glowing with raw fury.
A pulse of killing intent surged from Snow, so fierce it was almost tangible. Cracks spread like spiderwebs across the walls, the ground quaked, and the air itself felt heavy, like a crushing weight on Cale's chest. Objects shattered and collapsed around them, reduced to dust by the sheer force of Snow's rage.
Cale's body froze, his muscles paralyzed by the oppressive aura. He couldn't breathe. Couldn't even scream. Outside, the tremors rippled through the neighborhood. People stopped in their tracks, shivering uncontrollably, an instinctual fear gripping their hearts.
Miles away, high-ranking hunters jolted upright, eyes wide with horror. The air was thick with power—raw, uncontained, and unmistakable.
A veteran hunter's voice shook as he whispered, "No… that monster… he's really back."
Inside the room, Cale felt the cold sweat on his brow, his vision blurring at the edges. He was drowning in Snow's killing intent.
Snow's voice echoed, low and menacing, "Shelly… where are you?"
To be continued...