Every step was a struggle. The snow was up to his knees, and the wind was hitting his face with sharp knives of frost. Lucian stumbled forward, staggering like a lost drunk in a tavern too expensive for his pocket.
-All right... this is... w-w-well, absolutely under control," he said, rubbing his arms in despair as he sank a little deeper into the snow. I just...need to...f-find a damn path.
There wasn't one.
Just a hostile white horizon, where the storm roared as if it wanted to devour him.
-What kind of tragic fate is this? Lost in the snow, with no decent shelter, no food, and a dignity in the negative? -He growled, just before he stomped off and disappeared under a blanket of snow with a resounding PFFH!
The cold seeped through his clothes, and for a second, he just stood there, staring at the overcast sky, not wanting to move.
-Maybe... maybe I should accept my fate," she whispered dramatically, closing her eyes.
Here lies Lucian... a brave man, a noble man, a man who.... Agh, no, too cold! He floundered around like a fish out of water until he managed to get back on his feet, covered in snow from head to toe.
He looked at the ring on his hand, the only warmth in the midst of that icy nightmare. His mother had given it to him-his mother. And Edwin. And Seraphina.
A shiver ran down her spine, this time not from the cold.-Where are they? -She murmured, her voice shaking for more reasons than she wanted to admit.
Will they be... well?
There was no answer, only the roar of the wind.
-I'm sure they are. She's strong. Edwin's a genius, and Seraphina... well, I'm sure she's found someone to boss around. Yes, yes... I'm sure they're fine. -
He nodded to convince himself, though the weight in his chest didn't go away.
He squeezed the ring tightly and let out a long sigh that turned to mist before his eyes.
Very well... Come on, legs, don't get cold on me now!And so, with clumsy steps, falling at least twice more (and swearing in the process), Lucian moved on, lost in the storm.Lucian kept moving forward, or at least trying to.
His legs felt like two blocks of ice.-I can do it... I'm a warrior....
-he stammered, his teeth chattering as if he were trying to play a tune with them.
A proud son of- PFFH!
He tripped over a mound of snow and fell face first to the ground with a thud.
He lay there for a few seconds, face down, as if the snow was embracing him with evil intentions.
No, no... this is an attack... on my pride..." he muttered, raising his head. -he muttered, raising his head with a superhuman effort. He spat snow and crawled to his feet again, shaking like a wet dog.
His eyes, half-closed in exhaustion, managed to make out something in the distance-is that... a shelter? A cave?
-His voice sounded hopeful, but also broken, as if he didn't want to get his hopes up too much, and he blinked several times to make sure it wasn't a hallucination caused by the cold.
No, it was there, dark and mysterious, but big enough to shelter him.
Lucian raised his arms to the sky.
THANK YOU, GOD!
With a trembling smile and muscles begging for mercy, he tried to move forward... but, of course, his destiny had other plans.
All right, just a little more... I just have to... WAAAH!
His foot stomped and, as if the snow itself was waiting for him, he slid down a small slope, rolling around in the cold like a rag doll until he landed right in front of the cave entrance with a resounding PLOF!
He lay on his back, looking up at the cloudy sky.
-Well... at least... I made it... -He crawled with what little strength he had left to the cave, panting as if he had run a marathon.
Almost...almost...He made it across the entrance and dropped back against the cold stone of the floor, his chest heaving up and down as if he had fought an entire army.
He smiled weakly, "H-ha, I survived!
I'm still alive! He raised his fist in a triumphant gesture... and then his eyes closed and his body lost all strength.PLOF!
Lucian collapsed on the spot.
A distant sound filtered into his numb mind.
-Lucían...An echo.
His name floating in the darkness.
-Lucían...
He frowned, his body still refusing to fully awaken.
-They were...
He blinked. He could barely open his eyes and see the entrance to the cave illuminated by the dim moonlight.-Ugh.... Wh-what...?His throat was dry, and his body felt heavy as if a giant had sat on him.
He sat up with a groan and looked around.
The storm outside had ceased, and night reigned over the snowy landscape.
-How long... how long was I unconscious? -He took a breath, trying to clear his mind, but in the same instant he inhaled....
-Lucían...
The echo came back, that same voice, dragging his name in the gloom, frozen in place.... No. Nope. No, no, no. I'm not going to freak out. I'm not crazy.
It's just the wind. But he couldn't fool himself.
The voice was clear. Too clear.He stood up, staggering, as the echo called him back.
-Lucían...
-All right, now I'm going crazy! -he blurted out, flailing his arms like a desperate scarecrow.
Great idea, Lucian, fleeing into a haunted cave! But even so, his feet moved of their own accord, following the voice.
-I can't believe I'm doing this! -He growled, rubbing his arms as he moved further and further into the cave.The shadows seemed to lengthen around him, the damp stone walls reflecting the dim moonlight that barely reached there.
With each step, the voice grew clearer, closer.-Lucían...He swallowed saliva, feeling the skin on the back of his neck bristle.
-As his silhouette disappeared into the darkness of the cave.
Lucian continued to move forward, each step echoing through the cave like a lonely heartbeat. The voice had stopped calling him, but something inside him told him he must go on.
Then he saw it.
An immense door, made of black stone, covered with glowing runes that seemed to pulsate with a bluish light, as if they had a life of their own. The air was thick, heavy, charged with an energy that made his skin crawl.
-Oh, great... a giant door with glowing symbols. Because when you're lost in a dark cave and you hear mysterious voices, the best you can do is open the only entrance with clear mystical warning signs.
He stared at it, undecided.
-Maybe... maybe I should turn around and get out of here. Be a sensible person for once in my life.Silence.He looked at the door again.
-... Ha, yeah, right. Like I'm going to do that.
He sighed and reached out, touching the cold stone.
The instant his fingers brushed against the runes, they glowed brighter and a low sound, like distant thunder, rumbled in the cave.
The door opened slowly.Lucian swallowed and stepped inside.
The room on the other side was immense, more than seemed possible inside a simple cave. But what really left him speechless was what stood at its center.
A tree.
A gigantic tree, impossibly large, its trunk engulfed in blue flames that burned without consuming the wood. The fire danced, illuminating the cavern with a spectral light.
-Okay... I wasn't expecting that.
Around the tree, the ground was covered with chaotic debris. Books were scattered about, some open, their yellowed pages filled with strange symbols. Human bones, scattered among the stone, as if death had claimed this place centuries ago.
And then, he saw it.
A sword.
-Well... this definitely looks like a trap. Or a test. Or a trap disguised as a test. Or a test disguised as a trap.
He leaned in, his hand trembling slightly as his fingers brushed the hilt.
And then, he heard it.
Thunder rumbled in the cavern, shaking the air with a rumble that sent him reeling.
-LUCIAN
His heart stopped for a second.
He turned sharply, his eyes darting around the cavern.
-Who's there? -Silence. Only the crackling of the blue flames.
And then, again.
-LUCIAN!
The sound was not coming from the walls or the ceiling. There was no being hiding in the shadows.
It came from the tree.
Its blue flames danced louder, as if the fire itself was breathing, as if the voice had emerged from its roots.
Lucian felt his body tense. His instinct screamed at him to retreat. To run away.
But he didn't.
-Who are you?
The fire roared with more intensity, and in his heart, he knew the answer before he heard it.
-I am God.