I slowly opened my eyes, a strange feeling washing over my entire body. The light from the sun cast a soft glow on my surroundings. Snow stretched as far as the eye could see, an endless white expanse. In the distance, a forest stood, its trees frozen under thick layers of ice and frost.
Slowly, I pushed myself up, brushing off the snow clinging to my body like it was natural. The cold air filled my lungs as I stood, my body swaying slightly before finding balance.
I turned my gaze to the horizon, where the white snow met the gray sky.
I didn't know anything yet, but somehow, it felt like I did. Those tall things were trees, and the soft white stuff beneath me was snow.
I looked down at my hands. They were white in color. Normal. Or, at least, I knew they should be. How I knew that was something I didn't understand. But it felt automatic, like it was simply… right?
hmm...
I began walking, my feet sinking into the thick white snow with each of my clunky steps. The motion felt unfamiliar, yet... not. My legs moved, pushing me forward, but they felt stiff, almost awkward.
Walking... a process where the body shifts its weight, one foot lifting off the ground, swinging forward, and then placing it back down to catch the weight, repeating over and over until momentum carries you forward.
Why did I know this? How did I know this?
These questions were left unanswered.
As I walked through the snowy fields, heading toward the forest in the distance, I realized something strange. I felt no cold. despite the freezing landscape around me. I should feel it, shouldn't I? But then... how do I even know what cold is if I can't feel it? Yet again, more unknowns.
I walked.
And I walked.
And I walked.
I traveled through the thick snow for exactly 56 minutes and 32 seconds. By that point, my legs were sore... no, tired. My leg muscles ached from the long, unbroken stretch of walking.
So, I took a break. I collapsed to the snow, my breathing shallow and airy. I was tired, and my body craved rest.
Now that I was no longer occupied with walking, I looked down at my body. I was... small. But I didn't know what "small" really meant since I had nothing to compare it to. Still, I felt like I was small.
My hair was long - reaching all the way down to my waist. It was pitch black, almost like the night sky, but some strands were completely white, like the snow I rested upon.
Now. I couldn't explain it, but I was certain that I was... pretty. There was something about my appearance, the way my features were shaped, that made me feel that i would be pleasing to the eye to another. But I had no frame of reference to base this on. Yet, I just knew.
I stayed still for a moment longer, listening to the quiet hum of the wind and gazing upon the landscape. Something told me that it was a beautiful scene. The soft snow around me was pristine and untouched, everything calm and serene as I rested.
But then it wasn't
Grrrr
I froze. The low growl cut through the tranquility like a knife would to flesh. It was a strange sensation, like a flicker of awareness suddenly ignited within me, pulling me out of my daze.
Huh?
The sound came again, closer this time, sending a ripple of unease through my chest. I sharply pushed myself back up, My muscles gave a small note of pain as I still hadn't fully rested, but I had an unconscious feeling that this was important.
I stood as tall as I could, my breath sharp, and whipped around to face the direction of the growl. And there it was.
The wolf stood before me, its clean white fur blending almost seamlessly with the snow beneath it. Its eyes, a piercing ice-blue, locked onto me with unsettling intensity. Sharp fangs peeked out from its mouth as it bared them, a low growl vibrating through the air. Its claws dug into the snow, firm and unyielding, as it growled once more, its focus laser-focused on me. Another growl followed, its posture still uncertain - unable to decide whether I posed a threat or not.
[Snow Wolf: F-Rank Lvl: 3]
I stared at the wolf, confused, our eyes locking. It didn't move, and neither did I. I didn't know how to react. The wolf continued to watch me, its gaze unwavering.
After a long moment, it shifted its stance, its body lowering slightly. The growl rumbled again, this time more certain, and I could feel the change.
The wolf had decided. I was prey.
It launched forward with ferocity, its body a blur of white and sharp claws. Before I could react, it was almost on me. I barely had time to think as instinct kicked in.
I pressed my foot hard into the snow, flinging myself to the side just in time to narrowly dodge its attack. The wolf landed with a heavy thud, its sharp eyes realizing it had missed. Without hesitation, it turned and launched at me again.
Thankfully, the wolf, though smart enough to pick fights, was still far from clever when it came to combat. Dodging its attacks was easy. I stepped to the side at the last second each time, no injuries to count.
Yet, as smart as this strategy was, it wasn't enough. as i, had no means to... counter? yes. no way to counter-attack. Slowly, but surely, fatigue began to weigh on me. My movements grew sluggish, and before I knew it, an attack landed.
The wolf's claws raked across my side, tearing right through so much of my flesh, sending a sharp pain through me. making me stagger back, my breath quickening sharply as I struggled to stay on my feet. "AAAAH!" I screamed, the pain so intense, so foreign - it felt like my side was on fire. I hated it, I hated it, I wanted it to stop. The agony was overwhelming, unbearable.
I dropped to the ground. Tears pricked at my eyes, threatening to flow out.
The wolf circled me, its eyes locked onto my body, sensing the weakness I couldn't hide as I writhed in pain.
This time, unlike before, its sharp, instinct-driven movements slowed into deliberate steps. It knew that I no longer was a threat, that now I was a toy to be played with, a creature to be tormented at its leisure.
Emotions surged within me, crashing through my mind like a tidal wave.
I hate this. I hate this. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. I don't want to end like this. Please, stop it. STOP IT!
The wolf was close now, close enough to strike me down in one blow.
I don't want to end…
Desperation bled into every fiber of my being as I lifted my trembling hand, my entire body shaking with pain and fear.
I don't want to die.
The air was pulled in to my palm.
I
A chill that cut deeper than the biting cold air around me began to form, swirling around the hand.
DON'T!
The frost spread outward, thickening in the air, encasing the ground beneath me in layers of ice. The temperature plummeted sharply. The wolf froze, its instincts sensing the change in the air. It faltered, uncertain.
WANT!
A searing chill tightened around me, the ground beneath me cracking as the freezing wind intensified, picking up around us. Tears streamed down my face.
TO!
The wolf, sensing the mass of frozen air around my hand, turned, but it was too late.
DIEEEEE!!!!
The air snapped as the cold surged outward, spreading like a shockwave. Time itself seemed to slow as the atmosphere around me crystallized, turning solid with an eerie, unnatural chill. the very air itself thickening into sharp, jagged ice.
The wolf tried to retreat, but its body was ensnared, trapped in the growing wave of ice. The ground beneath it turned to jagged ice. The wolf's desperate struggles were in vain as it was encased in a massive block of ice, its body fully trapped in the solid mass, frozen mid-scream.
Then, the ice began to pull back. It cracked. Then, the frozen surface splintered, shards scattering in every direction. With one final, violent burst, the ice shattered, and the wolf was erased - its form completely dissolved into cold mist, leaving only the broken fragments of ice behind.
I panted heavily, my body aching with exhaustion. Every part of me felt drained, like I had given everything I had. The cold air felt heavier now, pressing against me, as my legs gave out, and I sank to the snow-covered ground.
what... happened?
My eyes slowly drooped as I felt sleep try to take my soul away.
Where am I? Who am I? No... What am I?
Just before sleep could fully take me, a faint sound reached my ears - a soft, almost imperceptible ding!
Then, before I could process what was happening, a glowing blue screen flickered into existence before my eyes.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING.]
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING..]
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING.]
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING..]
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING.]
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING..]
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
[Yuki. Congratulations, Welcome New Warden Of █████]
Then, everything went pitch black as sleep took over.
A/N: hope you enjoyed. This is my first non-fanfic. hope you liked it. please comment if you did. also this amount of qaulity is a little bit above than what i usually do since its the first one. if you see mistakes, please give advice and tips. thanks.