Chapter 9 - First Meeting With The Shadow (1/2)

In the center of the Snowy Plains stood two mountain peaks that stretched into the swirling mass of blue-gray clouds in the sky. In the center of these two peaks was a stone platform covered in ancient runes.

As the clouds danced about the sky, the runes glowed and shimmered.

On the west of the two peaks stood a gray cave. Spewing smoke into the chilly air, it turned the murky ether even hazier.

Inside the cave were a group of men and women dressed in heavy winter clothing made from animal skin. Clustered against the cave walls, the women clung to each other for warmth. Animal skins hung from the top of their heads, sheltering them from the fierce snow-winds.

In the center of the cave, a large man in animal skirt, thick beard, and bushy hair stood before a giant fire. He skinned the carcass of a large snow leopard, roasting the meat as he cut.

Very soon, the audible sound of swallowing rang out as the fragrant scent of roasted meat filled the cave. The huddled women raised their heads, hungry gleaming eyes trained on the large man.

Ripping the limbs, the surrounding men passed the roasted meat out to the women. They immediately carried the skin, horns, bones, and innards outside, cleaning and burying them in the snow.

As soon as the bones and innards were clean, they were placed in stone pots and cooked over the dying fire. The moment the last spark of fire went out, the heavenly fragrance of soup drifted around.

The men poured the soup for themselves and covered the rest to consume during the coldest part of the night.

”Cover the cave door now. We should preserve as much warmth from the fire as we can. Klem, you are on watch duty today.” The large man commended a scurrying man.

The tall, lean man stopped and turned towards towards the large man. From his exposed torso to the left of his face, he was covered in scars of varying degrees and depth, making his appearance horrific and frightful.

Instantly, many of the huddling females turned away upon sighting him, their faces filled with disgust and loathing.

”Yes, leader.” Klem replied expressionlessly and walked away, heading out to stand guard.

His real name was not Klem. Before entering the Snowy Plains, he used to work for a wealthy man in the south of the Sybil realm.

There, the temperatures were warm during summer and spring, getting chillier only in winter. But like the rest of the realm, the area was mountainous.

One day as he was returning from the fields, he got attacked from behind and passed out. When he woke, he was in the gem store of his employer, swords pointed at his throat. Someone set him up and he got tagged as thief.

He claimed innocent but no one paid any heed to his pleads. A precious gem went missing and a scapegoat was needed. That scapegoat just happened to be him.

No one cared whether he was innocent or not.

From there, his peaceful life as an honest laborer ended and he became a lost wanderer of the Snowy Plains.

***

After many days of journey, Versailles reached her destination and witnessed the scene of a scarred man standing in front of hide-covered cave like a statue.

Pausing, she changed into her human form and continued walking towards the two peaks. As the night drew closer, the temperature dropped further, making her shiver.

Closing her eyes, she concentrated on channeling her fire onto her skin, letting it flow into her veins and warm her blood. It was her first time trying such a trick. Before, with only the wild beasts as bystanders, she did not need to hide her powers.

However, now that she was near the teleportation spatial, many men and women were likely waiting in ambush to devour the weak.

While ferocious beasts were deadly, humans were sinister and devious.

Klem, guarding the mountain cave in a daze, detected the slight movements in the snow. Looking over, he saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life.

Dressed in floor length grey animal skirt, grey animal skin boots, and snow white winter cloak, her flaming hair glowed in the bleak environment, making her seem like a life fairy from the Janah realm.

Just as he stepped forward, the cave cover behind him flapped open and a slender figure stepped out. Turning, he saw it was Jeun, daughter of the cave leader.

”Klem, I brought you cloak. It gets very cold at night outside.” Shyly moving closer, she made to drape the cloak over his frame. However, he stepped back.