1. Sealed fate

"Arghh…" A young woman, looking around at the age of twenty years old, woke up while humming.

She bewilderingly clutched her head. And hissed at an unknown throbbing in her head as she was feeling like someone skinned her alive.

Snowflakes fell slowly from the sky, settling on her recumbent figure, and blood was also seeping from the corner of her mouth.

"Where am… I?" She slowly hoisted herself into a sitting position, fingers massaging her temples with care — Her gaze wandered, taking a look at the unfamiliar and desert lands.

Wind around her was very cold. To add more troubles for her, Temperature was below minus one degree celsius, freezing type — causing involuntary shudder through her whole body. Instinctively wrapping her own arms around herself as she was seeking warmth as her eyes scanned for something unknown.

Who is she? How did she happen to be here, In coldness. Her memories were blurred.

And tasting her own blood in mouth She wiped it while confusedly examining her ashen palm, particularly noting the crimson liquid coating her entire physique, clothes, and skin. Somehow she was able to sense that the blood on her clothes wasn't hers, yet it stirred a vague sense of recognition; eyes wide with naive curiosity.

"B-Blood of human?. Not min-"

"ROARRRRR" A thunderous bellow resonated through the environment.

She listened to the grating noise and thought — Possibly it came from some big and life dangerous animal.

'Perchance a grizzly…'

Her whispered word "grizzly" hung in the air like a curse, forcing her to confront both her limited knowledge and her very real danger.

The word itself seemed to conjure up visions of things she had only ever seen in nature documentaries: a creature of such overwhelming power that humans, for all their supposed dominance over nature, became no more than fragile prey.

Right now in that crystallized moment of fear, her mind ran the maze of contradictions.

The grizzly was both nature's perfect predator and a being that generally shunned human contact. It had claws that could disembowel with a single swipe, yet most often used them to dig for roots and insects; Terrifying her further.

Imagine unconsciously thinking of something dangerous you don't want to - Scarry, right? - The worst shit that can kill you.

Her fear painted violent images - body torn asunder, bones crushed like twigs, blood staining the forest floor as an unsettling premonition sparked in her guts that spurred her into action, fleeing opposite of that menacing roar.

Winter and snowflake terrain numbed her soles as she sprinted toward the opposite direction of that harsh sound.

Her low-key clothes proved woefully inadequate against in wintry storm, which can't shield her from coldness, leaving her exposed to the biting chill.

What am I? What is my name? While rushing for a safe place, Many types of questions come into her mind. She wants answers to her questions but current circumstances require something else - Concentrating, She runs as fast as possible.

Trudging through the snow feet a waste of time and energy - Akin to a destitute labourer toiling fruitlessly - Reaping naught for their efforts.

"ROARR!"

"Huh! Behind me!" She whirled her head backward. Instantaneously she gulped hard as her pulse quickened — Trepidation seized her breath in throat.

A larger polar bear stood at some distance. It had a singular protrusion atop its forehead. Its gaze was similar as if it was glancing at her very soul, seemingly eating her very spirit from its current position.

"Tomes in my castle speak of this breed - Awakened polar bear." She frowned. "This species is capable of harnessing Mana to amplify all their attributes to hunt down enemies or prey - Which makes these bears more dangerous than normal animals."

"ROOOAAARRR!" The bestial bellow jolted her from her daze.

"Fuck!" Heeding her primal impulses, She bolted away and her limbs forward frantically in the contrary direction.

"I should escape from this mess!!!!"

That bear alo pursued as its gait was hampered by a wounded limb, causing it to struggle in maintaining sufficient velocity to overtake her — This handicap equalised their pace, Neither gaining nor losing ground from both sides.

The maiden halted at the edge of a colossal crack in the glacier earth, peered into the abysmal void below.

"Naur! Why this crevasse - Not fair to me." It was too deep and dark. The predator also ceased its advance several paces behind her — pacing back and forth - Indirectly challenging her for battle.

"Look like I'm in trouble." Clicking her tongue, She glanced at the polar bear, An enervated smile elongated on her lips. There is nowhere to dash. Even if there was, she is very tired of doing anything other than waiting for her quietus.

If it should seize her, then a torment worse than any mortal punishment is awaiting for her: slow draining of her essence, till each crimson drop ebbed from her form. That bear's pursuit spells a dark fate, indeed.

"Most likely my fate is sealed… If I jumped - I would certainly die. If I didn't… Oh. Well. Probably still die."

Nature is cruel with beautifulness; Even fairest souls cannot hide from the desolate justice of the wilderness.

"Guess my choice is best…" Watching, It manically and purposefully lumbered towards her as she giggled silently in amusement.

She considered sidestepping at the last moment, hoping to evade its charge, but she knew better that it was madly a worst option.

Roused from hibernation, Awakened bears, all beasts, store a special intelligence - Could expertly calibrate their opponents and anticipate the flow of combat. It's main reason; Why confrontation between awakeners demands their maximum circumspection and dally skills.

"Well. Well." She sighed softly.

A wry laugh escaping her lips. "Even if my past is a blank board. My sense of self-preservation is intacted. How absurd! No one – man, woman or beast – has any rights to snuff out my existence."

She retreated two steps back as her eyes fixed on the impenetrable shadows before her.

An evil grin lurked on her dry lips when she locked eyes with the upcoming bear.

"My body. My life. And decisions. No one, I mean… NO BITCH PREROGATIVES TO DO ANYTHING WITH ME." She elevated her middle finger high.

"ROARRR!" The monstrous bear dashed forward with its all raw power. It already predicted what she is going to do.

"Too bad. You have to sleep hungry." She bounced backwards into the yawning darkness behind her.

One could see it in slow motion; How Its big paw nearly grasped her hand - As scene almost took on a bizarrely romantic quality; Though It was a dark dance between predator and prey.

If she was clenched by it. Instead of a tender embrace or romantic gesture, only cruel fate hung by a thread - one swipe of those massive claws would have torn her throat asunder.

'Karma surely is my enemy, Isn't it?' A bitter irony yelled over her - To meet her end without even knowing who she was or how she came to this predicament.

After closing her eyes, She disappeared into the inky void, surrendering herself to the outcome of trash action. Unbeknownst to her, This brush with death was merely the opening act of her future tragedy.

That will be roads of struggles, where even small victories would be hard-won – Each step would carry her more into a life defined by hardship, loss, hardship, losses, betrayals and maybe… bit of happiness.

As for the bear, Its big claws reached for nothing but air, just missing her by a heartbeat as Its eyes still focused on the spot where she had gone under the ground.

"When you will emerge from the earth's third realm, Calamity Witch." It growled with red eyes. "Your death will be by my hand… And I will be the one and only ruler of heaven."