The Heathens Of Winter

"Here's the plan. Everyone, listen up." My voice echoed through the landing, the freezing air biting at my throat. The white gate loomed before us, its icy edges glowing with an ethereal blue shimmer that danced like it was alive. The frost-covered walls and the cold seeping into my bones made my movements feel sluggish, my breath fogging heavily in front of me.

"What lies beyond this door," I continued, "is known as 'White Death.'"

Eun-jin glanced at me, frowning slightly. "White Death?"

"The ground is solid ice, riddled with traps. But that's not the worst of it." I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady. "There are ice elves in there. Hunters."

I paused, letting the word sink in. "They'll fire arrows at us—relentlessly. They're precise, ruthless. They never miss. And the only way out is to keep moving."

The group stared at me, their expressions ranging from fear to disbelief. Jae-hyun shifted nervously, his fingers twitching at his sides. Even Da-on, usually unshaken, clung a little tighter to her mother's leg.

"We'll form a tight circle," I said. "Back to back, Da-on in the center. Watch the walls carefully—the elves will shoot through holes. If you see one of them aim, shout. The moment we hear it, we all duck. No hesitation."

Eun-jin's arms were crossed, her jaw tight. "And these… elves? How many are we talking?"

"Just two for now," I said. "But don't underestimate them. That's all they need to pin us down."

Min-seok adjusted his glasses, his hand trembling. "And if we can't dodge?"

"Then you die," I snapped, my patience fraying. "Stay alert. Stay together."

No one responded, but their silence was answer enough.

Gripping the frozen handle, I turned to the door. The icy metal burned against my palm, but I didn't let go. "When we step inside," I said, "don't stop moving. Keep the formation tight. Got it?"

A chorus of nods followed as I swung the door open.

The cold hit us like a wall.

It wasn't just cold—it was a hostile force, seeping into every pore, sinking into our bones. Each breath felt like shards of glass slicing through my lungs. My boots skidded slightly as they hit the slick, reflective ice floor.

The room stretched impossibly far, an expanse of shimmering white and blue that seemed to go on forever. Jagged shards of ice jutted out from the ground like frozen teeth, and the walls glowed faintly, riddled with square holes that seemed to watch us. The light spilling through them gave the room an otherworldly glow, too soft, too serene for the deathtrap it really was.

"How is this thing so damn big?" Eun-jin muttered, her breath fogging in the frigid air.

"Do you really think beings that can destroy the world can't make a single room bigger than it looks?" I replied, my lips cracking from the dry, biting cold.

She didn't answer, but I could feel her unease radiating off her.

"Positions!" I shouted, snapping everyone into action.

We moved quickly, forming the circle I'd described. Back to back, Da-on in the center, her tiny arms clutching her bunny tightly to her chest. The air was too cold to breathe easily, but we pressed forward.

The first arrow came almost immediately.

It was a streak of blue, faster than my eyes could follow, and it slammed into the ice just inches from my feet. I froze, my heart pounding in my ears. The impact left a crack in the ground, tiny fractures spreading outward like a spider's web.

I sucked in a sharp breath, forcing myself to focus.

"Move!" I barked, and the group started inching forward.

The sound of the second arrow tearing through the air was sharper, louder. It was aimed at Eun-jin this time, barely missing her shoulder and skidding across the ice. She didn't flinch, her eyes locked ahead.

We continued to move as a group, with a couple of close calls barely dodging the arrows as I marked the land for any traps I could find. Luckily none of were injured and we had crossed almost half of the floor.

"You really did exaggerate their archery skills a lot didn't you Ha-rin?" Min-seok spoke out, "I mean don't get me wrong, they are good and all but they aren't exactly expert."

Wait a minute, this is… weird. In survival 101 their archery was highly talked about. Heck we spent several chapters just going into detail about how they used to hunt their prey—

Shit!

My mind snapped as the details about their behaviour traits came to my mind, they were a noble race of elves, intelligent hunters and… and—

Deranged Sadists.

I quickly looked around, panic bubbling in my chest. The ice was thinner than before and cracked. Turning around I saw the door we came through, it was to the left side, but how? Weren't we walking in a straight line?

I finally looked up. Time seemed to slow down for a second, everything turned dark. As if something was sucking out the light in the room. 

Through the small hole peeked an ice elf. Her skin was an unnatural, pale blue, smooth and translucent like polished ice. Long, white hair cascaded down her shoulders, glinting like frosted glass protruding through which were the characteristic long elf ears. Her eyes were molten gold, their intense glow piercing through the frigid air, locking onto me like a predator sizing up its prey. 

But that wasn't the most disturbing part. No, it was far from it. The thing that truly made my bones shiver was… her smile.

It stretched far too wide, impossibly so, her lips curving back toward her ears. Her teeth were perfect, pearl-white, sharp and predatory. The smile wasn't just unnatural—it was grotesque, a cruel, mocking display that sent a shiver down my spine.

She wasn't just watching us. She was enjoying this.

Suddenly, it all clicked.

Their aim wasn't bad. They weren't missing. They were toying with us. Herding us.

As soon as I realised what they were trying to do, I barked out "Everyone—move! Quickly!"

"What?" Eun-jin turned to me, confused.

Before I could explain, the arrow came.

It wasn't aimed at us.

It was aimed at the ice beneath us.

CRACK!

[Time left: 13 minutes 26 seconds]