Home?

Paul stood still, the icy wind brushing past him as he tried to process the word he had just heard.

Home?

He didn't even know where he was. This world was unfamiliar. The sky was a dull gray. The ground buried under layers of snow.

Everything felt like a nightmare he couldn't wake up from.

Julius stepped toward one of the bodies lying in the snow. Without hesitation, he crouched down and pulled a thick cloak off the lifeless corpse. His eyes stayed calm—neither sorrowful nor surprised. Then he held the cloak out to Paul.

"Here. Wear this. The road ahead is long… and it's only going to get colder."

Paul just stared at him for a few seconds. Hesitant.

But then, he finally took the cloak.

"Thanks," Paul muttered, accepting it with both hands.

He quickly wrapped it around himself. The wind bit at his face, but the heavy cloak offered an instant, comforting warmth.

Julius gave a faint smile at Paul's words, then slowly stood up—no rush in his movement. He began walking again, following the narrow path almost buried under snow and frozen underbrush, heading in the direction Teila and the young man had taken.

A cold breeze swept through once more, carrying away the lingering scent of blood and the last traces of battle.

Teila and the boy were already far ahead, their figures nearly swallowed by the fog that had begun to descend from the tall trees surrounding them.

Paul took a deep breath. There was so much he didn't understand.

But for now, the only thing he could do was follow the footsteps—those of the stranger named Julius, who, for some unknown reason, had chosen to trust him.

He clenched his still-cold fingers around the hilt of the sword now in his hand. Then, without saying a word, he began walking, following Julius from behind.

***

The sky had darkened. Paul didn't know how long he had been walking. His breath came in ragged gasps, the mist rising in the cold air. His heart pounded loudly, and the biting wind began to tear at his skin, making him shiver.

He pulled the collar of his jacket higher, trying to shield his face from the shards of snow that struck like glass dust. But strangely, despite his growing fatigue, he didn't feel like he would collapse along the way. For some reason, he felt stronger.

The snow around him thickened, swirling violently. The air froze. Trees and the path slowly vanished, swallowed up by the accumulating snow and the worsening white mist.

Julius walked ahead. Snow clung to his worn, long coat. He moved faster than Paul, but still within sight. Meanwhile, Teila and the young man beside her were barely visible—only faint silhouettes of their coats behind the snow mist.

Julius glanced back. His gaze caught Paul, who was panting heavily. A small smile tugged at his lips.

He continued walking, slowing his pace until he was walking alongside Paul. In the silence, accompanied by the howling snowstorm, Julius suddenly broke the quiet.

"Are you okay, Paul?" Julius asked, his voice calm, unhurried.

"I'm fine," Paul replied flatly, not looking at Julius.

Julius watched him for a moment, then turned his gaze forward again.

After a few more moments of walking in silence, Julius asked again.

"So… how did they die? Tell me. I want to know."

Paul turned to look at Julius's face. There was no expression there. His eyes were cold, staring straight ahead, as if ready to accept whatever Paul was about to say.

Paul paused for a moment. He blinked slowly, his mind drifting back to the events he had gone through, things he truly wanted to forget. But Julius had asked him, and Paul knew that Julius had the right to know, as he was their friend.

Paul took a deep breath before beginning to recount what had happened.

"They…"

***

Paul recounted how the monster's scream affected Julius's group of friends, how he ended up meeting them, and what they looked like when they died.

"Is that so…" Julius only said this in a flat tone, then fell silent again. His gaze was empty, cold, as though he already knew the answer.

Once Paul had finished telling the story, he walked ahead without looking back at Julius. His eyes were fixed straight ahead, focused on the path, almost covered in snow.

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind hit his face. Snowflakes flew, stinging his eyes like shards of glass. Paul instinctively blinked—his vision blurred. For a brief moment, the world before him turned hazy.

A few seconds later, his vision began to clear. He squinted, trying to see better ahead… and that's when he noticed it.

The silhouettes of Teila and the young man who had been walking in front—were gone.

His eyes widened. Shocked. His breath froze in the cold air.

'Where did they go?' Paul thought in panic.

Then, the snowstorm hit his face again, harder than before.

"Juli—"

But when Paul turned to the side, Julius, who had been walking beside him… had vanished.

Silence. Only the sound of the cold wind relentlessly hitting his body.

"Damn… what's happening here?" Paul thought in panic.

He quickly looked around, but all he could see was a swirling snowstorm and winds blowing wildly. There were no signs of Julius, no silhouettes of Teila or the young man. It was as though they had never existed.

Paul stood frozen for a few seconds, trying to make out any shapes in the snow mist, but it was useless. There was no one there.

Finally, he decided to keep walking, even without a clear direction. The cold wind struck his body like the lashes of a storm.

'Am I lost? he thought. But that doesn't make sense… Julius was walking right next to me. Then where did he go? Why did he suddenly vanish?

Something's wrong. His instincts told him. That feeling of discomfort clung to him like a thorn in his skin.

"Thud… Thud… Thud."

The heavy sound echoed as something hit the ground. Paul stopped in his tracks. Something… was approaching. Not far from where he stood.

A dark, round silhouette lay on the snow.

He couldn't immediately recognize it, only seeing a faint shadow through the mist and the raging storm. But something inside him trembled. That unsettling feeling grew stronger, pressing down on him.

Then, as the silhouette became clearer, Paul froze.

A… human head. Severed. The eyes were wide open, as if staring blankly at the gray sky. Frozen tears were still visible, trailing from the corners of the eyes.

It—it was the head of the young man Teila had saved earlier.

Paul stood still. His eyes widened. His breath caught in his throat. A wave of nausea rose from his stomach to his throat. He nearly vomited.

In a reflexive motion, he drew his sword. His breath came in rapid, heavy gasps. The cold air escaped his mouth in a white fog, mixing with the falling snow.

His hands were trembling.

His eyes scanned left... right... searching for the source. His body froze in the middle of the storm, like a wild animal sensing a predator closing in on it.

His instincts screamed.

Silent. Focused. Ready.

Paul took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. His grip tightened on the sword. His stance was solid. His eyes sharpened—searching... waiting... for whatever was coming next.

"Whooshhh!"

A shadow streaked across the snowstorm—large, fast, and disappeared instantly into the white mist.

Paul's breath quickened, hot vapor bursting from his mouth in sharp puffs. Cold sweat ran down his forehead, dripping down his cheeks to his chin, even though the air was freezing.

"Whooshhh!"

The shadow appeared again, this time from behind. A large silhouette passed quickly—just a blur, then vanished into the storm.

Paul instinctively spun around. His eyes frantically searched the mist, but there was nothing. No sound. Even the rustling of snow seemed to vanish. The only thing he could hear was his own heartbeat, pounding, echoing in his ears.

"Whooshhh!"

The shadow reappeared—faster, closer.

Paul turned again, his eyes sweeping every direction. His breath was ragged, white mist spilling from his mouth with every exhale.

"Whooshhh!"

This time, it was dangerously close. Too close. Paul sharpened his vision, trying to pierce through the thick mist. But then...

Silence.

The shadow disappeared completely.

No sign of its presence. Only the mist, the cold, and the sharp bite of the wind.

Paul held his breath. Cold sweat trickled from his temples to his chin. His fingers gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Is it gone? he thought, uncertain. His sword began to lower slowly.

"GRRRAAAHHH!!!"

From the mist behind him, a massive silhouette surged forward. A giant maw gaped open, sharp fangs bared, heading straight for Paul's body.

In a split second, Paul spun around and stepped back. But he was half a second too late—

"SSRRRRRT!!"

The fangs almost hit him, but he managed to lift his sword just in time, clashing against the fangs with a brutal metallic spark.

Paul gritted his teeth, his muscles tensing as he fought to hold back the attack. His sword scraped against the huge, steel-hard fangs. His body was shoved backward—staggering—but he stayed on his feet.

And as the attack missed its mark, the monster vanished again into the mist.

Silence again.

Only the wind. And the sound of his heartbeat—thudding fast, erratically, deafening.

Paul's breath came in quick gasps. His shoulders rose and fell. His eyes never blinked as he stared at the mist.

'Damn... what kind of monster is this?' he thought, panic rising within him.

He hadn't seen its true form yet. He only knew one thing: it was big... and fast. Very fast.

Paul's breathing began to steady—this time more controlled, more focused.

He stood still in the middle of the snowstorm, his body tense, as if waiting for something to emerge from the mist. His eyes swept sharply in all directions.

"BOOM!"

Something crashed in the distance. The sound was deep and heavy, like a massive tree falling to the ground. The cold wind hit Paul's face harder than before.

'What was that? A tree?'

"WHOOOOSHH!"

A large silhouette darted quickly behind him.

But that—wasn't the monster.

'No way...' he thought in panic.

His eyes widened as he looked behind him.

It was a massive tree trunk, hurled like a spear. Paul leapt out of the way just in time, instincts kicking in.

"DOOOM!"

The trunk slammed into the ground just a few steps from where he stood. Snow exploded into the air. The freezing wind bit into his skin.

"Shit... What the hell is this...?"

Then, as he tried to steady himself—

"KEKEKEKEKEKEKE—"

His knees trembled. Paul's eyes widened. His whole body froze, as if wrapped in ice.

The laughter was twisted, mocking, echoing through the endless white around him—teasing him, playing with him.

It was harsh, loud, and came from every direction. There was no telling how many voices there were... but it was enough to raise every hair on his body. Cold sweat trickled from his temple to his chin.

'L-Laughing? That thing's laughing? But how...? Is this monster... smart?'

Paul's thoughts spiraled, questions crashing into one another in his mind.

"GRRRAAAAAHH!!!"

Then, without warning.

From the mist ahead, a massive mouth suddenly lunged open—so close he could feel the stench of its breath.

Paul's eyes widened.

Finally, he could see the monster's true form.