Resolve

Victor turned to ask another question, only to find that Jeffrey was gone.

The door was shut. Probably locked.

"Fast," he muttered with a mix of awe and irritation.

He rubbed his arms. The air was still cold—too cold. A steady chill crept into his muscles, seeping through his clothes. He turned back toward the Frostspike Hare.

It hadn't moved.

The hare just sat there, silent and still, silver eyes fixed on him. The blue crystal spikes on its back glowed faintly, and a steady stream of cold rolled off its body like mist from dry ice.

Victor frowned.

It didn't run.

'It's watching me'.

It was like it was mocking him. Even though he knew it sounded crazy to think that.

He briefly thought about just staying where he was—conserving energy, waiting it out. Maybe it would get tired and slow down. But the moment the idea formed, he shook his head.

"Nope. That won't work."

For one, he didn't have time to play statue. And more importantly, the cold would drain him faster if he stayed still. The longer he sat, the more his body temperature would drop. He'd burn energy just to stay warm, making him hungrier, weaker, slower.

It took less than a minute to piece that together.

That's the trap.

He had to move. Had to try.

Victor crouched and began slowly approaching the hare. Step by careful step, he narrowed the distance.

Closer... almost there...

He lunged.

The hare jumped, flipping through the air and landing several feet away in a blur of white and blue.

Victor stumbled. "Damn, that thing's fast."

Not as fast as Jeffery.

He couldn't even see the man move. But with the frostspike hare, at least he could keep up with its movements, even if they just looked like white blurs in his vision.

From that point on, it didn't let him get close again. Every time he approached, it moved. Not panicked, not wild—just smart. Efficient. It kept its distance like it knew the limits of his

reach.

So he did what anyone would do.

He chased it.

For hours.

He sprinted. He dove. He faked. He circled. He even tried ambush tactics—hiding, waiting for it to come near. Nothing worked. The hare was too quick, and too smart.

Victor wasn't sure how long it lasted. There were no clocks. No windows. Just the cold air and the endless sound of his own footsteps.

Then Jeffrey returned.

"Training's over," he said from the doorway. "Lunch time."

Victor collapsed onto his knees in relief.

But Jeffrey didn't leave it there.

"Except you," he added casually. "You haven't caught your food yet."

Victor stared at him, mouth slightly open.

Then Jeffrey walked out.

And that's when things really went downhill.

The ache in his muscles was no longer just soreness. His legs felt like lead. His back ached. His stomach cramped.

He was still in a teenage body. One that needed food. Calories. Energy. And it was all burning up faster than he could keep up.

The cold wasn't helping either. His arms were stiff. His knees locked when he ran. His breath fogged the air with every shaky exhale.

Meanwhile, the hare still moved with grace.

Victor kept chasing.

Hours blurred together.

At one point, he fell. He scraped his hands against the stone and didn't have the energy to curse.

He shivered violently, knees trembling as he tried to stand. His vision swam. His stomach growled again, then again, then fell silent.

Am I... going to die again? he thought dimly.

That thought made something in him snap.

No.

Not again.

Rage boiled in his chest, melting through the numbness. His fingers curled into fists.

He hadn't come this far, been reborn, been gifted this second chance just to collapse in the cold.

He wouldn't be another nobody who failed before even getting started.

Not here. Not now.

His eyes locked onto the hare.

It wasn't just about food or training anymore.

It was the wall between him and survival.

It was a challenge.

His greatest enemy.

And his most prized possession.

Isn't this what he'd always wanted?

"I'm not losing to a fucking rabbit," Victor growled through clenched teeth.

And so, with shaking limbs and burning lungs, he chased it again.