The man stepped out from behind the snow-laden brush, branches snapping softly under his boots. His appearance was… strange — not monstrous, not spectral, but unsettlingly human in the way something almost normal could be wrong.
He wore a sheriff like hat with a gold star in the middle, the hat dusted white with snow, the brim shadowing most of his face save for a weary smirk that didn't reach his eyes. His coat, frayed at the edges, looked like it had seen one too many winters. A rough scarf hung loosely around his neck. And A big beard framed his face.
He raised his right arm in greeting. Or what remained of it.
From his wrist down, there was no hand — only the cold gleam of metal. A spiked mace had been grafted there, fused crudely to flesh and bone, its surface weathered by time but still glinting with menace.
His appearance was like someone out of a American fantasy crime movie.
"Hey," he said.
The word was small, almost friendly — too small to fill the silence that followed.
The stranger tilted his head, that faint grin unmoving. "You're far from shelter."
The wind howled between them, dragging flakes through the space like drifting ash.
And as Tatsuya met the man's eyes — pale, cracked with exhaustion yet gleaming with an unnatural calm — a single thought clawed its way into his chest:
He's not lost out here. We are.
"Don't you three find it a bit chilly out here, I mean the sun season has started, right?" The man questioned himself but brushed it off by a shrug.
"But the warmth of the sun never reaches it's warmth here so I call it the. Mountains of eternal Moon season, concurred by Gabriel."
"My name by the way."
Luna, Ruza and Tatsuya stood frozen in place, not in fear anymore.
Despite his appearance, anyone could see that this man was harmless.
"So you can stay at my place if you want?"
A second passed by no one answered the man.
"I'm sorry if you're shocked about my appearance, I have been through a lot. But life never stops how hard you wishes it could. I'm not a bad guy, although I look like one. If I had an eyepatch it would fit the picture perfectly don't you think?"
The three of them blinked, still all looking shocked.
With an eyepatch he would look good as a pirate…
Getting lost into his thoughts, Luna tugged on Tatsuya's sleeve, her ruby eyes flicking from Gabriel to the endless snow. "Tatsuya… can we—uh—talk for a second?"
Before Gabriel could reply, she yanked him aside, Ruza following. The three formed a small circle a few steps away, their voices barely rising above the whisper of the storm.
Luna spoke first. "He seems nice. Weird, yeah—but nice. We can't stay out here, not in this weather."
Her breath fogged between them, vanishing as quickly as her words.
Ruza crossed her arms, eyes narrowing. "And that's reason enough to follow a stranger? A man with a weapon fused to his arm?" Her voice was steady, but beneath it was the faint edge of something else—worry, dressed up as control.
Tatsuya rubbed the back of his neck, snowflakes melting in his hair. "He offered us shelter. And honestly…" He glanced around the blizzard-choked forest. "I don't see many other options."
Ruza's expression hardened. "You're letting sympathy cloud your sense. We know nothing about him. His story doesn't make sense. Why is he here alone? Why does he act like he owns this mountain?"
Luna frowned. "Maybe because he does? Maybe he's just… lonely."
"Lonely doesn't mean harmless." Ruza's voice dropped. "You of all people should understand that, Tatsuya."
Her words hit harder than the wind. Tatsuya's jaw tightened, but he didn't look away.
He wanted to argue, to prove her wrong—but what was there to say? Everything about Gabriel was strange. The casual charm, the eerie calm, that half-sincere smile. But there was also something else—a quiet, unguarded warmth that didn't belong to a killer.
Luna looked between them, her voice small but firm. "If we stay out here, we freeze. If we go with him, we might be fine. I'll take the 'might.'"
Tatsuya nodded slowly. "Same. We'll keep watch, take turns if needed. But I don't think he means harm."
Ruza's stare lingered on him, her usual composure thinning just enough to show a flicker of disbelief. "You're trusting your gut again."
"Yeah," Tatsuya muttered, exhaling mist into the night. "It hasn't killed me yet."
For a moment, silence. Only the storm moved between them, whispering through the trees like something listening in.
Finally, Ruza looked away. "…Fine. But if anything happens, I'll make sure your gut regrets it."
Luna grinned faintly. "That's basically a yes!"
As they turned back toward Gabriel, the man was already brushing snow off his shoulder, humming some tuneless melody under his breath. When he noticed them, he waved—mace-hand glinting in the dim light, as if it were just another casual gesture.
"Sooo, what's it gonna be? Staying in this creepy forest with dangerous beast, I speak of experience or go with me. The coolest, strongest….?" he asked, tone cheerful and completely unaware that three hearts had just risked trusting him.
Tatsuya interrupted him before he could go in with his speech. Tatsuya gave a short nod. "Lead the way."
Gabriel's grin widened. "Good choice. It's not far. Just follow me—and try not to fall into any of the holes. The mountain likes to eat newcomers."
He said it like a joke.
But Tatsuya couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't entirely kidding.
Part 2
They followed Gabriel through the snow in silence, the forest thinning into a small clearing that looked carved out by time—or stubbornness.
There, nestled against a slope of rock, stood what could barely be called a home.
A large canvas tent sagged under the weight of frost, its seams patched and repatched so many times that no two pieces of fabric matched in color. Sandbags were stacked around its base like crude fortifications, and a single flag—frayed, colorless, but proudly upright—waved faintly in the biting wind.
Beside it, a fire crackled weakly beneath an iron kettle. The smell of burning wood and something faintly sweet—berries, maybe—hung in the air. Barrels and crates were scattered nearby, half-buried in snow, and a makeshift shelter of logs surrounded a smaller campfire pit, now long extinguished.
It wasn't a cabin.
It wasn't even a house.
But compared to the frozen forest, it might as well have been heaven.
Gabriel gestured toward the tent with his mace-hand, as if showing off a palace. "Welcome to the Moon Season Lodge. Cozy, right?"
Luna blinked, clearly unsure how to respond. "It's… definitely something."
Ruza's silence said the rest. Her eyes swept the camp—every shadow, every weapon-shaped object, every possible escape route.
Gabriel chuckled, the sound low and warm. "Don't mind the mess. The mountain doesn't clean up after me." He turned, his breath forming pale clouds. "Make yourselves comfortable. The wind's about to get worse."
Tatsuya hesitated at the entrance. The tent flapped softly, a heartbeat rhythm in the cold. Something about it felt too quiet.
Still, he stepped forward.
Inside, it was dim but warmer than he expected. A bedroll lay in one corner, a table cluttered with maps, candles burned down to stubs, and a few scattered books—titles smudged with soot. Against one wall, a collection of trinkets rested: stones, old coins, what looked like a cracked compass.
Gabriel followed them in, his movements deliberate, careful not to startle. "I'd offer tea, but I ran out of leaves two winters ago. Been boiling pine needles instead. Gives it a sharp taste—like regret."
Luna laughed nervously. "You… have a weird sense of humor."
"Better than none," he replied with a grin.
Ruza stood near the entrance, refusing to sit. Her eyes lingered on the mace, then on Gabriel's remaining hand.
Tatsuya watched her silently. He could almost hear the argument forming behind her calm eyes. You shouldn't trust him. You don't know what he wants.
When Gabriel caught Tatsuya's gaze, he smiled. "You've got the look of someone who's lost more than a direction. Sit. Warm yourself. The mountain won't chase you tonight."
Tatsuya exhaled, the tension easing slightly. "Thanks."
"Don't thank me yet," Gabriel said lightly, lowering himself to sit by the fire. "The mountain's kind one day, cruel the next. And I…" He gave the mace an idle shake, the spikes glinting faintly. "I'm somewhere in between."
Luna sat closest to the flame, palms outstretched, her eyes glazed with the hypnotic dance of the embers. For the first time since they met Gabriel, her shoulders looked light, almost at ease.
Ruza wasn't.
She leaned slightly toward Tatsuya, voice low enough to vanish under the crackle of fire.
"This is your fault."
Tatsuya's head tilted, eyes narrowing. "What?"
"You heard me," she whispered sharply. "We shouldn't even be out here. It was your idea to go after Meki while it was already dark. You knew the weather was turning."
Tatsuya's lips pressed into a thin line. "…We didn't have time to wait. Every hour—"
"Every hour we risked our lives," she cut in. "And now look where we are—stranded, lost, and following a stranger with a weapon for an arm."
Her words hit like small, cold blades. Not loud, but sharp enough to sting.
He kept his voice steady. "I can't just sit back when someone's missing."
Ruza's gaze flicked toward Gabriel, who was still humming by the fire, oblivious—or pretending to be. "You're too trusting. You think everyone with a tired smile and a tragic story deserves your faith. What if he's one of them?"
Tatsuya frowned. "One of who?"
She hesitated. Then, softly, "A member of the Demon Cult."
The air seemed to still. Even the wind outside dulled for a heartbeat.
Tatsuya looked at her, really looked, the flicker of the fire catching the faint tremor in her eyes. "He doesn't smell like them."
Ruza's jaw tightened. "You're sure?"
"I trust my nose more than your paranoia," he muttered, then sighed. "Look, he's odd, yeah. But not evil. There's a difference."
Her eyes narrowed. "You're too quick to believe that difference still matters."
He glanced sideways, their gazes locking. "And you're too scared to admit that sometimes, people aren't out to hurt us."
Ruza's breath hitched, quiet but audible. For a second, something raw crossed her face—fear, exhaustion, something old. Then it was gone, replaced by her usual steel.
"I just don't want to see you make the same mistake again," she murmured.
Before Tatsuya could answer, a voice cut through the tense air.
"So!" Gabriel spun toward them, a grin splitting his face. "Now that you know about my secret shelter…"
He raised his mace-hand dramatically, the firelight glinting off the metal spikes.
"I can't let you leave!" he declared with mock menace, voice booming just enough to make Luna jump. "You're gonna stay here—forever!"
Luna yelped, clutching her cloak. "Wha—Gabriel! Don't say it like that!"
Gabriel burst into laughter, the sound loud and disarming, echoing through the tent like a forgotten song. "Ah, relax! Just a joke! You'd be surprised how many people don't laugh at that one."
Tatsuya blinked, the tension in his chest loosening—but only slightly.
"Exactly zero." He continued, "because I haven't told it to anyone yet."
Part 3
They all sat around the fire. The storm outside had calmed to a whisper, its howl replaced by the rhythmic hiss of falling snow.
For a while, none of them spoke. Luna poked at the fire with a stick, humming under her breath. Gabriel sat across from her. And Ruza close to Tatsuya.
Tatsuya tried to relax, but the silence had teeth. Ruza hadn't taken her eyes off Gabriel once.
Then—
Grrr-
Grrr!!
A sound cut through the night.
Low. Guttural. A growl deep enough to rattle the air itself.
It came from beyond the tent. Close.
Tatsuya's hand went for his blade instantly. Luna froze mid-motion, the stick dropping into the fire. Sparks hissed and danced upward.
Ruza moved first.
In one smooth motion, she was on her feet, a faint shimmer of mana coiling around her fingertips—ice and light gathering, ready to strike. Her gaze snapped to Gabriel, sharp as a drawn blade.
"What did you bring here?" she hissed.
Gabriel blinked, confused for a split second—then realization hit him. "Oh—wait, wait, wait! Don't do that!"
He lifted his arm—his metal arm—in surrender. "Wait! Calm down! It's just my dog!"
Ruza's expression didn't change. "Your what?"
Before anyone could answer, the bushes outside the tent rustled violently. Snow burst outward—and something enormous lunged through the opening.
A beast.
No, a dog.
An Irish Setter—if Irish Setters had fur the color of smoldering embers and teeth like saber-toothed tigers. Its eyes gleamed gold in the firelight, and when it opened its mouth to pant, its breath came out in faint curls of mist.
It barreled straight toward Gabriel—who didn't flinch.
The creature tackled him to the ground, pinning him with both massive paws before burying its monstrous head against his chest. Gabriel laughed, voice muffled. "Cupcake! You scared the life out of them again!"
"Cupcake?" Tatsuya echoed blankly.
Luna blinked twice, disbelief melting into pure delight. "She's adorable!"
Ruza lowered her glowing hand but didn't drop her guard. "Adorable isn't the word I'd use."
But Luna was already kneeling beside the beast, hands buried in its thick fur. Cupcake wagged her massive tail, sending small gusts of wind through the tent as she leaned into Luna's touch with a deep, contented rumble.
Luna laughed, her usual brightness flooding back like sunlight piercing clouds. "Who's a good girl? You're a good girl! Look at you, you could eat a bear—no, a mountain!"
Tatsuya couldn't help the faint smile that tugged at his mouth. It was ridiculous. The danger, the storm, the tension—all undone by a dog named Cupcake.
Gabriel stood, brushing snow off his coat and adjusting his hat. "See? Told you she wouldn't bite."
Ruza muttered under her breath, "Not unless she wants to."
Gabriel grinned. "Well, that's true for all of us, isn't it?"
Cupcake barked once, a sound like a small explosion, before settling down beside the fire—her enormous frame casting a shadow across half the tent.
The night continued to unfold, as Tatsuya took a bite of an GuineaHara skewer.
He looked at the hand he lost and wondered how he lost it.
"How did you lose your arm," He questioned. "Was it because of the demon cult?"
The question appeared to grasp everyone's attention.
"The Demon cult?" Frowning, he repeated the question like hearing it was something foreign to him.
"No its was a wild animal that bit it off." He replied. "But I don't belief in the Demon cult, I actually think it's like a story parent tell kids to not stay outside at night, you know."
The three of them looked at each other with wild amazement.
How can this guy be serious?
The more time they spent with Gabriel the harder it was getting to keep trusting him.
Maybe Ruza is right? I guess I'll stay awake tonight.
Part 4
Next morning
Ruza and Tatsuya stood at the edge of the campsite.
Nothing had happened tonight, Gabriel had slept in a shelter next to the main tent.
Tatsuya and the others remained in the main tent but from the looks of things Luna was the only one who got sleep.
Ruza rubbed her sleepy eyes and Tatsuya let out a yawn.
They waited for Luna who was almost ready to get dressed, she slept like an angels accompanied by Cupcake.
"Tatsuya I want you to have something."
Tatsuya turned around and saw Gabriel walking up to him with a bow in his hand.
"Here, I want you to have this. I made it with my own two hands."
"Why?"
Gabriel let out a soft smile. "Well, it's not like I can use it anymore."
Tatsuya bowed and accepted his gift.
Tatsuya judged him as someone who had a lot of self made melee weapons laying around.
It was something Tatsuya wish he could learn someday.
Come to think of it he didn't use any magic, right?
"Can you use magic?" He asked.
"I never learned how to use magic, I'm more of a one hand fighter than a wizard."
Tatsuya smiled.
We have that in common.
"Come, hurry up." Luna screamed at him. "We'll leave without you."
Ruza walking next to her ready to go.
Gabriel laid his remaining hand on Tatsuya's shoulder. "You should go." He said.
"And please make it up with her. You don't want to lose such a cute girl you know."
He pushed Tatsuya gently forward as he let out a wink.
He noticed that??
He hadn't spoken since they left Gabriel's tent.
She hadn't either.
It wasn't that there was nothing to say. It was that everything waiting to be said hung so tightly in the air, neither dared to break it.
Tatsuya's hand stayed near the hilt of his blade, his eyes flicking between shadows and tree trunks with the precision of a man preparing for disaster. Every few seconds, his pace would change—faster when the forest grew darker, slower when it opened up.
Ruza noticed, of course. She always did.
"…You're doing it again," she finally said, her voice quiet but cutting through the stillness.
Tatsuya didn't look back. "Doing what?"
"Acting like something's going to attack me any second." Her tone wasn't angry—just tired. "You keep looking around like I'm made of glass."
The crunch of his boots stopped. The mist swirled around him, pale against his dark hair.
"…We don't know what's out here," he muttered. "I'm making sure we don't run into trouble."
Ruza's lips tightened. "Then why do you keep walking ahead like that? If trouble shows up, you'll just throw yourself at it first, won't you?"
He turned slightly, enough for her to see the side of his face—jaw tense, eyes unreadable.
"If that keeps you safe, then yeah. I will."
There it was again—that line. That tone. That self-imposed, self-destructive certainty that always made her chest ache.
"Do you even hear yourself?" she whispered. "You talk like protecting me is the only thing you're allowed to do."
He didn't answer. His silence said enough.
"Is that what you think I am? Someone who needs saving all the time?"
Still nothing. His shoulders rose and fell once, heavy and unsteady, before he started walking again.
That was what broke her composure. She stepped forward, caught up to him, and grabbed his arm.
"Don't walk away from me, Tatsuya."
He stopped. Didn't turn.
For a heartbeat, neither of them breathed. The mist thickened around them, like the forest itself was holding its breath.
"Do you really think I'm that weak?" Ruza said softly. "That I'm something you need to protect even if it kills you?"
He exhaled—a faint, trembling sound that barely qualified as laughter. "It's not about you being weak, Ruza. It's about me not being enough."
Her grip on his sleeve loosened. "…What?"
Finally, he turned. The look in his eyes was one she'd seen before—in the reflection of her own heart when she thought she'd lost him.
"I couldn't protect anyone, not even myself."
"Tatsuya…"
"So yeah," he said, voice tightening. "If it means keeping you safe, I'll throw myself into danger first. I'll take the hit, I'll get lost, I'll die if I have to. Because that's all I'm good for."
The words came out flat. Too honest to sound brave. Too broken to sound noble.
Ruza stepped closer, her voice trembling between anger and sorrow. "You idiot… you think that's what I want? You dying to protect me?"
"I don't care what you want," he said, louder now, sharp like a blade finally drawn. "If something happens to you because I hesitated, I'll never forgive myself."
"Then you're not protecting me—you're protecting your guilt!"
Her voice cracked. The forest echoed with it.
Tatsuya's breath hitched. His hand clenched unconsciously at his side, nails digging into his palm.
"Maybe I am," he admitted. "But that doesn't change anything."
Ruza stared at him, heart pounding in her throat. Every word he said twisted between them like a knife—not because it was cruel, but because it was honest.
"You really don't get it, do you…" she whispered, her eyes wet. "You're not the only one who's scared of losing someone. You think I want to be protected? No. I want to fight beside you. I want to be with you. Isn't that enough?"
He looked at her like she'd said something crueler than any insult. His mouth opened, then closed again.
"…If you fight beside me," he said finally, "you might die."
"If I don't," she said, voice trembling but firm, "then I'll just be watching you die instead."
Her words struck harder than any sword. For a moment, he saw himself reflected in her eyes—tired, afraid, desperate to matter. And he hated it.
He took a step back, the distance between them feeling like a canyon. "…You just don't understand."
The moment the words left his mouth, Ruza froze.
They hung in the air like a curse—one neither could take back.
Tatsuya turned away, shoulders rigid, head lowered. He didn't look back as he started walking again, his figure fading slowly into the gray between the trees.
Ruza stood there, silent. Her hands trembled at her sides, nails pressing into her palms. She wanted to call out. To say anything that would make him turn around. But her throat refused to move.
"…You're the one who doesn't understand," she whispered, voice breaking.
The wind shifted. The mist parted slightly, letting a sliver of sunlight fall between them—only for that fragile light to be broken by the sound of hurried footsteps.
"Did you two morons forget why we're out here?!"
Luna's voice tore through the heavy silence like a thrown rock through glass. She emerged from the mist, hands on her hips, her golden eyes wide with disbelief.
"To find Meki, right? So stop fighting and focus on the task in front of you!"
Neither answered.
Ruza wiped her eyes quickly, pretending it was just the wind. Tatsuya didn't turn, but his pace faltered.
Luna sighed, exasperated, stepping past them both. "Unbelievable. I turn my back for one minute and you two start acting like a tragic romance drama."
She walked ahead—humming lightly as if nothing had happened.
For a moment, it felt like the forest had gone still again.
Then—
BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!
The sound ripped through the air from somewhere far beyond the trees. The ground shuddered beneath their feet, birds burst from the canopy, and the echo of the explosion rolled through the mountains like thunder given form.
The mist scattered. Silence followed.
Ruza's eyes widened. "That came from the east…"
Tatsuya's hand was already on his sword. His voice, quiet but sharp, broke through the ringing air.
"Let's move."
And just like that—
the argument was swallowed by the sound of fate calling them forward.