The mountain forests remained swathed in the blizzard, a world lost to a silent, desolate white. The freezing wind shrieked through the trees, making the wilderness feel cold and lonely. Yet, the small, newly repaired cabin stood like a lone beacon in the night—the only warm sanctuary against the storm.
Gales battered the timber walls, and the door rattled under the pressure, but the cold remained firmly barred outside. Inside, only the warmth lingered.
The fire burned quietly, punctuated by the occasional soft crack of burning wood. The dancing flames illuminated the interior, casting a comforting glow over Lunethia as she lay by the hearth.
After an unknown amount of time, a low murmur of voices pulled her from the depths of sleep. Lunethia blinked her eyes open, her vision still slightly blurred. She rubbed them drowsily; the exhaustion from days of fleeing hadn't vanished completely, but she felt a spark of her spirit returning.
She let out a tiny yawn and slowly sat up.
"Oh! Lunethia is awake!"
Gareth's voice rang out first. "Does that mean we can get started?"
"What's the rush?" Rena snapped back. "Owen isn't even up yet. Let me get the rub and the sauce ready first before we start marinating."
Lunethia followed the sound of their voices. They were gathered in a corner of the cabin that had been cleared out to serve as a makeshift kitchen. It was little more than a swept patch of floor, looking incredibly primitive.
Suddenly, she froze.
Hanging from a wooden post near the "kitchen" was a white, fluffy shape. She blinked, squinting to make sense of it.
It was a rabbit.
Its four paws were tied together, its body dangling upside down from a wooden rod, swaying gently. Its snowy fur was stark and bright under the firelight. The others were huddled around it, deep in a very serious discussion.
Rhine frowned, looking unimpressed as he gestured toward the creature.
"It's so small," he muttered, his voice full of doubt. "Is that even enough to feed the seven of us?"
Gerald shrugged noncommittally. "This is just a midnight snack, strictly speaking. You're not starving, so a bit of rabbit meat just to satisfy a craving should be enough."
Milia tilted her head, considering the options. "Should we dress it and save it as emergency rations? It might come in handy later."
Gerald let out a hearty laugh. "No need, no need. I've already stocked plenty of food at the sanctuary. This one is best enjoyed while it's fresh."
Gareth rubbed his chin, offering a suggestion. "It's freezing outside. Wouldn't a stew be better?"
Rena , however, shook her head firmly. "Wild rabbit has a gamey smell; stewing it won't work. Roasting it is the only way to get that fragrance."
While the group was deep in their debate over culinary techniques, Lunethia's eyes never left the white rabbit. For some reason, it gave her a staggering sense of familiarity.
At that moment, the rabbit seemed to notice her gaze.
It began to struggle violently, its bound limbs straining against the coarse hemp rope. It emitted a series of urgent, piercing squeaks, as if desperately trying to grab her attention.
Gerald saw the commotion and chuckled. "See? I told you this little fellow was spirited."
Rena , however, began to frown. "This won't do... If it struggles too much, there'll be internal bruising. It'll be a nightmare to clean later." She looked toward Milia. "Milia, do us a favor and bleed it out first."
Milia nodded silently and reached for the kitchen knife on the table. The blade caught the firelight, reflecting a cold, clinical glint.
Lunethia watched the scene, her mouth slowly falling open in horror. Just as Milia began to bring the cold steel toward the rabbit's throat—
"Stop!"
Lunethia suddenly screamed. She lunged to her feet and bolted toward them.
"Don't hurt it!"
Rhine was startled by her sudden outburst, his brow furrowing in confusion. "What's wrong with you?"
Milia froze, holding the knife mid-air, and made no further move. Lunethia had already brushed past Rhine, reaching the white rabbit. With trembling but hurried fingers, she began to untie the ropes binding its limbs.
Gerald froze in surprise, quickly speaking up. "Hey, wait... that rabbit is incredibly quick. Once it's loose, we'll never catch it again!"
However—
As the ropes fell away, the white rabbit didn't bolt. Instead, it huddled quietly in place, allowing Lunethia to scoop it into her arms. Lunethia stroked its back gently, whispering a soft question.
"You... you're Mr. Rabbit, aren't you?"
The white rabbit began to nod its head frantically.
The sight left everyone in the cabin momentarily stunned. Following this, the rabbit suddenly raised a front paw and pointed it directly at Gerald, its nose twitching violently as if lodging a heated accusation.
Gerald blinked. "Wait... is this thing your pet?"
Lunethia shook her head. "No." She looked down at the creature in her arms, her voice soft and nostalgic. "He was my best friend back at the castle."
Silence fell over the room. Rhine clicked his tongue, his patience clearly wearing thin. "All rabbits look the same, don't they? You've probably just mistaken it for another. We've already got the preparations ready; just hand it over to Rena and Milia."
Lunethia only held Mr. Rabbit tighter. "I... I understand..." she said, keeping her head low as she whispered. "The animal kingdom is governed by the law of the jungle... and Mr. Rabbit might eventually be eaten... but..."
Halfway through her sentence, tears began to track down her cheeks. Seeing this, the group fell into an awkward silence.
Lunethia's voice broke with a sob. "Mr. Rabbit and I... we've been friends for many, many years... I'm begging you..."
She carefully lifted the rabbit to eye level, gazing at it. "At least... let me have a moment to say a proper goodbye..."
The second those words left her mouth—
The white rabbit froze completely.
If it had been capable of human speech, it likely would have screamed:
"Aren't you supposed to ask them to spare me?! Why are we skipping straight to the final farewells?!"
Rhine stared at Lunethia's dead-serious expression and couldn't help but scratch his head in exasperation. "Many, many years... exactly how long is that?"
Lunethia took a deep breath, trying to steady her voice. "Perhaps... ten years now."
Silence fell over the room once more. In that instant, any remaining thought of turning the white rabbit into a meal vanished completely from everyone's minds.
Rhine waved his hand dismissively, as if surrendering. "Fine, fine. Forget it. If it's an old rabbit like that, the meat is bound to be tough and tasteless anyway."
"Take it away. Just get it out of my sight."
A brilliant, radiant smile instantly broke across Lunethia's face. "Thank you! Thank you so much for sparing Mr. Rabbit!" She hugged the fluffy creature tight, her heart overflowing with relief.
Mr. Rabbit seemed to let out a long, silent sigh of his own, his ears twitching slightly. Lunethia gently set him on the floor and knelt down, tenderly stroking his head. The rabbit remained still and obedient, his ears swaying softly as his dark, glimmering eyes watched her with quiet intensity.
Lunethia whispered to him, "You say... you came here specifically to help me?"
She tilted her head, looking for all the world like she was listening to a voice only she could hear. After a moment, she nodded gently, a soft smile gracing her lips. "I see... Thank you."
Rhine leaned against the wall, muttering under his breath, "She really acts like she can actually talk to animals..."
Gareth walked over to his side, letting out a wry sigh. "Well, there goes our midnight snack... But forget it. If I could actually hear animals talk, I'd probably never have the nerve to eat meat again."
Lunethia walked up to Gerald and bowed her head slightly. "Gerald... I'm so sorry for making all your hard work go to waste."
Gerald waved a hand dismissively. "What hard work? It was just catching a rabbit; it barely took any effort at all."
At that moment, Mr. Rabbit suddenly snapped his head up. He stared directly at Gerald, his short front paws flailing wildly in the air.
No matter how one looked at it, he certainly wasn't trying to be friendly.
Lunethia watched the exchange, a wry, helpless smile touching her lips.
Curious, Gerald asked, "Well? What is our little friend saying now?"
Lunethia hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Um... he says... he only let you catch him because he underestimated you. If you're not convinced, he's willing to go another round with you right now."
The moment the words were out, she bowed her head quickly, adding an urgent apology. "I'm so sorry, Gerald! Please don't take Mr. Rabbit seriously. Animals... well, sometimes they don't really know what they're saying themselves."
Gerald froze for a second, then burst into a hearty roar of laughter. "Don't worry, child! How could I possibly hold a grudge against a tiny creature like him?"
As he spoke, he extended his index finger, teasingly waving it in front of the white rabbit's face. Furious, Mr. Rabbit lunged forward and clamped his teeth down on the finger with all his might.
However—
He couldn't even break the skin.
This only made Gerald laugh harder. His booming amusement echoed through the cabin, finally rousing Owen from his deep slumber.
After a while, the howling of the blizzard outside gradually subsided into a heavy silence. Owen stretched his weary limbs, looking around at the group. "Since everyone's had a decent rest, we might as well keep moving. Let's head straight for Starfall Cliff."
Rhine raised an eyebrow. "Why now?"
Owen grinned, pointing a thumb toward Gerald. "Because the old man is actually awake for once. If he walks on his own two feet, we don't have to carry him."
A faint smirk played on Rhine's lips. "Fair point. There's no sense in wasting any more time here."
The group quickly packed their meager belongings and extinguished the hearth. The moment the wooden door was pushed open, a crisp, biting night wind rushed in to meet them.
The snow had stopped falling.
The thick drifts shimmered with a pale, silver light under the moon. The entire mountain forest looked as though it had been draped in a layer of cold, celestial radiance.
Rhine gripped the hilt of his long blade, preparing to ignite his Divine Flame to carve a path through the darkness.
But Rena immediately caught his wrist. "Don't."
"We move as we are. No fire."
Rhine furrowed his brow, his voice sharp with frustration. "Why? We should get to the sanctuary as quickly as possible, not waste our stamina struggling through the drifts."
Gerald offered a knowing smile. "Boss, your Divine Flame is like a beacon in a night like this. You wouldn't want a little spark to broadcast our exact location to everyone within miles, would you?"
Rhine went silent for a moment, then finally let out a resigned sigh. "...Fine."
The group stepped out into the open snow. The soft, powdery drifts swallowed the sound of their footsteps, leaving only the faint, rhythmic crunch... crunch... echoing through the night. Moonlight spilled across the plains; the silver-white forests were so still it felt as though the entire world had fallen into a deep slumber.
However, after they had walked for some distance—
Mr. Rabbit, tucked securely in Lunethia's arms, suddenly pricked up his ears.
In the next instant, he lunged from her grasp, landing deftly upon the snowy surface. He lowered his head, sniffing the ground before darting toward a particular mound of snow by the roadside. He came to a sudden halt, his body stiffening as he stared intently at the pile, looking for all the world like a soldier on high alert.
Lunethia hurried over to him. "Mr. Rabbit, what is it?"
The rabbit instantly emitted a flurry of urgent, sharp squeaks, his entire frame trembling with the effort to communicate. Lunethia knelt in the snow, listening with intense focus.
After a few moments, she looked up at the others. "He says... there is something very dangerous hidden beneath that snow."
She pointed toward the mound. "He thinks we should circle around it."
Owen couldn't help but burst into a short laugh. "For a second there, I almost believed you." He walked over and playfully poked the rabbit in the back. "To a tiny thing like you, isn't almost everything in this world big and dangerous?"
Mr. Rabbit whipped around and delivered a sharp, stinging slap to Owen's finger with his paw.
It was an unmistakable warning: Keep your hands off me.
Gareth couldn't suppress a snicker. "All right, Owen, quit bullying the rabbit. It would be a damn shame if you actually got bitten by a furball."
Owen shrugged with a grin, scooping up Mr. Rabbit and tossing him unceremoniously back into Lunethia's arms. She caught him quickly, hugging him tight against her chest.
Rhine knit his brows, looking at the path ahead. "If we detour, we add significant time to the trek. There's no point in wasting energy. Keep moving."
Owen gave a casual wave of acknowledgment. "Right."
He turned and strode forward, leading the way.
However—
On his fifth step, his foot suddenly lost its purchase.
Owen lost his balance instantly, plunging face-first into the deep snow with a heavy thud. The impact was so great that the surrounding drifts shuddered from the vibration.
Owen pulled his face out of the white powder, still sprawled on the ground, but he couldn't help but laugh at his own clumsiness. "Haha... sorry. The snow is slicker than I thought."
In that exact moment—
The mound of snow that Mr. Rabbit had been staring at gave a subtle, rhythmic shudder.
Fine crystalline flakes began to slide off its surface. The snow caved inward slowly, revealing what lay beneath: thick, coarse, grayish-black scales.
"What... what is that...?" Milia's eyes widened in shock.
The mound began to heave upward. Deep within the shifting snow, a pair of eyes glowing with a faint, ghostly green light slowly flickered open.
Gerald's voice dropped an octave, turning deadly serious. "—Prepare for combat."
The snow cascaded away entirely.
The entity hidden within was finally laid bare—a gargantuan serpent coiled within the drift! Its grayish-black scales shimmered with a dull, metallic luster under the moonlight, looking as cold and hard as forged iron. Its vertical green pupils scanned the group with predatory calm. Its body was as thick as a grown man's chest, and its length easily exceeded ten meters.
Milia let out a stifled gasp. "What... what is that thing?! How can a snake be that large!?"
Gerald narrowed his eyes, a bitter smile touching his lips. "Looks like our luck has finally run out."
"That is a relic left over from the Great War—a Magical Construct Beast."
The serpent's grayish-black scales stood out in sharp, lethal contrast against the pristine white snow. It flickered its tongue slowly, emitting a faint, chilling hiss.
Owen scrambled backward, yelling in disbelief, "You've got to be kidding me! This thing is massive!"
Lunethia clutched Mr. Rabbit to her chest, retreating several paces. "Why is there a Magical Construct here of all places?!"
Gerald kept his eyes locked on the beast, explaining in a low, gravelly voice, "After the Great War ended, these constructs continued to roam and destroy. It wasn't until the King of the Moon passed away that they finally began to retreat and hide across the continent."
Rena forced a bitter smile. "But it's been ten years... they haven't aged a single day."
Gerald nodded grimly. "That's because they aren't natural living beings. They don't feel the cold, they don't need to eat. As long as the magic core within them remains intact, they will exist forever."
Gareth had already notched an arrow, drawing back his bowstring. He let out a dry, nervous laugh. "So, what you're saying is—this guy was happily sleeping, and Owen, being a total idiot, just happened to ring the doorbell?"
Rhine unsheathed his long blade, his voice cutting through the air like ice. "Are you two finished talking?"
"It's coming."
In the next heartbeat—
The serpent lunged!
Its massive head struck like a lightning bolt, aimed directly at Owen, who was still sprawled in the snow.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa—!" Owen cried out, rolling and scrambling frantically to the side.
The serpent's maw slammed into the snow, narrowly missing him by inches. But even as he escaped the initial strike, the creature's tail whipped around in a devastating horizontal arc.
CRACK!
Owen was sent flying, his large frame slamming into a tree trunk with such force that a heavy shroud of snow cascaded from the branches.
Gareth reacted instantly. His bowstring hummed as he released three arrows in rapid succession.
However—
Before the arrows could even graze the serpent's scales, they ground to a halt. Suspended in mid-air by an invisible barrier, the three shafts trembled for a second before dropping uselessly into the snow.
Gareth let out a violent, sudden sneeze, his eyes watering and his nose running instantly. He wiped his face hurriedly, looking cursed. "Damn it... it's not just cold, my nose is screaming. Another defensive spell, and it's a heavy one!"
Milia and Rena lunged forward in unison, their twin spears sweeping down in a vicious arc toward the serpent's massive flank. But before the steel could even graze its scales, it struck an invisible barrier. A dull, heavy thud echoed through the woods as the shockwave vibrated through their arms.
Rena 's expression darkened. "This defensive ward... it's even stronger than the one on that magic bird we faced! No wonder Gareth is reacting like this."
Rhine had already drawn his flint.
Clang!
The moment the stone struck the back of his long blade, the steel erupted into a roaring conflagration. A blade of living fire ignited the darkness, casting long, dancing shadows across the snow. With the heat distorting the air around him, Rhine charged headlong toward the beast.
The serpent's gaze was instantly drawn to the light, a primal instinct flaring within its green eyes as it sensed the lethal danger of the flames. Before Rhine could close the distance, the beast performed a sudden, powerful sideward slide. Its massive body swept across the snow, whipping around to lunge toward Gerald on the opposite flank.
Lunethia knit her brows, her eyes reflecting the flickering fire. "Strange... its consciousness is so clouded, as if it hasn't fully awakened from its slumber. I can't hear its thoughts clearly..."
A reckless idea suddenly took hold of her. "Since it was a magical construct created by the Kingdom... if I walk toward it, would it recognize me and stop its attack?"
The white rabbit in her arms reacted instantly, shaking its head with manic intensity, its ears flopping wildly in a desperate plea for her to stay put.
Gerald caught the movement and let out a dry, amused chuckle. "Heh, it seems Mr. Rabbit doesn't share your optimism, Princess."
"Shut up, old man!" Rhine roared from across the clearing. "It's heading for you! Pin it down for me—I'm going to turn this thing into charcoal!"
The serpent was closing in on Gerald with terrifying speed. Yet, the old knight stood his ground, seemingly unbothered. He slowly tilted his neck from side to side and rolled his broad shoulders, his joints letting out a series of audible cracks.
"Gerald! Get out of there!" Lunethia shrieked in terror.
Instead of retreating, Gerald let out a booming, boisterous laugh.
"Good!"
"Look closely, Lunethia—"
"Behold the combat style we've forged over these last fifteen years, specifically to tear down the arts of the Witch!"
Seeing that its prey refused to move, the serpent's ferocity was fully ignited. Its maw unhinged, revealing rows of needle-sharp fangs that glinted like cold daggers under the moonlight as it lunged down to swallow the man whole.
Gerald's voice dropped into a low, resonant rumble.
"The power of a Witch is drawn from nature itself."
"They interfere with the natural order using mana, weaving what we know as 'magic.'"
Lunethia watched him, breathless. Gerald lowered his stance, his boots sinking deep and firm into the snow. Every muscle in his body coiled with tension, like a predatory beast gathering strength for a lethal spring. Faint plumes of white steam began to rise from his back, shimmering in the cold air.
"And to combat such overwhelming natural forces—" Gerald's voice was steady and absolute. "We humans learned to harness the dormant energy within our own bodies."
"A power known as... Chakra."
In the next heartbeat, a surge of white energy erupted from within him, swirling around his frame like a localized mist. His muscles swelled with raw power; his forearms thickened as if reinforced by steel, and his fists became as hard as tempered iron.
Gerald began to stride toward the looming serpent, one heavy step at a time.
"So long as one masters Chakra—humanity can stand against any sorcery or dark art!"
The serpent's maw was inches away now. A cold, foul stench washed over him, but Gerald didn't yield an inch. He dipped his shoulder, coiling his strength into his core.
Then—he exploded.
BOOM!
A devastating rising upper-cut tore through the air! The sheer force of the impact slammed into the serpent's lower jaw, snapping its massive, gaping mouth shut with a bone-jarring crack.
"HAA—!"
With a gutteral roar, Gerald unleashed a torrential barrage of strikes.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Each fist hammered against the invisible defensive ward. The once-impenetrable magical shield vibrated violently under the assault, the air itself screaming with the sound of micro-explosions as the barrier buckled.
The shield didn't vanish—but it didn't need to.
Even after being dampened by the magic, the residual force behind Gerald's fists was more than enough to deliver a lethal pounding. The gargantuan serpent was driven back, its body reeling from the impact until it was forced upright by the sheer momentum of the blows.
Its emerald pupils began to dim, losing their predatory luster. Gerald exhaled a long, steady breath of steam.
"This power... we actually learned it from an ancient and secretive people. Though, from what I gather, they weren't particularly keen on outsiders mastering their ways."
In that exact moment, a shadow leaped from the periphery!
Rhine vaulted onto the serpent's midsection, sprinting up its thrashing coils like a crimson streak. His blade, wreathed in roaring fire, carved a brilliant arc across the night sky.
"It's over!"
The flaming steel plunged deep into the serpent's flesh.
A heartbeat later, the Divine Flame detonated!
Incandescent fire raced along the length of the serpent's body. The beast writhed in agony within the inferno, its scales melting as the flames roared toward the heavens. In the heart of the frozen wasteland, the blaze rose like a false dawn, casting a searing, hopeful light across the silver snow.