"...."
"....Cold...."
A soft murmur escaped from her small lips.
That sound, hoarse, delicate, dissolved into the empty space, leaving behind nothing but a suffocating stillness.
A silence maddening enough to drive someone insane.
The maiden awake within an endless void, a place of nothing but pure white, infinite space, and herself.
She felt nothing but the overwhelming loneliness and coldness to her very soul, numbing both her body and mind.
In that endless void, it feels as if space and time have decayed, a feeling of existing yet not existing, as if the girl weren't real, just nothing more than a vague, drifting illusion.
Drifting in that eternal stillness, a helpless and sorrowful sigh was let out from her mouth:
"The feeling of dying...was like this, huh..."
Just as the words faded, a brilliant light shone down at her. It was so bright, so intense that for a moment, she instinctively squinted.
Suddenly, from the depths of her heart, a thought, something like that, kept pulsing within her, as if it were urging her, relentlessly, to step toward that dazzling light.
However—
Just when she was about to step into it, suddently, a voice rang out:
"Kyouno... Kyouno...!"
.....
"...Hah....?"
A breath escaped her lips, followed by a bewildered expression on the maiden's face.
She dazedly looked back, feeling as if, in the passed minutes, her mind had left her body.
She absentmindedly looked around with her bright, jade-green eyes, the ones that shine with clarity, but also with strength.
In her sight, there was a pure-white void, a space so cold that it pierced to the bone.
The ground beneath her feet was like a frozen, smooth and icy carpet, with no footprint in sight.There was only endless snowdrifts, occasionally scattered with frosted stones glinting faintly in the pale light.
Around her, tall trees were covered with pure-white snow, each branch withered, curled, nothing left but a faint trace of life.
The air was dense, frigid, and dry, every breath she took turned into a faint mist.
Dim light of the sun filtered through the branches above, casting faint silver patches on the snow. Snowflakes floated in the air, drifting down slowly, like tiny crystals, then gliding past the tree branches before melting into the frozen earth.
The wind howled in waves, each gust like a blade of ice, mercilessly slicing across her skin, whipping her emerald hair into the air, bearing a hue of mysterious and refreshing green, like a cool stream winding through a dense forest, radiant, yet full of regal grace.
The maiden, with doubt etched upon her exquisite, flawless face, resembled a masterpiece crafted by an artisan.
Draped in a pale blue winter coat that brought out the hues of her eyes and hair, under the faint sunlight, she exuded a breathtaking, enchanting beauty, a beauty that didn't belong to this world.
Before she could make sense of anything, she realized she was riding on some kind of creature, which was galloping frantically.
Suddenly—
"Watch out!"
A panicked shout rang out from behind.
The girl-Kyouno instinctively turned to look, and saw—
Right before her eyes was... a gigantic monster!!!
It was massive, covered in jet-black fur, with crimson eyes burning with murderous rage, and claws sharp as blades.
The creature angrily lunged at them, terrifying their mounts into a desperate sprint.
Despite their beasts' speed, they were no match for the monster that hunted them with relentless hunger.
It quickly caught up.
"GRAAAH!!"
The beast roared, revealing a jaw full of jagged fangs, just the sight was enough to make one imagine the pain of being torn in two.
"Looks like we've got no choice but to fight, huh?"
Kyouno muttered to the girl riding beside her.
As she spoke, both of them instantly took battle stances.
Kyouno extended her hand toward the creature.
A moment later, a glimmering ice bow formed in her grasp.
Drawing back the bowstring, she shouted:
"Ice Arrows!"
In the silent air, thousands of glacial arrows materialized, then shot forward with fierce speed, piercing the monster's hide and drawing a furious roar.
But it wasn't enough.
The beast only grew more enraged, charging harder toward them.
"Mana!"
Kyouno called out to the tall girl riding beside her—Mana.
The girl, with hair and eyes the same color as Kyouno's, a tall figure, and a mischievous face. Looking at Mana's appearance, one can immediately tell they are sisters.
Mana, catching Kyouno's signal, raised her wooden staff and aimed at the monster.
"Wind Blast!"
A powerful whirlwind burst from the staff's tip, launching the creature high into the air.
"GRRRAAHH!!"
It howled in panic, thrashing helplessly.
In that very instant, Kyouno didn't hesitate.
"Fire Cannon!"
A blazing sphere of fire shot through the sky at incredible speed—
"BOOM!!!"
A massive explosion lit up the sky, utterly obliterating the beast.
Not even dust remained.
"Phew..."
A sigh of relief escaped Kyouno's lips.
Her tensed body finally relaxed.
Sweat dotted her forehead, her cheeks flushed from the cold and the recent tension.
"Bonk!"
"Ow...!"
A sharp but playful knock landed on her head.
Surprised, she turned to glare at the culprit.
"Sis! What was that for?! I'll tattle to Mom!"
She pouted, voice full of mock indignation.
But Mana, unfazed by her sister's look, raised her hand as if to strike again, causing Kyouno to quickly dodge out of reach.
Then, Mana scolded her with a trembling voice:
"You... you spaced out all of a sudden, do you know how dangerous that was?!"
Despite her stern words, Mana's voice wavered with fear.
Just remembering that moment, when her little sister nearly met death, was enough to send shivers down her spine.
"Do you know how worried I was about you?!"
Her voice cracked, nearly breaking into sobs.
Seeing her sister's trembling expression, Kyouno's heart tightened.
The pout vanished from her lips.
"I'm fine now...don't worry that much." she said, offering a weak, reassuring smile.
Mana calmed down slightly.
"And besides, it wasn't my fault! That stupid dream popped into my head again!"
"A dream?"
"You know, that weird dream I told you about… I don't know why, but lately, it keeps showing up in my mind over and over again.
Haizzz…"
Kyouno let out a long, troubled sigh.
Seeing the worry etched across her sister's face, Mana's voice grew more serious.
"Do you know anything about the dream? What did it mean?"
Kyouno fell silent for a while, then replied vaguely:
"I'm not sure either. For some reason, that dream gives me a strange feeling.
Like it's something.....oddly familiar, like something I've forgotten."
She lapsed into thought, clearly troubled by the recurring visions.
Sensing the mood growing too heavy, Mana gently broke the silence to steer things away from that somber air.
"Anyway~ let's not dwell on it. We had a good hunt today, right? Just this beast alone is enough to keep us fed for weeks. Time to head home."
At that, the gloomy expression on Kyouno's face vanished. She puffed out her chest and lifted her chin with exaggerated pride.
"Hmph~hmph, if I'm the one taking action, this much is no big deal at all!"
"Yeah, yeah. My little sister's the best~ok?"
Unable to resist, Mana reached out and pinched Kyouno's cheek fondly.
Suddenly—
"...grrrrgle…"
A very untimely noise rumbled from Kyouno's stomach, freezing the moment in place.
Her cheeks flushed red in an instant, burning with embarrassment. When she looked up, her sister's teasing smile was already waiting.
Kyouno's inner monologue: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
The smug pride from earlier vanished completely, leaving behind nothing but an adorably embarrassed little sister.
And so, with that quiet self-loathing swirling around her, the girl walked the entire way back home, lost in her thoughts.
.....
"Come on now, don't space out like that. Help me unload the stuff, we're home already!"
Mana's voice jolted Kyouno out of her daze. Only then did she realize they had arrived.
Their wooden house sat quietly on the snow-covered mountainside, like a warm low note in the cold, vast symphony of nature.
Towering pine trees surrounded them on all sides, their branches heavy with snow, hanging low like white canopies.
The house was built from sturdy, weathered logs, dark brown wood standing out against the blanket of white.
Its pointed roof was carefully thatched with straw, layered tightly beneath a thick coating of snow that resembled whipped cream. Occasionally, a gust of wind would knock down a chunk, sending it tumbling gently to the ground.
A thin stream of smoke drifted lazily from the chimney. like a whisper of warmth, a quiet promise that someone was waiting inside.
Just as Kyouno was basking in the comfort of being home—
A sound came from behind the house.
It immediately caught the sisters' attention.
Voices....
Kyouno perked up.
"Mom…?"
Wait! Not just her mom.
There were other voices too —
"It was....Strangers!!!"
Without hesitation, Kyouno bolted toward the source of the noise
A vague, unsettling feeling rising rapidly in her chest.
....