It had been three hours since Arix and his group started ascending the path toward the peak of the Everfrost.

  Arix could already feel the cold in the air. Everyone wore quilted coats, stuffed with cotton to keep them warm—everyone except Meilie. She was in her usual white robe and dress.

  They were already at a considerable height. Arix looked toward his right; he could see the village and the forest he had escaped from earlier. Looking at the forest reminded him of Elena. “Can it be that she escaped? I never saw her die that day,” he thought.

  A cold breeze passed through him, shattering his thoughts. Lyra was walking beside him. She wrapped her arms around her body, her teeth chattering.

  “How can you not feel the cold?” Her voice trembled as she said it to Meilie while shivering.

  Meilie looked at her. She was walking normally, not feeling any cold.

  “Can’t you do anything with your magic?” Lyra asked.

  Meilie shook her head.

  It's going to get colder from here,' Arix warned.

  “'Does he not feel cold either?” Lyra asked, gesturing toward Tarin. She kept her hands wrapped tight, barely moving.

  Tarin heard the whole conversation, but he preferred not to talk right now and walked ahead to reach the peak as soon as possible. His nose and ears were red, and he was sniffing more than usual that day. He was taking deep breaths as he made his way forward.

  “He doesn’t seem like his usual self,” Arix answered, putting both his hands in the pockets of his cotton coat.

  “Maybe he is cold too. He doesn’t want to show it,” Lyra answered.

  “Why would he not want to show it?” Arix questioned.

  “I don’t know,” Lyra answered.

  They kept walking for another two hours. Their pacing got much slower than before, but they kept pushing through.

  Arix was ahead of everyone, followed by Meilie and Lyra, and finally, Tarin.

  The wind got even stronger and colder than before—so strong that Arix could hear it clearly, along with his own loud breath and footsteps. The snow was falling nonstop, making their path even harder. With every step, he had to pour more energy into just walking.

  “Are you guys okay?” Arix asked, turning around.

  “Yes,” Lyra answered as she stopped beside Arix, looking behind.

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  Tarin didn’t answer. He was walking behind everyone. They stopped to let him catch up, and not long after, he did.

  “You okay, Tarin?” Arix asked when he reached beside him.

  Tarin didn’t stop and kept walking, nodding his head in a way that said he was fine.

  Arix started walking too, with Lyra and Meilie.

  After a while, a snowstorm appeared, and the speed of the wind got even faster. Arix couldn’t see anything ahead, except for Tarin, who was only walking a few steps ahead. Beside him was Lyra, covering her whole head with her cotton coat. And Meilie, walking without any extra clothes.

  “Don’t you feel any cold?” Arix screamed to Meilie. The sound of the wind and snow was so loud that his voice didn’t reach her.

  He screamed again, leaning toward Lyra a little, as she was walking between them.

  Meilie heard him this time. She shook her head as she kept walking, putting both her hands behind her.

  “How are you—” Arix was interrupted as he bumped into Tarin, who stopped walking suddenly. He was breathing fast. He put both his hands on his knees and looked ahead.

  “What happened?” Arix asked him as he turned his gaze ahead too.

  Blue eyes emerged from the snow. It seemed like it was walking toward the group.

  “Is that some sort of creature?” Lyra asked, stepping backward and putting her hand on her needle. Her breathing was heavy too; she had no energy to fight right now.

  Arix kept waiting for the creature to emerge before deciding his next step. And soon after, it did. With its blue glowing eyes, Arix could see its two big horns too, with a long stretched face.

  It was a thin creature. It felt like it hadn’t eaten in days. But it was holding prey in its mouth. The prey was small. It had long stretched ears and was white in color, with its red eyes.

  “That looks like a rabbit it is holding,” Arix said. “It was also mentioned in a book.”

  Everyone kept looking at the creature as it revealed itself completely to them.

  It had four long stretched legs. And its height was at least twice that of a normal human being. Even Tarin felt small in front of it.

  The creature stopped, not coming any closer to the group. It stared at them for a while.

  Its blue eyes were intimidating. The group could not move an inch or say anything.

  After staring for a while, it came forward a little toward the group, then suddenly changed its direction. It went left, and not long after, faded into the snow.

  They kept staring at the creature as it faded, trying to understand why it came in the first place when Tarin spoke, “I am glad he lef—” Tarin collapsed in the snow.

  “Tarin!” Arix and Lyra both shouted as they knelt down to check on him.

  Lyra’s breath got even faster as she saw Tarin lying in the snow, unable to move, and his eyes were closing.

  Tarin was breathing hard, and his face was completely red.

  Arix touched his forehead. It was burning hot.

  “He has a fever.” Arix looked up at Lyra.

  “Can you heal him?” Lyra asked Meilie.

  She shook her head as she watched Tarin, her eyes wide.

  Arix quickly picked Tarin up onto his shoulders. He was heavy, and Arix felt it. His face tightened and his jaw clenched as he was picking him up. But he endured.

  “We have to find shelter fast. Let’s go,” he said, and started walking ahead slowly through the snow. It was getting hard to walk. His foot sank into the snow, and more energy was needed with every step, but he kept moving forward.

  Lyra and Meilie followed him slowly. Then Lyra said, “Stop. Let me help.” She put one of Tarin’s hands on her shoulder, and the other on Arix’s shoulder, as they all moved ahead through the freezing snowstorm in search of shelter.