The mont Emily’s fireflies dipped low enough for them to dismount, the wind and snow crashed into them like a wall.
Shards of ice that were carried through the air stung, even through their thick jackets.
Aren’s boots hit the ground first, sinking slightly into the thick layer of snow beneath him. The cold bit instantly, seeping through the fabric—a far harsher cold than anything he’d ever felt before.
Visibility was even worse. All he could see was an endless white in all directions, blending everything together until even walking straight was uncertain.
Marcus was just barely up and able to walk while Luna was completely out cold. Aren just managed to strap her on his back, making sure the harness was secured before he looked back to check on her.
Her already pale face was becoming even weaker, and her skin was cold to the touch, even before setting foot here.
Is it really alright for Luna to be here?
Behind him, the last of the fireflies flickered weakly before disappearing into the blizzard.
"...That’s as far as I can take us," Emily said, her voice strained against the wind.
Sterling gave a short nod. "It’s fine. Any further and we’d be seen by the apexes here."
Aren frowned slightly at the statent.
Seen? Out here? Through all this snow?
Well, I guess the apexes would’ve adapted to all of this by now.
He adjusted his footing, moving slowly against the compacted ice as he took a small sample step forward before frowning as his foot sunk a bit more than he would’ve liked.
"Careful, everyone. You pretty much have to constantly have ether at your foot in order to avoid sinking," Sterling called out to the group.
Aren did as he was told, circulating trace amounts into his foot. As soon as he did, his foot began to linger above the soft snow. It was a strange sensation, like putting a piece of paper above the ocean and stepping on it—expecting to fall, but it sohow holds.
"...So where are we going?" Aren asked after getting more used to it.
Professor Sterling didn’t answer imdiately. She stood at the front, unmoving despite the storm battering against her coat. Her gaze was fixed ahead like she could see sothing nobody else could.
"...My old teacher’s place," she said at last.
The words almost got lost in the wind.
"...Your teacher?" Daniel called out, disbelief clear even through the storm. "Wait—you’re telling soone lives out here?!"
"Yeah."
Aren stepped forward, forcing his way through the resistance of the wind until he was just behind her. "Why would anyone choose to live out in a place like this?"
Silence passed for a bit, only filled with the sounds of the snowstorm before the professor opened her mouth.
"I...don’t know." her eyes narrowed slightly, scanning the endless white ahead. "But if she chose this place, then it has sothing to do with the Wildlands itself."
"And in our situation? We need as much information from soone experienced as soon as possible."
"Alright," Aren nodded. "So...where can we even find your teacher in a place like this?"
"That’s...a good question."
***
They pushed onward without much of a direction.
What had started as difficult footing beca sothing else entirely. Each step forward was t with resistance, the wind pressing against them from the side while the slope angled sharply upward beneath their feet.
"Check your harnesses!" Sterling’s voice cut through the storm. "Tighten them—now!"
Aren didn’t argue, quickly adjusting the straps across his chest with one hand while keeping the other steady at Luna’s leg, making sure she stayed secure against his back. The line connecting him to Sterling pulled taut for a mont before settling again.
Behind him, the others followed in pairs—Iris anchoring Marcus, while Daniel and Emily struggled to keep pace further back.
"Don’t stop circulating ether to your feet!" Sterling continued. "Never know how deep the snow could be here!"
Aren did exactly that, maintaining a thin layer beneath his boots. Even then, each step felt uncertain, like the ground might give out if he pressed just a little too hard.
Snow blasted across his vision, forcing him to squint as he leaned forward into the climb. Then, a scream echoed from behind him.
"Marcus!" Iris yelled out loud enough for everyone to turn their heads.
Marcus’ footing had slipped just enough for his leg to sink deeper than expected, his body pitching forward as the harness line jerked tight between him and Iris.
"Careful—!" Iris snapped, digging her heels in to anchor herself as she pulled back.
Marcus caught himself barely, his breath coming out ragged.
"I’m fine."
But sothing slipped from his pouch, a small coin. It tumbled out before dropping into the snow...and never stopped.
The white swallowed it whole as if the surface had never been there to begin with—gone within seconds, leaving no trace behind.
For a mont after the coin disappeared, the group seed to hold their breath, praying that nothing happened.
After a while, everyone really did believe it...but then the ground shifted.
It was subtle at first, just a faint tremor beneath their feet, but it carried all the way through the slope. Aren’s head snapped upward instinctively, his body already tensing before his mind fully processed it.
"...Did you feel that?" Daniel asked uneasily, hoping that it was just his delusion.
A second tremor followed, stronger this ti. The snow beneath them sank slightly, compressing under their weight before settling again.
Out of the corner of his eye, he managed to catch sothing. A fracture had ford across the slope below them—a thin, jagged line that widened even as he watched.
"We need to move, now!" Sterling yelled sharply.
But it was already too late.
The entire mountainside gave way. A massive wall of white spilled downward, swallowing everything in its path as the slope itself seed to break apart. It was like a rolling thunder that drowned out even the storm.
"Turn back!" Daniel shouted, already pulling on the line.
But Aren didn’t move, his eyes were locked on the slope ahead, then behind, then upwards again.
There’s no way we can outrun the avalanche...It’s too fast!
That was when his gaze snapped back to the crack he had noticed earlier. It was barely visible through the snow, a narrow break in the surface where the white didn’t sit right.
Wait, a crack on the surface only ans one thing...there had to be solid ground high enough to hold it up!
"Professor!" Aren called out, his voice cutting through the chaos as they slid down the mountain with the avalanche behind his back. "We can’t outrun this!"
Her head turned instantly, eyes locking onto his as he pointed to the side.
"That crack! We need to get down there!"
"Are you crazy?!" Daniel snapped. "You want us to jump into that?!"
Aren shouted back. "Snow doesn’t have a bottom! That does!"
The avalanche was almost on top of them now, as he could see the shadow it cast over the whole group. Aren’s grip tightened on Luna as he shifted his footing, already angling himself toward the crack.
"Better to fall where we know the ground exists!"
The professor’s gaze flicked once to the fracture before she cursed under her breath.
"...Ah, fuck it!" she snapped. "Do it!"
Aren didn’t wait for another word, sprinting toward the crack, dragging the line with him as the rest followed. The crack wasn’t far, maybe fifty ters. But in these conditions? It felt like a lifeti away.
The wind slamd into them from the side, forcing each step into a struggle. Snow collapsed underfoot despite the thin layer of ether, boots sinking just enough to throw off balance before catching again. Behind them, the roar grew louder.
"Don’t stop!" Sterling barked from the front.
Then—
"AHHHHHHHH—!" Emily’s yell cut through the storm.
Aren turned instinctively, already knowing what happened. In the chaos, her ether control dropped.
Just the one mistake and the very next step caused her leg to plunge straight through, snow swallowed her up to the waist before anyone could react.
"Help—!"
Shit! She’s gonna—!
But that was when a blur moved past him. Daniel slamd his lance into the ground beside her, tal plates shifting as the avalanche from above slamd straight into it.
"—Ggghh!" Daniel struggled against the incoming wave, snow brushing right over his head as it continued to roar.
"Grab...on!" he snapped.
Emily didn’t hesitate. Her hand shot out, gripping the shaft as Daniel planted his footing and pulled.
Daniel imdiately let go of his lance as he dove to the side with Emily in his arms. The entire wave swallowed his lance as it clattered uselessly before disappearing in a sea of white.
With the combined efforts of the professor and his two seniors already at the crack, they all pulled on the line.
Daniel and Emily were ripped free from the collapsing snow in an instant, their bodies launched forward with nothing to slow them down.
"—Shit!" Daniel barely got out before impact.
They slamd straight into the group.
The force knocked the breath out of Aren as Luna’s weight shifted violently against his back, his footing completely gone as the ground beneath them gave way at the worst possible mont.
The roar of the avalanche swallowed the last bit of light above...
As they all fell into the abyss.
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