The ice sculptures gleamed eerily beneath the relentless wind, their frozen faces twisted in silent agony—grim reminders of the torment they endured before death claimed them in a breath of frost.
Matthias stood motionless, staring at the crystalline corpses of his men. His Adam’s apple bobbed hard, the tremor in his hands barely hidden as he forced himself to stay composed.
He lifted his arm and rubbed the skin where the spirit deer’s breath had touched. It was still stiff, stained faintly with bluish-purple veins, and the cold seemed to burrow into his bones like venom.
“Your Highness… that creature’s breath wasn’t just cold—it was toxic.”
Kyle approached slowly, leaning on his sword for balance. His left arm hung heavily at his side, the bandages soaking through with fresh blood where the old wound had split under the biting chill. Crimson droplets fell on the snow, bright against the white.
His eyes flicked toward the direction where the spirit deer vanished, the weight of fear shadowing his gaze. “We should fortify the camp and avoid provoking anything else on this cursed island.”
Matthias gave a stiff nod. His earlier recklessness had cost him dearly—elite soldiers frozen in an instant. It was a bitter, brutal lesson.
Please log in to unlock this chapter for 110 coins or purchase more coins.