9 First Meeting with the Shadow

In the center of the Snowy Plains stood two mountain peaks that stretched into the swirling mass of blue-gray clouds in the sky. In the center of these two peaks was a stone platform covered in ancient runes.

As the clouds danced about the sky, the runes glowed and shimmered.

On the west of the two peaks stood a gray cave. Spewing smoke into the chilly air, it turned the murky ether even hazier.

Inside the cave were a group of men and women dressed in heavy winter clothing made from animal skin. Clustered against the cave walls, the women clung to each other for warmth. Animal skins hung from the top of their heads, sheltering them from the fierce snow-winds.

In the center of the cave, a large man in animal skirt, thick beard, and bushy hair stood before a giant fire. He skinned the carcass of a large snow leopard, roasting the meat as he cut.

Very soon, the audible sound of swallowing rang out as the fragrant scent of roasted meat filled the cave. The huddled women raised their heads, hungry gleaming eyes trained on the large man.

Ripping the limbs, the surrounding men passed the roasted meat out to the women. They immediately carried the skin, horns, bones, and innards outside, cleaning and burying them in the snow.

As soon as the bones and innards were clean, they were placed in stone pots and cooked over the dying fire. The moment the last spark of fire went out, the heavenly fragrance of soup drifted around.

The men poured the soup for themselves and covered the rest to consume during the coldest part of the night.

"Cover the cave door now. We should preserve as much warmth from the fire as we can. Klem, you are on watch duty today." The large man commended a scurrying man.

The tall, lean man stopped and turned towards towards the large man. From his exposed torso to the left of his face, he was covered in scars of varying degrees and depth, making his appearance horrific and frightful.

Instantly, many of the huddling females turned away upon sighting him, their faces filled with disgust and loathing.

"Yes, leader." Klem replied expressionlessly and walked away, heading out to stand guard.

His real name was not Klem. Before entering the Snowy Plains, he used to work for a wealthy man in the south of the Sybil realm.

There, the temperatures were warm during summer and spring, getting chillier only in winter. But like the rest of the realm, the area was mountainous.

One day as he was returning from the fields, he got attacked from behind and passed out. When he woke, he was in the gem store of his employer, swords pointed at his throat. Someone set him up and he got tagged as thief.

He claimed innocent but no one paid any heed to his pleads. A precious gem went missing and a scapegoat was needed. That scapegoat just happened to be him.

No one cared whether he was innocent or not.

From there, his peaceful life as an honest laborer ended and he became a lost wanderer of the Snowy Plains.

***

After many days of journey, Versailles reached her destination and witnessed the scene of a scarred man standing in front of hide-covered cave like a statue.

Pausing, she changed into her human form and continued walking towards the two peaks. As the night drew closer, the temperature dropped further, making her shiver.

Closing her eyes, she concentrated on channeling her fire onto her skin, letting it flow into her veins and warm her blood. It was her first time trying such a trick. Before, with only the wild beasts as bystanders, she did not need to hide her powers.

However, now that she was near the teleportation spatial, many men and women were likely waiting in ambush to devour the weak.

While ferocious beasts were deadly, humans were sinister and devious.

Klem, guarding the mountain cave in a daze, detected the slight movements in the snow. Looking over, he saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life.

Dressed in floor length grey animal skirt, grey animal skin boots, and snow white winter cloak, her flaming hair glowed in the bleak environment, making her seem like a life fairy from the Janah realm.

Just as he stepped forward, the cave cover behind him flapped open and a slender figure stepped out. Turning, he saw it was Jeun, daughter of the cave leader.

"Klem, I brought you cloak. It gets very cold at night outside." Shyly moving closer, she made to drape the cloak over his frame. However, he stepped back.

For all her care and attention, he knew Jeun did not really care about him. She only wanted his strength to survive. Up until now, as the daughter of the cave leader, no one dared to misbehave with her. However, last week, the cave leader caught the Frost Chill, leaving him with only a few nights.

As the strongest of the cavemen, the fearful and insecure Jeun started approaching him, the disgusted and loathed Klem. Through his strength and support, she wanted to secure her life and future.

However, Klem was not interested. Neither in her nor in leading the cavemen.

As such, he kept her at a distance.

"Excuse me, is it possible for me to take shelter with your people tonight? I will leave first thing in the morning."

The soft and gentle voice entered his ears before his sight fell on her. The flame hair girl calmly stood in the snow-shower, her gaze shifting from Jeun to him as she asked.

"Yes, you..."

"And who are you?" Jeun's sharp voice rudely cut him off, making Klem displeased. He glared at her in displeasure, but she just ignored him. As her gaze swept over the girl, they flashed with a malicious glint, raising alarm in Klem.

Turning, his gaze fell on the girl again and his heart dropped. Jeun would not let her go. She was too beautiful, too clean, too pure. Something Jeun was not and would never allow anyone else to be.

"I think you should go. We are not welcoming to outsiders here and there is no space for an extra person in our shelter." He directly rejected her request.

As much as he wanted to help, he knew allowing her to stay would only create problems for her. She would become the target of Jeun and her lackeys' bullying, spat and sneered at every turn. By sending her away, he was protecting her from further trouble.

"What are you saying, Klem? It only gets colder out there. So, how can you be so cruel as to send the poor thing away? I am sure our people will be able to make some space. Come with me."

Jeun stepped up to pull on her hand, dragging her towards the cave. Moving forward, Klem blocked their path.

"I am sorry, but I cannot let you through. As the guard on duty, I cannot allow a stranger to enter our midst without inspection. If you disagree with my methods, you are free to call on the cave leader." Klem was done playing the soft card. The girl had to go.

"Please, leave." He reiterated before Jeun could say something else.

The girl's flame brows furrowed before relaxing. Next, she nodded and turned on her heels, leaving without looking back.

"What was that about, Klem? That girl got all the way here alone. That means she either has secret means of survival or knows a way to avoid the wild beasts. Either way, finding out her methods and secrets could have been useful to us. You ruined everything!" With a huff, Jeun turned and stomped into the cave.

Before he could open his mouth to call out to her, his vision went blurry and his surroundings darkened.

"Not again." Was the last weary thought in his mind, before blacking out.

*

Versailles swiftly moved through the snow, leaving the mountain cave behind. 

She was not offended by the way the cave man chased her away. It was their cave and they had the right to decide whether or not they would let her stay. Besides, she felt the scarred man was telling her to leave for her own good.

Either way, she did not feel much of anything. Her destination was the only thought in her mind.

Lifting her head, her gaze fixed on a snow covered stone platform. The distant clearing seemed desolate and bleak, but that did not dampen her mood, the anticipation clear in her violet eyes.

"Finally, I am here. I can now return to the Nar realm and solve the mystery of my past lives." Her violet-gold eyes gleamed as she thought, shinning bright as two radiant jewels.

Just as she stepped forward, a shadow lunged at her, blocking the light, blocking her sight. The cackling of an evil laugh spread through the surroundings, as a bloodthirsty, cruel, and eerie atmosphere enveloped the air.

Versailles froze, her left foot still raised in mid-step, but she could not move a limb. Her heart chilled, filling with disbelief and dread. Her mind furiously struggled to deny the truth before her eyes.

"How can this be? How did it find me so soon? Was the snow covered land I saw in the vision referring to the Snowy Plains?" She wondered in confusion, her heart in chaos.