Vesper opened his eyes.
Above him, thick and unmoving clouds covered the sky fully. The ground was soft beneath him.
He sat up slowly, looking around.
Everything around him was frost.
Tall ice trees rose in every direction, their trunks like frozen glass, their branches bare and motionless.
The surroundings were strangely too quiet.
Where the hell am I now? He thought, rubbing his temples. I was supposed to be out of the hollow, but now I'm in a completely different place.
He exhaled. Watched the white mist come out from his mouth.
"And here, it's unusually cold," he muttered, standing up.
He began to walk.
No matter how far he went, there was no exit. Nothing changed. Just an endless expanse of towering, crystal-like trees.
And strangely enough, with every step, the air grew colder.
"This is bad…" he shivered from the coldness. "If I don't find a way out, I might really end up like that boy."
After walking for minutes, he found something new.
A powerful, radiant light shimmered between the trees ahead.
He narrowed his eyes and moved toward it.
With every step, the cold sank in deeper. Breathing got harder. Each breath felt sharp in his chest.
Still, he didn't stop.
Whether he reached it or not, this place was going to freeze him eventually. That much was certain.
This place is forcing me forward. The longer I stay out here, the more it attacks me. And this… this is probably the second trial of that damned Hollow.
Tch. Father didn't say anything about a second trial.
He finally broke through the last line of trees.
In the clearing ahead, suspended in midair, floated four silver orbs. Each one pulsed faintly with a cold light. The air around them shimmered as if even space was starting to crack under the weight of the cold.
Vesper stopped a few steps short.
Orbs?
The moment he stepped closer, they moved slowly and smoothly, going into position around him. One to his right. One to his left. One ahead. One behind.
He froze. What is this?
They hovered there for a moment, and then, without warning, began to glow brighter. A pale silver light poured from them, and then the temperature dropped.
It felt like the world was being drained of all warmth in an instant.
Vesper gasped as the air in his lungs turned cold. Haah..!?
It wasn't just the chill outside anymore. The cold had entered him. Slowly, it began to spread through his body.
His legs shook. His fingers started to go numb. Even blinking started to feel slow.
He tried to keep walking, but his limbs didn't move the way he wanted them to. His knees felt weak. His arms were stiff.
…it feels worse than I thought.
He tried to draw breath, but it didn't help. Every breath he took just made it worse. His vision blurred slightly at the edges.
Still, he stood there. No matter what, I must stay conscious until this ends…
He shut his eyes tight for a moment. The orbs didn't move. They kept glowing, kept pouring that unnatural cold into the air and into him.
And by a closer look, they were getting smaller as they poured that silver energy. There's a limit, I must endure until it ends.
Time passed. He didn't know how long, but the cold didn't stop. It only kept growing.
The numbness spread further. He could feel it crawling up his neck, into his face, into his head. He looked down and noticed a thin, faint layer of frost starting to form across his arms.
He blinked again. The trees were fading, shapes turning blurry. The orbs were smaller now, still glowing, but dimmer. He couldn't tell how much time had passed.
Everything felt far away.
I… can't…
His knees gave out, and he sank to the ground. His hands hit the frost-covered earth, slow and weak. Ice spread from where his palms touched.
He couldn't feel his face. Couldn't feel his breath.
His eyes flickered.
And then the world went dark.
***
A soft scratching sound filled the quiet room, the sound of a quill moving across the parchment.
Quinn sat behind the wide desk in his study. Papers lay stacked in neat rows beside him, ink still fresh on the page he was working on. The room was warm and still.
He paused, letting out a slow breath, then leaned back in his chair. The fire in the corner crackled once.
A soft knock came at the door.
He didn't look up. "Come in."
The door opened slowly.
A tall young woman with striking silver hair and icy blue eyes entered. She resembled Quinn himself a lot.
She moved, her posture straight, white hair falling neatly past her shoulders. She wore a pale overcoat.
She stopped a few steps from the desk.
"Father," Isolde bowed slightly.
"Sit," Quinn ordered. He didn't look up.
Isolde nodded and sat on the chair In front of the desk.
They both were silent until Quinn finished his paperwork.
He leaned back on the chair, looking straight into Isolde's eyes. "How's your training going?"
"Pretty well, I'm close to breaking through the 6th Cycle." She answered calmly.
Every Origin has ten stages, known as Cycles. As individuals break through each Cycle, they grow stronger. Their Essence expands. They can store more Primal Energy, manipulate it with greater precision, and their control over their Affinity increases.
The 1st Cycle is the weakest, where every member of the higher races begins at birth. Most remain in this stage until the age of fifteen, because breaking through is incredibly difficult. It demands achievement, comprehension, and many subtle factors.
Only those from the higher races—like Existentials, Abyssals, and others—are born with an Origin at all.
Other races—Dragons, Phoenixes, Elves, and the like—don't start this way. They gain supernatural abilities and enter the 1st Cycle through other means.
The 10th Cycle is a myth. The strongest stage of all. Only ancient beings of the higher races are said to have reached it. Today, there is no known living 10th Cycle being, not among the higher races, and certainly not among the lower ones.
"Good." Quinn nodded, satisfied. "Though it's not enough yet. There are still prodigies that are stronger than you, like Csilla. You should train more."
Isolde who was happy at first, her mood darkened by his father's last statement. He always compares me to others…especially her.
"...yes, father." She clenched her fists. "I will do as you say."
Even though Quinn noticed her mood, he didn't point it out. "Good."
Silence filled the room again as Quinn began to write something.
After minutes, Isolde broke the silence, her face back to indifference. "I couldn't find Vesper, do you have any idea where he is?"
Quinn didn't answer right away. He didn't even look up.
After a pause, he answered, still not looking up. "He's training."
Isolde frowned slightly. "Training? Where?"
She knew that Vesper needed to breakthrough to the next stage to be able to participate in the academy's entrance exam. But she didn't expect that he would leave the mansion for it.
After a long pause, Quinn replied calmly. "...Frostgrave hollow."
Isolde's eyes widened in pure disbelief. "What!?" her voice was a little louder than usual. "You send him where?!"
This time, Quinn completely ignored her.
"That place is for people above the 4th Cycle and you send him there while he's only at the 3rd Cycle?! He's going to die!" She stood up abruptly. "I'm going there."
Just as she wanted to turn and go, Quinn opened his mouth, making her shiver. "You're not going anywhere."
He put the quill down and leaned back on the chair, looking directly at her icy eyes. "Don't worry, nothing will happen to him. He doesn't know that the hollow is for people above the 4th Cycle."
Isolde clenched her fists at her side. "Just because he doesn't know, doesn't mean that he won't die. The Glacial Knights are each in the 4th Cycle. He can't pass them, let alone the Glacial Forest."
Quinn looked at her for some time, then sighed. "As I said, don't worry, I limited their powers. For now, they are in 2nd Cycle and the main one in 3rd Cycle. And as for the forest…" he paused, looking out of the window. "His mental strength is way stronger than you think, he will survive."
Isolde didn't reply at first. Her brow remained furrowed. "Even so... it's dangerous."
"I know why you're worried," Quinn said, more softly. "But this is the only way for him to break through in one month. I've done everything I can to ensure his safety. So trust me. He'll be fine."
Isolde didn't answer. Her fists clenched at her sides. Without another word, she turned and left the room—slamming the door behind her.
Quinn stared at the closed door. His face was unreadable. Only his right hand trembled slightly.
Sorry… but it wasn't me who sent him there.