The team stepped outside. The chilling air pierced their lungs. They no longer had to wear masks since they had already been chosen by a divine force.
Gray walked forward and took in the surroundings.
The trees were still dead, but not like the forest he had been in before. The leaves were a dull yellow. The sky, still a muted purple.
Why is everything out here so dead? Gray kept the question to himself.
Lira led the team forward. They walked for a good fifteen minutes along a cracked stone path that wound between crooked trees and frost-covered rocks. It was quiet. Too quiet.
Eventually, the vehicle came into view.
It sat crooked on a flat of dark stone, frost creeping along its metal body. It resembled one of the military trucks Gray had seen on the shore, thick, armored, and humming faintly with dormant Vyre.
They approached it slowly. With a mechanical hiss, the back ramp unlocked and slammed into the ground, leaving a trail of dust curling in the air.
One by one, they climbed in and took their seats on either side of the cabin. The benches were hard, and the air inside smelled like iron and smoke. The vehicle had clearly seen prior use.
"So uhh... who's driving this thing?" Adel mumbled, looking toward the cabin window.
Renn slowly stood up. "I... will."
Gray raised a brow. "Are you sure?"
Renn pushed a shaky smile through. "I have to make myself useful somehow."
Without another word, he stepped forward and climbed into the driver's seat. Lira followed and sat beside him, eyes locked on the path ahead. Everyone else remained in the back.
Renn fiddled with the controls, turning levers, pressing buttons, and twisting a dial embedded with faintly glowing lines.
With a deep metallic groan, the vehicle came to life. A low hum vibrated through the benches beneath them, and lights flickered on across the ceiling.
Korr tilted his head. "How the hell do you know how to operate one of these things?"
Renn chuckled nervously. "I... managed to find a book in the library that explained how to operate these."
Gray sighed. "That explains it."
As the vehicle rumbled forward, the silence returned.
That was, until something started ringing.
Gray's wristband emitted a low tone that made his skin crawl. Everyone turned toward him. Then, one by one, their wristbands echoed the same noise.
He hesitated, then pressed the side button. The others followed.
A voice rang out, flat and artificial.
"This message has been prerecorded, so please listen carefully as this will not be repeated."
It was a woman's voice. Cold, emotionless, and detached. She sounded like she was in her late forties, but the tone carried the weight of command.
"Your mission is simple. You will have to traverse the Rank One territory known as Glacierfang. Your objective is to reach the other side. There, a sanctuary will be waiting."
The voice paused. A soft crackle followed.
"Along the way you will encounter monsters, life-and-death situations, and most importantly, choices that will determine whether your group survives."
Nobody moved.
"It will not be easy. But remember one thing. Do not panic. You are our future. Safe travels."
With a soft buzz, the message ended.
The quiet inside the vehicle felt heavier than before. A shared unease settled over the team, thick as the mist rolling outside.
"Bullshit."
Korr's voice shattered the silence.
Lira turned her head. "What?"
He scoffed. "Stay safe? You're our future? Good luck? They don't give a damn about us. They've sent us into this wasteland to test how long we last."
No one refuted him.
Even Gray couldn't. The silence was its own kind of confirmation.
Eventually, he spoke up. "Agreed. We're on our own."
A tense pause followed.
Renn's voice cut in from the front, hesitant. "I... I've got bad news."
Gray leaned forward slightly. "What is it?"
Renn swallowed hard. His knuckles were white against the steering wheel. "The map they gave me... it only shows us how to get into Glacierfang. After that... we're on our own. No route markers. No waypoints."
Gray narrowed his eyes. "So it's a maze."
"Pretty much," Renn replied. "The terrain's unstable too. Of all the books I read, only one mentioned Glacierfang. The book I read said Glacierfang shifts every few years. Landslides, frostquakes, old paths collapsing. It's not safe."
"Its also extremely cold. Temperatures often dipping below negative."
Lira leaned forward in her seat, her gaze sharp. "Then we move carefully. No splitting up. We rest only when absolutely necessary."
Adel crossed her arms. "Who do you think you are? A queen?"
Lira snorted "You asked to join my group. So deal with."
"Aside from that...I am prepared for this," Lira replied calmly. "Whether I act like a queen is irrelevant."
The vehicle rolled onward.
Through the windows, the terrain grew steeper. Snow began to gather along the road edges, and jagged stones jutted from the frozen earth like broken fangs.
The Glacierfangs loomed ahead. Massive, skeletal mountains wrapped in clouds. Their peaks were sharp and ridged like the spines of great beasts.
As they approached the base of the range, the road narrowed. Towering cliffs flanked them on both sides. Renn slowed the vehicle. Steam hissed from the engine as they passed beneath a cracked stone arch.
Words were etched faintly along the top.
Gray squinted.
"What does it say?" Adel asked.
"It's too worn out," Gray replied, but a whisper slid into his thoughts, unbidden.
"This was a place of offering."
He blinked, the voice gone.
They stopped at a clearing just inside the range. The road had ended. Trees, twisted and coated in frost, surrounded the open space like spectators.
Renn shut off the engine.
The group stepped out, their boots crunching on gravel and ice. Gray felt it the moment he touched the ground. A vibration, like something old and buried pulsing faintly beneath the frost.
What greeted them was an open valley. The sides being sharp mountains. It felt as if an avalanche could occur at any time.
He crouched near a stone half-swallowed by snow. Faint symbols were carved into it, worn and alien. As his fingers brushed its surface, a chill flooded through his hand.
Whispers flooded his thoughts. Not words, just emotions, regret, warning, hunger.
He jerked back.
Adel approached him quietly. "Something wrong?"
"No," he lied.
She gave him a look. A strange, knowing smile flickered across her lips.
"You shouldn't lie. It doesn't suit you."
"How the hell would you know?"
The others began unpacking supplies, lighting small Vyre-lanterns and checking their weapons.
Gray stayed crouched near the stone for a while longer.
The frost had spread along his palm, even though he had pulled away.
He rubbed it off slowly.
From the corner of his eye, something moved in the trees. A flicker of shadow. A shape with too many eyes.
When he turned to look directly, there was nothing.
Just wind and branches.
And then he took a step forward.
After a long time, he finally heard the faint notification of the system ring in his ears.
But before he could open the notification his body froze and he instinctively wrapped his hands around his body.
"This... why... why is it so cold all of a sudden!?"
It was just too cold. His body was shivering uncontrollably, his teeth chattering.
And then he opened up the notification.
[You have entered a new territory]
He quickly clicked it and a new set of words appeared.
[Territroy Name: Glacierfang]
[Territory Rank: 1]
[Dominant Strain: Lumen]
[Territory effect: "Frost claims the weak"]
"Ahh shit."