While in the blistering cold, Vincent shivered inside a hollow log, barely surviving the aftermath of his previous encounter. Yet his ordeal was far from over. Now, he had to fight the environment itself. His Emo could no longer regenerate his injuries properly because he was constantly using it to maintain a survivable body temperature. Every breath was a struggle, his shattered ribs made even the slightest movement agonising, and he could barely walk. RUMBLE. His stomach growled, reminding him of another problem he desperately wanted to ignore. "Were we sent here to die? I don't understand the point of this. If the Wasteland is this bad, why not prepare us? Why send us here like scapegoats?" He coughed violently, clutching his chest as pain spread through his body. But he couldn't remain inside the log forever. He needed to find a way out. Vincent peered outside, but visibility remained practically zero. He had no choice but to gamble. "If I walk in a straight line, I should find land within an hour. If I do, I live. If I don't, I die in this forbidden weather."
Vincent gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand. His legs trembled beneath his weight, and a grunt escaped his throat as pain shot through his damaged bones. He drew a deep breath, but the freezing air felt like knives tearing through his lungs. Still, he refused to stop. Every step felt like another step towards the afterlife. He redirected the Emo he had been using to keep himself warm into his legs, reinforcing them enough to move. Slowly, he began to walk. Then he jogged. Finally, he ran. The force of each stride threatened to break his already damaged bones, but Vincent kept going. He stared into the endless white, searching for even the faintest sign of light. Nothing. After an hour, he had found nothing. His movements slowed, his strength dwindled, and a bitter smile crept across his face as he looked towards the sky. "Why did I even begin this journey? What made me awaken my powers? Oh, right. No one. I woke up in this forsaken world with nobody, and my only choice was to admire everyone else. I guess that's why my Mourner ability gave me everything, huh? Haha. But I didn't even get to enjoy it. And now I'm going to die."
Vincent continued forward, but each step became slower than the last. His legs could barely support him, and his vision began to blur. Then he noticed four sets of eyes staring at him through the snow. Instinctively, he assumed a battle stance, preparing to defend himself despite his battered condition. "Human, calm down. I'm not here to hurt you. I only want to ask whether you know a human named Michael." A two-headed lion, nearly the size of an elephant, emerged from the blizzard. Vincent stared at the creature, struggling to process what he was seeing. Unfortunately, his body had finally reached its limit. His eyelids fell shut, and he collapsed into the snow. The beast watched him for a moment before speaking again. "Well, I'm guessing you know something about this Michael. I'll take you with me." It curled its enormous tail around Vincent's body and raced through the winter at breathtaking speed, carrying him away from the merciless cold.
Eventually, they reached a region with a far more tropical climate. The beast gently dropped Vincent onto the ground and examined his battered body. "Wow. Such an ungodly number of injuries in a single body. Well, I don't have time for this." Saliva bubbled inside one of its mouths before the creature spat an entire bucketful over Vincent. Almost immediately, Vincent's eyelids twitched. "I'm alive..." But before he could finish, he opened his eyes and found the enormous beast staring directly at him. Startled, he tried to jump to his feet, only for his legs to give way beneath him. He collapsed again. "Human, I'm not here to hurt you. And don't question my ability to speak your language. You humans are inferior, and your language is easy to learn. I simply need to know whether you know a boy named Michael."
Vincent wondered why a beast would be looking for Michael, but he didn't hesitate to nod. The creature's two heads seemed to brighten with satisfaction. "Good. Can you take me to him?" Vincent shook his head. "We were teleported here randomly, so we don't know where we are. Besides, in my current condition, I can't help you much." The beast fell silent for a moment, both heads drawing in enormous breaths before it spoke again. "What about the flying girl?" Vincent stared at it in confusion. "Flying girl? Who are you talking about?" One of the heads answered, "The one who flew out of a massive explosion. Everyone saw it. It might have been one of you humans, because we beasts don't destroy our own lands like that." Vincent fell quiet as he considered the possibility. Michael was certainly capable of getting into a fight like that. The explosion had happened a day before they were sent into the Wasteland. Could Michael have fought Elizabeth? No, surely not. But then again, this was Michael they were talking about. Vincent's expression hardened. I need to find out what happened. And if Michael really is involved, that'll give me another reason to prove I'm stronger than him and kill him.
Vincent finally spoke. "Yes, it was probably one of us. And if you know where Michael is, I can help you find him. But before I accompany you anywhere, you need to help me recover. All I need is food, somewhere to rest, and water to drink and bathe in." The beast nodded and lifted Vincent carefully in its tail. I would help any human if it meant preventing an Ancient from roaming our lands freely, it thought. With that, the beast and Vincent set off in search of food, water, and a place where the injured boy could recover. Once Vincent was back on his feet, they would make their way towards the forty-kilometre crater.