Once that door opened, Syltra kept talking the entire walk back to camp, chatting freely with Elara while carrying Bryella. A few people turned to glance at them, mostly because of Elara's striking black hair.
In the Northlands, most folks had blonde or brown hair. White popped up here and there, but jet-black like Elara's was rare, even in central regions. In the middle of the snowy landscape, it stood out like ink on a blank page.
"You two stay here by the bonfire. I'm going to check in with the others. If you're hungry, just ask around, there are people running the kitchen," Syltra said.
"I'll have the healer look at Bryella, but from what I've seen, it's nothing serious. A bit of hot soup should do the trick."
Elara and Bryella were set down near the main bonfire, sitting on a thick log split into a bench. Thanks to a heating spell cast over the area, the camp was surprisingly warm. They didn't even need to keep their coats on.
An older hunter passed by quietly, looking more like a tour guide than a soldier.
Without saying a word, he draped a blanket over Bryella's sleeping body, then shrugged off his fur coat and placed it over Elara's shoulders too. He didn't say anything, just pulled out a pipe, gave a nod, and left.
That was the Northlands for you. People helped when they could, as long as you weren't a problem. A few minutes later, he even brought over a bowl of hot soup.
It was made from the meat of a magical beast dumb enough to try and attack them earlier, stewed with wild greens, salt, and some earthy spices. He'd even added a splash of strong liquor. It wasn't fancy, but it smelled amazing.
"Thank you." Elara blew gently on the surface, then took a sip. Her eyes widened in surprise at the taste before she eagerly began slurping it down.
"Um... can I come along? I want to be there with Bryella," she asked softly, tugging on the healer's sleeve with big, hopeful eyes.
It wasn't a big request. The healer nodded and carried Bryella into a nearby tent. Inside was simple but cozy, a frame bed layered with thick blankets, with a warmth spell making the space feel like a proper room.
"Don't worry. We'll be back in the city soon," the healer said before stepping out, leaving the two girls alone.
Elara sat quietly by the bed, brushing aside a lock of Bryella's hair with gentle fingers. It felt cool, almost see-through, and smoother than silk. Elara stared, mesmerized.
The girl lying there looked like a doll, her features flawless, her beauty otherworldly. But Elara didn't notice the slight twitch beneath her eyelids.
"So soft... and cold. Honestly, she looks better than most illustrations," Elara whispered, her head bowed. But the words weren't spoken in the local language.
It was something else. A language no one else on this continent would understand.
"Syltra's backstory doesn't match her profile... but since you're here, I guess I should start moving too," she murmured.
"Oh, right. I forgot to ask what year it is. But if Bryella is already here while the northern lords are still active, then something's not lining up... Don't tell me the Hero's already arrived?"
She paused.
Because just then, Bryella opened her eyes. They sparkled like crystal, icy blue, deep and clear, like the heart of winter itself.
***
Meanwhile our Godzilla is busy as usual. "Maybe I should ease up a bit and stop stuffing myself," Belial muttered after swallowing the last bite of meat. He'd devoured every last scrap, no skin, no bone left behind.
A couple more cold breaths escaped his mouth as he exhaled, watching the mist fade before turning his thoughts inward. Lately, the migration patterns had shifted, and the number of animals on the move seemed to grow by the day.
It wasn't just bigger, it was massive, like something out of a nightmare rather than a nature documentary.
The land looked like it was being swallowed by an unstoppable wave of creatures, an endless tide stretching all the way to the horizon. The rumble of their movement shook the ground, while snow and dust were kicked into the air, creating a hazy curtain between the sky and earth.
There were beasts as small as meter-long rabbits darting through the snow, but also herds towering over elephants like they were ants.
Mixed in were monsters that looked like mutated lions, wolves, and tigers, some normal-sized, others so huge they dwarfed buildings. And then there were the titans, strange spider-like things that rose dozens of meters into the sky, their too-many legs slicing through the ice as they marched.
Watching them, Belial realized one terrifying thing: no military unit from his old world, no tank squad or jet strike force, could have survived even a few minutes against this horde.
These beasts weren't just physically overwhelming. They blasted out random bursts of magic, tearing up the land with zero coordination, yet still causing complete devastation. And they kept coming, from every direction, piling in with growing numbers.
It didn't feel like an isolated event. It felt like a warning shot. Like the beginning of something much bigger.
Still, Belial had one response to all that. "And then I ate them," he said with a shrug.
In the end, all that terror amounted to was a full belly. Standing atop a mountain of corpses that reached dozens of meters high, he wondered, just for a moment, if his massive appetite might be putting a dent in the world's ecosystem. After all, his body had already grown to nearly forty meters tall.
Despite the dramatic scale of the invasion, the actual fighting hadn't been hard. Most of the time, he barely had to try.
A couple of icy breaths, a few casual sweeps of his head, and everything was frozen in place. His breath had evolved into an apocalyptic snowstorm, swallowing entire groups of monsters in seconds like some ancient gluttonous god.
The weaker ones collapsed just from seeing him, crumbling soon after. Those who managed to resist for a moment longer were quickly picked off by random bursts of his magic.
The strongest got a personal visit: he crushed their skulls himself. There were some attempts to fight back, but none even scratched his barrier. Their wild attacks were flashy, sure, but they barely made him blink.
Even if he turned off his barriers completely and just stood there, arms open, they wouldn't be able to do more than annoy him. His raw power was so overwhelming now that he could throw out wide-area spells like it was nothing, wiping out enemies like a farmer cutting down fields of wheat.
"Ate a bit more than I meant to… it'll be fine, right? The ecosystem can handle this... right?" he muttered, glancing at the last frozen herd he'd downed.