A lonely, snow-covered mountain stretched endlessly before me. The cave was nestled halfway up its side, perched precariously over a sheer drop. From this height, the ground below was invisible, swallowed by a swirling veil of mist.
The cold was brutal, biting into my skin like needles. A few more minutes, and I felt as if my limbs might freeze and shatter. But worse than the numbing pain was the crushing fear of being left without him in this pristine hell.
“Vlad!”
My voice rang out, swallowed instantly by the vastness of the mountain. Snow piled so high that each step felt like wading through quicksand. I called out again and again, like a lost chick searching for its mother—until a sudden chill crawled down my spine.
There was something far down the slope. It was alive, but unlike anything I had ever seen before.
