The first thing he felt was the cold.
Not the kind that sent a shiver crawling up the spine—no.
This cold was hostile.
It sank into his skin like needles, gnawing, biting, as though the air itself had taken offense to his existence. Levi's chest rose sharply—gasp—as his breath fogged in pale clouds.
Slowly… painfully… he opened his eyes.
Three rusted metal walls enclosed him. Crooked. Scarred. Pitted with age. A small barred window sat high on one wall, leaking in a dim blue glow. Beneath him lay a flat, beaten mattress—thin enough to feel the floor through it.
Calling it a bed was generous.
Levi groaned softly—hnng—and pushed himself upright. His body felt… wrong.
His usual tall, slender frame was still there, but it felt fragile now. Frail. Each movement carried an unfamiliar weight, as if gravity had quietly doubled while he slept. He looked down at his hands—too thin, veins standing out sharply beneath pale skin.
As he ran his fingers through his hair, they came away damp.
Black—still black—but greasy, clumped into wet strands. His ash-gray eyes reflected faintly in the dull metal wall.
With a slow exhale—haaah—he stood.
Waiting wasn't an option.
Whether he liked it or not, this place demanded movement.
A brown coat hung crookedly on a hook by the wall. He grabbed it, shrugging it around his shoulders, the fabric rough and heavy. Then, without hesitation, he pushed the door open.
CREAAAAK.
Cold air slammed into his face—WHOOOSH—stealing his breath.
Before him stretched an endless field of snow.
White swallowed everything. Snowflakes drifted down in lazy spirals, thick enough to blur the horizon. The clouds hung low, choked with frost, and above them—
The sun burned blue.
Not gold. Not warm.
A cold, pale orb rimmed in white light, casting an alien glow across the frozen land.
Levi stepped forward.
Crunch.
The sound echoed faintly.
Then another.
Crunch… crunch…
Ragged breathing reached his ears. Metal clinked—clink… clank—chains scraping against one another. Shapes moved through the snowfall ahead.
People.
No—slaves.
Figures bound together by iron chains, wrists shackled, necks lowered. Their eyes were dull. Hollow. Frames trembling beneath thin, tattered tunics identical to his own.
They moved like cattle.
Levi swallowed.
Where are they being taken…?
Before the thought could settle—
SMACK.
Pain exploded across his shoulder. His body lurched forward as a sharp grunt tore from his throat—ugh!
A low, gruff voice followed.
"Fresh meat."
Levi turned.
A man loomed behind him—broad, solid, wrapped in thick armor. A long scar split across his square jaw, pale against weathered skin. His eyes were sharp, predatory.
A guard.
One of the escorts bound for Blackwind Mountain.
The man looked like a veteran—someone who had tasted the Midnight Spell and survived just long enough to think himself special. The faint arrogance clung to him thicker than the snow.
"Looks like we've got more slaves to chain," he chuckled.
There was no humor in it.
Only cruelty.
He leaned closer. "What's your name, boy?"
Levi stiffened. His voice came out hesitant. "I—I'm Levi."
The guard smirked.
"Levi, huh? Pretty nice name for a runt like you."
Levi nodded weakly, lowering his gaze. Every instinct screamed to retaliate—to drive a knee straight into the man's groin—but survival screamed louder.
The guard laughed—hah—and seized Levi's arm.
CLINK—CLACK.
Cold iron snapped shut around his wrists. The chains bit into his skin, sharp and merciless. Levi winced as metal scraped flesh.
"Move."
Another hard shove sent him stumbling forward. The guard smacked his shoulder again—THUD—forcing him into line with the others.
Chains rattled.
Snow fell.
And with that, Levi joined the march—
another nameless slave bound for the hell known as Blackwind Mountain.