The thin snow falling that morning was strange.
It shouldn't snow there — we were in demi-dragon territory, a hot, volcanic region marked by the ancient breath. But the breeze coming down from the northern mountains carried something cold, almost unnatural.
"This shouldn't be happening," murmured Elara, touching a flake with her finger. "The temperature doesn't drop like this out of nowhere."
"And it shouldn't snow," added Liriel, flipping through her grimoire. "The magical currents here are stable. Something is interfering."
Vespera pulled her cloak up. "I'm freezing."
I sighed.
"Vespera, you're always freezing."
"Yes, but now it's literal!"
Rai'kanna walked ahead, her short tail swaying as she stared at the horizon. Lyannis walked beside her, hugging her spear, blue scales shining — maybe from anxiety.
"The outpost is just ahead," said Rai'kanna. "After yesterday's fight, the council decided to put all of us on joint patrol. The rifts are expanding."
"Fast or slow expansion?" I asked.
"Fast," she replied. "Way too fast."
The path was made of dark rock, and the cold mist contrasted with the natural heat rising from fissures in the ground.
It was like two forces were fighting over the territory — the ancestral heat of the dragons and a cold, corrosive presence.
"Takumi," called Lyannis, approaching. "Can I talk to you later?"
"Of course," I answered.
Immediately I felt three gazes stabbing my back.
Liriel.
Vespera.
Elara.
All three crossed their arms at the same time.
I pretended not to notice.
We reached the outpost — a semicircular fort built atop a platform of stone and red crystal. The heat there was strong enough to repel the snow, which evaporated before touching the ground.
Demi-dragon soldiers were gathered at the gate, exchanging information with warriors from other guilds. Among them, I recognized some familiar faces from Vaillô — rank A and S adventurers summoned as reinforcements.
"Takumi!"
One of them waved. It was Thorn, a muscular swordsman with long black hair.
"You here? I thought they had sent you to the southern area!"
"We were, but we got redirected," I replied.
Thorn snorted, wiping sweat from his forehead. "These monsters are appearing in absurd numbers. Never seen anything like it. And there's something else… they're not just attacking. They're looking for something."
Vespera's eyes widened. "Looking for what?"
"We don't know yet."
Rai'kanna looked at me, serious.
"That's why we're here."
The outpost commander approached — a huge demi-dragon with golden scales on his neck and rigid posture.
"You're the group of the human Takumi?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Good. We have something urgent."
He opened a huge map over the stone table.
There were small crystal markers placed around circular areas on the map.
"In the last twenty-four hours, three patrols have disappeared."
Elara leaned in. "Disappeared how?"
"No traces. No signs of battle. They simply vanished."
"And is that common here?" I asked.
"No," he answered curtly. "And that worries us."
"And it should," murmured Liriel. "Disappearances that clean… are the result of manipulation of the local magical barrier."
The commander nodded.
"Exactly. And you will investigate the area where the third patrol vanished."
Rai'kanna crossed her arms. "And why us?"
"Because," the commander replied, "a scale left a message."
He pulled something from his bag — a broken scale, darkened at the edges.
And carved on it, in rushed, crude letters:
"THE COLD SPIRIT."
Silence fell between us.
"Elara," I murmured, "is this related to the snow?"
"Probably."
Vespera stepped closer to get a better look.
"What kind of spirit is this? Did any of the ancient dragons leave something like this behind?"
Rai'kanna took a deep breath.
"Cold spirits exist. But they shouldn't be here. They belong to the mountains beyond the Gray Range."
"Far?" I asked.
"Very far. They don't come down without a reason."
Lyannis squeezed her spear tighter. "If a spirit like that is coming here… something is calling it."
Liriel's eyes widened.
"The same thing calling the monsters."
The commander continued:
"The disappearance area is to the east. You will depart immediately. Another team will go north. And if you find the spirit… do not try to fight."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because spirits aren't common enemies. They are fragments of natural forces. And you only have one advantage: your internal flame."
He looked directly at me.
"You will feel it before you see it."
I took a deep breath.
We headed east, crossing dark rocks and fields cracked by heat. Snow kept falling in isolated spots, like cold stains in the middle of warmth. It made me uneasy.
"Takumi," Lyannis called again, this time more softly. "About what I wanted to talk about…"
I gave a faint smile. "You can talk."
She took a deep breath.
"I know you're always surrounded by the others… but I wanted you to know that I don't get jealous of them. At least, not the way they get jealous of each other."
I raised an eyebrow. "That was… direct."
"I'm direct," she replied, smiling. "If I like someone, I say it."
An uncomfortable silence formed behind us.
Liriel cleared her throat.
Vespera kicked a rock.
Elara adjusted her bow with way too much force.
"Lyannis," I tried to change the subject, "about the patrol—"
"I know it's dangerous," she said. "But I want you to know that I trust you. And—"
A crack echoed through the valley.
And then, the wind froze.
Literally.
A wave of icy air swept over us with force, turning our breath into white mist. The temperature plummeted. The ground began to cover with a thin layer of frost.
"Takumi," Liriel murmured, "it's happening."
"I felt it," I replied.
Rai'kanna spread her wings, scales shining in alert.
"The spirit is close."
Lyannis raised her spear — but her hands were shaking.
Vespera shouted, "There!"
A figure materialized a few meters away — tall, slender, translucent, made of frozen blue smoke. Its eyes were two white slits.
The wind around it roared.
Elara fired an arrow, but the spirit simply dissolved and reappeared beside us.
"Careful!" I shouted.
The spirit lunged with an arm of solid ice. I rolled to the side and focused my flame. The heat inside me reacted to the cold like natural opposites — because they were.
"Liriel! Any idea what this is?"
"Not completely, but… this isn't an ordinary spirit. It looks corrupted."
Rai'kanna launched upward, cutting through the ice with her flame blades.
The creature absorbed part of the fire and roared.
Lyannis tried striking from the side, but the spirit dodged effortlessly.
"It's way too fast!" she yelled.
The spirit charged at her.
Without thinking, I threw myself in front of her and struck the air with my inner flame.
The impact clashed against the spirit's arm, forcing it back.
But only for a second.
It dissolved… and reappeared behind me.
"Takumi!"
The voice was Elara's — alarmed.
I turned quickly.
The spirit raised an ice blade above its head.
The wind blew hard.
The cold sliced my skin.
And the creature attacked.
I raised my arm, the flame exploding.
The shock was so strong it threw me backward.
Liriel caught me midair with magic. "Careful! That's not normal physical strength!"
The spirit began approaching again, dragging cold across the ground.
Rai'kanna landed at my side.
"Takumi," she said seriously, "that spirit isn't attacking randomly."
"Then what does it want?"
She looked at me — deeply.
"It's after you."
The frozen wind blew again.
The spirit raised its arms.
And snow began to fall violently.
And in that moment, I realized:
This wasn't just another threat.
It was a warning.
And it was aimed directly at me.