It's freezing. The snow was covering every area the boy could see. On trees, on the ground, even on his head. The sharp-cold wind strikes him over and over. The boy was naked, all he has was a piece of cloth that he found a couple days ago. It was a blanket that made out of wolf fur. It doesn't make him any warmer or cozier. But he just doesn't want to wander around naked.
The boy woke up from his slumber a week ago. It's winter, he could tell. He remembered who he was, Augustus Anthona was his name. His family call him August. He was a newly hired professor in a well-known academy. But that was before he died.
He could vaguely remember his late life part. How did he die? He couldn't remember.
But now, he must survive.
August frowned. He kneeled beside the body of a small deer. In hand, there was a knife. A drop of tear immediately froze the moment it ran down to his cheek. Killing was never his proficiency; it was against his faith. But at the blink of death and life, goddess opinion was the last matter he concerned. He held his knife tight with two hands. Using roughly ten seconds just to lifted it up in the air. The deer was not yet dead, but it will be soon.
Its body shook, maybe out of coldness or just pure fear.
August sighed; his breath came out as a visible gust of wind.
I'm sorry. He apologized deeply in his own mind. He thought it would be easier at first, but it isn't. He wants to think that it just a deer. A stupid and mindless creature function by pure instinct. August was not a vegetarian; he eats meat regularly. But to killing one, that was different story.
Finally, he made a final blow. That sharp metal knife stabbed right at its neck. A pitiful deer stopped moving at that moment. It freezing breaths never once appear again. Its eyes were still open wide, staring right at August. At its last moment, August could feel it emotion. The fear, the terror, the struggle. He was once at this position before, he was confident at this take.
August left the knife at its neck. He felt too fatigue to pull it out. He's hungry. The last time he ate was when he found a piece of bread in a raided village. That was also a place where he found this piece of blanket. Maybe he should have stay there, not wandering around in the wilderness. But there was a place he wants to go. And he must succeed.
He let himself rest for a bit. He dropped down on the ground beside that deer body.
"I was once dead too, you know?" He asked the lifeless body. Not expected a single answer back. He just wanted to talk.
He shook his head lightly to get rid of those snow from his bright blonde hair. Then, he continued, "I never want this. I was far away from my home, from my family. Heh, I once want to see a snow. But in reality, it was just cruel. Cruel and ruthless. It's the execution from nature."
He shook off the thought, he tried to stay sane in this harsh environment. He gathered his thought and mind, he must continue what he had begun. August pulled the knife out with ease. The mind fatigue from earlier was not yet to completely disappear but doesn't affect him as much now.
He used that knife to slice its meat into pieces. It was messy and unsightly, blood spilled all over, dying a white snow into crimson red. He sliced off it skin from its meat. The deer itself was not big, barely reach his stomach. Its meat was also not a lot. Surely, it has been starving for a few days also.
Why is it so hard!?
Finally, he gave up. He already got plenty of meat for today's meal. Surely, he won't be able to take all with him when he continues his journey. Therefore, eat as much as he can for today.
A thought of eating it raw flashed into his mind but disappeared as quick. He won't do such a thing. Luckily, he can do something other can't.
He warmed up his hand by clenching it over and over. Then he faced his palm toward a piece of meat. A ray of heat began to warm that meat up.
This is his newly discovered ability. Alongside with a couple more. Such as, be able to warm himself up. That is the how he could survive in such an environment. He also discovered that he could spend up to two days without any sleep or rest. He could march forward endlessly for two days before resting for a couple hours and repeat the same processes.
This is what people called 'Ascension abilities'. An 'Ascender' was a term used to call those who process this kind of abilities. They who said to be a warrior or messenger of gods. They are not a rare or exotic life. They live as a normal human in the cities. But also, they tend to have more opportunities just for them. They are almost zero chance of the ascender to be broke or homeless. Though, even with a powerful or unique abilities, ascender likely die before normal person due to many reasons. One of those is because many governments decide to use their registered ascenders to work for them more than normal person. Mostly in a more dangerous task. Also, ascender tend to have more connections with monsters or creatures compared to normal person. They always crash, one way or another.
The ray of heat accel above the coldness of mid-winter. It able to cook a medium thickness of meat just fine. The red meat slowly turned grey and then brown. A sign that suggested that it was cooked. Seeing this, he devoured it with joy and pressure. The moment of depression and sorrow quickly passed away like waking up from a nightmare.
An hour passed. He was full. He grabbed his knife back from the snowy ground. On the other hand, he grabbed a big piece of meat. His sight glanced at the lifeless body of that deer for a moment. His eyes were filled with sorrow and pity once again. He turned away, looking toward the cloudless sky. Even without a single cloud in sight, glaring sun was still vaguely visible. The hash wind that carries flakes of snow work like a fog.
He sighed. Then, adjusted his blanket, he wrapped it around his hips like a towel, leaving a firm and defined upper body of his naked. Walking for many days continuously spend a large amount of energy as well as body fat. He now looks like a crazy barbarian with all the blood stain and raw meat in his hand.
Still a long way...
He took first step onto a direction he assumed to be south. Each step digs a deep foot hole into the snow, each reach his ankle. The tiredness was yet to come. He felt his body weight a little more than before due to all the eating previously, but he can easily ignore it.
Another hour has passed. August could feel that he has come a long way since his last stop. Though, around him was nothing but trees and snow. He quickly observed his surrounding once in a while, try not to be caught off guard by whatever lurking in the forest. However, since he had met that deer, he never encounters any life ever again. Which was normal, in this deadly weather coming out of a shelter means death.
A deep and merciless forest expand hundreds of kilometers. On the east side there was a huge mountain range that has a length as long as the forest itself. At first glance he knew where he is, that mountain range is 'The white wall'. It separated western land and eastern land away from each other. The fact that the sun rise from behind that wall means that he currently in the western land.
'The snow meant north, and south, everything in between is central.' He remembered the words he heard a long while ago about how to identify where he is. If there was a snow, that mean he either be on the northern side of the world or in the opposite. If not, then, he's at the middle part.
And to identify whether it north or south is rather easy. Civilization is key, the harsh and ruthless weather of the north is almost impossible for anyone to survive. Therefore, there's no major city or even a small village here. Meanwhile in the south, the richness of resource and a fine coldness made it a popular land to live. On his way until now, he never saw a single human being. There's no smoke or a trail of caravan, suggested that he's walking on the northern land.
Walking takes times, especially in the hard and unsteady terrain. It's almost night already, he has lost his track of time a long way ago. Tonight is another night, he felt like he can go on. He doesn't need to rest, just keep going.
At night, the wind isn't much of a different compared to the day. The moon glow even bright in the darkness. But it isn't the only thing that glow.
Vaguely, a trail of smoke floating up into the sky.
Smoke! It's a smoke!
Although, it can barely see, he was sure that it was a smoke. There also a dim light glowing in that exact area.
People!
At that moment, a purest joy lit up in his mind. He doesn't just walk but fastened his footstep. He ran.
In the silent of a forest, only wind and tree branches make noises. But now, there was a person running in the pure darkness. Both of his hand swung rashly, both of his leg stepped forward uncarefully. During the process he stumbled, slipped and crashed onto the soft snow ground.
But eventually, he reached his destination. At that point, the origin of that smoke came from a campfire that burned bright in the middle of the snowstorm. The red flame swirled along the wind but didn't any sign of extinguish. There was a sled parking near the campfire as well. However, something that might have tow it already disappeared.
August slowly approached the sled. It was made of wood. Though, it didn't appear as a good woodcraft, but it surely works well. The scratching mark on it said that it has been use a lot by its owner.
Then, just before he could land his first touch on this sled, he heard a faint sound.
A terrifying sound growled from behind. August slowly turned back, trying to keep his calm.
In front, a big wolf stood on the other side of the campfire. It slowly walked around the campfire, approaching him. It bared its fangs at him. Its white fur has almost the same color as a snow. It was so big, almost as big as him. August dropped the meat in his hand. While the other tightened its grip. He took a step back, slowly.
Fuck! He cursed inwardly over and over. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
He's going to die again. What different does it make? He has died before. Well...before, it was quick and sudden. He barely remembers how he died or how painful it is. But this time, he knew he's going to die. Not only if it made him mad crazy and terrified, but it also affects his body. He trembled not from coldness but fear. This was the first time he ever trembled from fear, it's different.
Now, before he died, he wanted to fight back.
Before any blood and flesh could splash on the ground, another figure appeared. A man walked pass August from behind, however, he never knew someone was ever there. No footstep sound, no breathing noise, nothing. He was just, there.
The man held wood logs in his arms. He threw them into the fire then continued walking to the wolf. He has no fear. He stood firm in front of the wolf. Then, it bowed. The terrifying wolf acted like a house dog to this man. It lied down, but its eyes still staring at August.
The man has a white thick beard, he was even taller than August, whose could consider very tall already. Also, he has a very big and lean body. His deep grey iris reflected August as they staring at each other. Another thing that they are doing the same is how they dress. The man only has his leather pants on showing a massive amount of scar all over his body, in the cold, he could have died, but he didn't. He is an ascender.
Then, the man opened his mouth. A deep and calm voice sounded loud even in the snowstorm, "Kid...are you an ascender?"