The ice path grew narrower as they descended deeper into Ao Shun's realm. What had begun as a comfortable walkway now thinned to a precarious ledge barely wide enough for a person to travel. As Grim walked he could feel the slick surface shift slightly beneath his weight.
"The ice is less stable here," Bi'an warned from ahead.
Grim glanced at the dark water that surrounded their path on both sides. The cold was becoming more intense with each step downward, a penetrating chill that seemed to reach into his bones. His breath clouded heavily before him, crystallizing in the frigid air.
"Does everyone in this realm live in such cold?" Grim asked, trying to distract himself from the increasingly treacherous footing.
"Many do," Suanni replied from behind. The heat that Suanni genrated from his body kept Grim warm enough. "But the denizens of the North Sea are adapted to it. What you find unbearable, they find invigorating."
