Chapter 17: Embers in the Snow
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My mind was exhausted. The entire day had been spent memorizing Aldovian letters, forcing my tongue to twist around unfamiliar sounds. Even now the remnants of failed pronunciations lingered in my thoughts, like the echoes in an room.
I adjusted the rope at my waist, securing my weapons. The cold was ever-present and biting my skin. It no longer felt as unbearable as before though. My body had begun to adapt—whether that was a testament to resilience or simply numbness, I wasn't so sure.
The snow-covered forest stretched endlessly before me, giant pine trees standing like sentinels in all directions. Their branches were heavy with snow and bowed under the weight of winter's embrace. My eyes moved carefully over the ground and scanned for disturbances in the pristine white layer—footprints, trails, anything that might betray the presence of prey or, more concerning, predators.
Then, I saw them.
Footprints.
Human footprints, deep in the snow. They weren't mine.
A trace of warmth flickered within me, a mixture of curiosity and caution. I traced their direction, my heart quickening slightly. Another person—someone like me? Someone lost? Or worse… someone dangerous?
Quickening my pace, I followed the tracks, my breath coming in slow, visible puffs. After a few minutes, I spotted him: a boy, his back turned to me, dark-blue hair streaked with frost.
A playful impulse struck me.
I thought—not chanted—"Moonlight Veil."
A translucent, cloak-like shimmer wrapped around me. A soothing warmth dulled the bite of the cold, and the world became dreamlike, distant, as I strode forward unseen. Ten meters ahead of him, I stopped and watched.
He hadn't noticed me as he simply hadn't any means to.
His golden eyes gleamed with determination, but his body betrayed his suffering. He was shivering, his clothes—just a long-sleeved shirt and temple-issued pants—woefully inadequate against the cold. Each of his steps was forced, driven by sheer will.
Then, he yelled into the silence of the forest:
"Damn it! To think I got cast out because of that b**ch!"
I frowned.
What did he mean? What had he done?
Had he hurt someone?
My concentration wavered, and the spell slipped away. The shimmering veil faded, revealing me once more.
He tensed instantly, his body snapping to alertness, his posture defensive. Golden eyes locked onto mine.
"Why are you... not with the others?" I blurted out in English.
His reaction was instant—startled, then furious. His trembling intensified, though whether from anger or the cold, I couldn't tell.
"What the ****?! That's none of your business!" He snapped back in English.
"Who even are you?!"
Before I could answer, a sound cut through the tension.
GROWL.
His stomach.
A long sigh escaped me. "I am Nestor. Care to share your story over a warm meal by the fire?"
His stance remained wary, his feet subtly shifting into a position ready to flee.
"How naive do you think I am? Why would I eat with some stranger who mysteriously appeared out of nowhere in the middle of a forest?"
I let out a short, humorless chuckle. "So, you'd rather die in the stomach of a magic beast?"
His lips parted, perhaps to argue, but then
GROWL.
His body tensed as though in pain. His pride waged a futile battle against his hunger before he exhaled sharply, his breath fogging in the air.
"Fine. I guess... I would've probably died if this continued on."
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Seated across from each other, the fire casting flickering shadows against the snow, he devoured the wolf meat I had cooked in my bowl. He barely paused to breathe, his hunger more primal than controlled.
Between bites, he finally spoke.
"Why did you just appear out of nowhere? I thought you were out to kill me"
His words carried some caution, but his focus remained on eating.
I offered a sheepish smile. "Why were you alone in the woods?"
He swallowed and narrowed his eyes. "I could ask you the same thing."
A pause. Then, his jaw clenched, and he lowered his gaze. "…Back at the group's campsite, I was assigned to a hunting squad. Our leader was a girl—stronger than us since she had already unlocked her Magic Core."
He glanced up. "You… you've unlocked yours, haven't you?"
I nodded. His lips pressed together in barely concealed jealousy before he continued.
"She was unbearable. Always bossing us around, always looking down on us. She made demands we couldn't fulfill and then blamed us for failing."
His fingers tightened around the piece of meat in his hands. "One day, we were hunting a wild boar. She messed up. Made a noise. The boar ran. That night, people at the camp starved because of her mistake."
He exhaled, his breath shaky, his grip turning white-knuckled.
"She couldn't accept that. So she bribed the others in the squad. They made up a story—said that I scared the boar off on purpose." His voice turned bitter. "It was their word against mine. She had power. Influence. I had nothing."
A bitter laugh escaped him. "I thought they were my friends. I thought I was part of something. But when it mattered, they threw me away like trash, casting me away as the sun began to settle."
I understood his feelings well.
Too well.
In my first life, I had shouldered blame for things that weren't my fault. I had swallowed my anger, convinced that, one day, my efforts would be recognized. That my value would been seen by the people arround me, rewarding me with kindness.
But the world didn't work that way.
People trusted authority blindly. They followed power instinctively. Those in control shaped reality to their benefit, crushing those beneath them without a second thought without a spark of appreciation.
I watched the fire dance between us before asking, "Has your view of society warped?"
He looked confused. "…What do you mean?"
I leaned forward slightly. "Society Always rewards power. People trust those with influence and connections, it is simple."
"Those in power then use that trust to often step on others, to claim credit for what isn't theirs. They crush others to benefit themselves.
His golden eyes reflected the flames.
"You were discarded because, in their eyes, you were lesser. Powerless."
I let the words settle before continuing. "You have only two choices."
I held up a single finger. "One: You stay within the system. You try to climb the ladder, sucking up to those in power, playing their game."
Then, a second finger. "Two: You leave the system. You grow strong on your own terms."
Silence stretched between us. Then, he finally spoke, his voice quiet.
"…Isn't being alone unbearable?"
A cold wind blew through the trees. I smiled. "You don't have to be alone. You just have to know when you're being used—and when you're benefiting from someone's presence."
Something in his expression shifted.
"…So you're saying I have to become powerful to live in this world, that was already the part of the deal, wasn't it?" He said with something emerging from his golden eyes.
I met his gaze. "You're right. I just wanted to remind you of that fact."
After finishing my sentence I analyzed his body language.
His hands curled into fists, indicating that his determination reignited within his heart.
"Would you allow me to build a hut in this area?"
I considered his question and then stretched out my hand toward him. "Let's grow stronger together."
For a moment, he hesitated—then, with newfound resolve, he grasped my hand.
"Thanks, Nestor."