Walking down the last flight of stairs, the messenger turned around and looked up at the towering Cold Snow Castle, hidden in the snow and mist, and secretly exclaimed: this high ground is so high, if you fall from it, you will definitely be helpless.

Shivering in the cold wind, the soldier rubbed his hands and put them to his mouth and kept breathing. The pale blue snow stones underfoot constantly convert the snowflakes into warm steam, making the temperature of the lower body and upper body completely disproportionate. Covering his padded jacket any tighter, the soldier suddenly regretted that he had not stopped: What kind of strength did he have? Now he had to brave the cold wind to rush back, it was really cold.

Untying the tethered horse, the soldier led it out of the stable and turned over and mounted it. With the reins in hand, he harnessed his mount and walked slowly to the moonlit path. However, just as he came to the intersection surrounded by layers of trees and was about to gallop the slave horse, he casually glanced at the forest, and then he was so shocked that he almost couldn't grasp the reins: there seemed to be a blue light hidden next to the tree just now.

As he hurriedly jumped off his horse to look over there, the light was fleeting, vanishing into the darkness. Rubbing his eyes, the soldier felt uneasy: it was already a well-established idea that the eyes of the corrupted could glow blue, could it be that there were enemies hiding in the woods?

Feeling that his guess was likely to be the truth, the slightly panicked soldier looked around with great vigilance: the cold snow castle was surrounded by dense woods for hundreds of meters. In such a large area, it is entirely possible to hide a few corrupters.

I couldn't be mistaken, there must be a corruptor hiding there...... The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became, and the soldier, who had not dared to act easily, calmed down his throbbing heart and began to listen carefully, hoping to detect the sound of stepping on the snow to judge the enemy's position.

However, after staying there and listening for a while, all that kept filling the soldiers' ears was the roar of the wind and the "rustle" of the leaves. His nerves were tense to the extreme, and he was startled by the sudden grunt of the horses, and his fingers were nearly cut by the lame posture in which he drew his sword. Fortunately, nothing happened, and the soldier gasped for breath and put his weapon back into the scabbard: he seemed to be a little too nervous.

I'm going to have to get someone to help me and search the woods thoroughly...... Sensing that Snowcastle was in danger, the soldier rubbed his hands together in an attempt to stabilize his emotions. However, just as the guards were about to get on their horses and run out into the street to ask for help, he suddenly felt that something was wrong: no, there should be a cavalry patrol on the road leading to the city. But I've been here for a while, and I haven't seen it, and I think I'd have bumped into it at least three times based on such a short patrol route.

I saw the four horsemen with oil lamps when I came, and they didn't happen to be in time for the changing of the guard, did they? Instead of taking the risk, it is better to go back to the nearest Cold Snow Castle for help.

Immediately firming up his thoughts, the soldier immediately pulled the reins, and the slave horse galloped back to the Cold Snow Castle. However, just as the horses began to gallop, a rapid and heavy running sound suddenly sounded in the woods on the right. Before the soldiers could react, a behemoth roared out of the shadows and slammed the men and horses into the air.

Knocked down by the massive impact, the soldier's head slammed to the ground, and a feeling of dizziness accompanied by the neighing of the horses came over him. Struggling to get to his feet, he was shocked by the image before him, his whole body trembling with fear: the monster with the blue eyes was two people tall, and its extremely thick body was covered in corrupt spots and black ice shards.

It was tearing at the horse's belly with its blood-stained claws, gnawing on its organs. With only the desire to flee in his mind, the soldier screamed and got up to escape. However, at this moment, another monster suddenly jumped out of the woods, just in time to block the retreat.

Lighting the torch in her hand, the girl with a blurred figure brought it close to her eyes and quietly watched the firelight.

Closing her eyes and dropping the blood-stained dagger in her hand, she turned and walked out the door, throwing it behind her. The room, laden with barrels of fuel, was overwhelmed in flames and violent explosions for a split second. The blood-stained silver hair was set on fire by sparks, and in an instant it was extinguished by frost.

In the house that turned into a sea of flames, only a man wearing a white cotton suit with a shocked expression remained. His chest was stained with blood, and he had a shocking dagger piercing wound on his heart.

As the black ice spread across the floor, a Corruptor with blue eyes slowly emerged in the air. Surrounded by black smoke, he was not afraid of the flames, and slowly approached the man soaked in blood.

An oval-shaped silver insignia hanging around his neck was held in the left hand of the deceased. In his right hand, he pinched a carved pipe that had been broken. Soon, the corpse was engulfed in flames and charred.

Walking into the depths of the corridor without looking back, the girl laughed maniacally, and staggered forward in a panic. Wearing the miserable white and weird mask, the girl put her blood-stained hands close to her mouth and enjoyed the ****.

In the shadows deep in the hallway, her crimson eyes could be seen. Until the dream slowly faded, the nightmarish pupils remained in my mind, unable to dissipate.

Awakened by a nightmare, the girl jerked her eyes open. However, it was still dark. Holding the ball of light that emitted heat, she shivered with cold and huddled tightly in her wheelchair.

Child...... Have you seen the prophetic dream of the gray prophet? that is the wisdom you have been waiting for. The voice of the old man slowly sounded from all around, and the souls of the ancient trees of the guardian god wood forest whispered ancient language. In the bleak snowy forest, their loving words continue to echo.

Try to make sense of the dream and discover the truth, Grey Prophet...... Even if your eyes are blinded by the dark mist, you can still peek into the world in your dreams.

Because you've never seen the world with your eyes, everything you see in your dreams is so important.

The people here are trapped in an endless cycle of reincarnation, but no one notices it......

It's like...... This permafrost has long since been engulfed in black ice. Everything that is alive today is an illusion. The people of the snow who are entrenched in the frozen ground are no longer aware of the annihilation.

But...... If the Deathbinders can stop this cycle from reversing and stop the Black Ice from devouring the Frozen Land again......

Then all illusions will be shattered. The timeline will continue to move forward, and the thirteen worlds on this plane will become the real main world. Everything will be as if it had never happened, and people who do not know the truth will sing the praises of heroic deeds and forget the extinction that once existed.

Not everybody can hear us, kid...... This is true even for those who believe in my Sons of Ice.

All we can do is let their souls rest in peace......

There are still seventeen years and one hundred and ninety-five days left for the end of the world.

Volume 1: Winter's Breath Section E: A Clash of Interests (End)