When he fell, the man had his head buried in the snow. As he got up, he spat out what had entered his mouth. Before him stretched a white expanse, with ice structures extending all the way to the "sky," scattered everywhere. The freezing wind passed over his body, which did not shiver.
"I just wanted to enjoy the night..."
He said to himself.
He stood up, looked back, and the oval-shaped portal remained fixed in place. He refused to go back, watching the demonic creatures advancing through the portal...
And then, he picked up his gun.
After that, he resumed walking. Each step was swift while his shoes sank into the snow. After a few minutes of walking, he observed a group consisting of two men and one woman fighting against demons.
One of the men was piercing one of the creatures with a sword. Another being advanced toward him, but his partner hit it with arrows. The woman, crouched down, was applying medicine to the white bandages while her eyes darted frantically between her companions and her healing work.
However, a humanoid-shaped being with an exposed brain leaped to the woman's side, its claws and teeth heading straight for her face. The men shouted Mary's name as soon as they noticed. She widened her eyes and raised her arm over her face.
But the deformed body fell to the side, twitching, with a bullet embedded in its brain. Smoke rose into the air as the organ turned to ashes.
When they looked to the side, they saw the long-haired man. With a spin of the pistols in his hands, he fired at the remaining half-dozen creatures.
In response, Mary extended her trembling hand over the man's shoulder.
"B-behind you!"
With a twist of his hips, the man delivered a punch to the face of a blood eagle-like creature. Its beak shattered, and the rest of its structure crumbled onto the ground.
Alex, Mary, and Tokimo stood paralyzed, especially the woman, whose shoulders trembled at the sight of the crushed eagle. The men took a step forward, but Mary took a bigger one, whispering:
"Heavens..."
She raised her gaze to the man standing with his arms crossed in front of the carnage. Her hands clenched, but she ran to him and hugged him.
"Thank you, sir... I... I thought..."
He looked down at her over his shoulder with no expression, briefly touched her head, yet tried to pull away from her embrace.
"... You're welcome. You're safe now."
She opened her eyes at his attempts and stepped back.
"Sorry! I-I-I didn't mean to... I didn't mean to embarrass you!"
Alex laughed and patted his friend's back, his eyes meeting the man's.
"She's a bit nervous. But seriously, thank you so much for the help."
Tokimo nodded in agreement.
A short while later, the group looked at each other. Mary thanked him one last time while the men said goodbye. But the stranger intervened.
"Go home, train, and come back only when you're truly ready."
With the firmness in his voice, they quickly nodded and walked away. Before the man took his first step toward the horizon, he felt a touch. It was Mary again. She was hugging her heavy clothes tightly around herself with her arms, and her face was red. She opened her mouth but closed it again. After a moment, she asked, hiding her face.
"I... can I know your name? I wanted to tell my mother."
He didn't answer. She nodded with her head lowered and turned toward her friends. But soon she heard his voice:
"Call me Slady."
She stopped walking and looked at him, giving him a smile.
"Thank you, Slady."
Then she left.
The man, identified as Slady, took a deep breath and stared at the path ahead. Countless demonic creatures were piled up there. Adjusting his clothes, he resumed his wandering.