The world on the other side of the portal was ice.
Conus and Crowley stepped into a landscape swallowed by white. The air sliced into their lungs like glass, sharp and merciless. Frost rode the wind, and snow stretched without end, merging with the horizon until sky and earth were one.
The cold would have crippled any ordinary human, but the bodies of Pugnators were forged to endure. Even so, unease gnawed at both men. If the Normies had been dragged into this wasteland, scattered who knew where, their chances of survival were slim.
They pushed forward, their breath rising in plumes that vanished into the wind.
"This doesn't add up," Conus muttered, scanning the barren expanse of snow. "Where are they? Or the objects? Everything that was pulled in."
Crowley's jaw tightened, his tone measured but dark. "My father told me once. Before a portal stabilizes, it scatters everything. People, items, doesn't matter. They could be miles apart."
The explanation sank. Lucas. Deb. They could be anywhere.
For a time, silence pressed between them, broken only by the wind. Then Crowley's eyes slid toward him, narrowing. "Why didn't you ever tell anyone you were a Pugnator?"
Conus scoffed, his breath curling white. "What was the point?"
"Respect," Crowley said flatly.
A dry laugh escaped Conus, sharp and bitter. "Respect? They don't respect you, Crowley. They fear you. There's a difference."
Crowley's lips thinned. His gaze dropped to the snow. "Fear isn't so bad."
"Is that why you bullied me?" Conus asked, his voice quiet, cutting through the cold.
Crowley flinched. For a moment, silence hung between them. Then he spoke awkwardly, almost reluctant. "I'm sorry."
Conus studied him, unimpressed. "No. You're afraid. Now that you realize I'm stronger than you."
Crowley turned sharply, meeting his eyes. "Maybe you are. But you're not stronger than the family behind me."
The words struck something buried, but Conus bit them back. His own bloodline, Aromanus, was not much now. Kayden, the only Elder in his family, was dead. What proof did he even have? Who would believe him?
Crowley exhaled slowly, his voice softer. "But I am sorry. I was scum back then. Maybe I still am. But Deb makes me try. She's forcing me to be better."
At her name, Conus's gaze hardened. "How is she?"
Crowley's face lit in a way that startled him. "She's… everything. A light I don't deserve. If she dies…" His voice broke, then sharpened with urgency. "We have to save her."
Conus saw something unexpected in him then, love, raw and real. It unsettled him more than the frozen wastes. He gave a curt nod. "Then we'll try."
The words were barely out before Conus spotted it. A patch of darkness against the endless white.
They hurried forward, snow crunching louder beneath their boots.
"It's a body," Conus said grimly.
They drew near, and Crowley's breath faltered. The corpse was not a body so much as pulp. Bones shattered, flesh mangled, limbs twisted beyond recognition. Blood spread across the snow in a grotesque stain.
Crowley gagged, turning away to heave into the drifts.
Conus crouched, steady where he should have faltered. His hands did not shake as he sifted through the frozen wreckage. A wallet, slick with blood, pressed beneath the torso. He pried it open, the ID card barely legible.
"Fred Martins," Conus murmured.
Crowley staggered, bile on his lips. "Fred…?"
Conus nodded.
The truth sank like ice into their bones. Their classmate, crushed to ruin. And if Fred had died like this, what of the others?
They pressed on, each step heavier. The snow no longer looked pure; bodies littered the path. Some smashed into the earth as if dropped from the sky, others shredded beyond comprehension. Red and black streaks marked the landscape.
Crowley faltered again, pale and trembling. Conus moved forward steadily. Something inside him had shifted. Horror that should have crippled him simply… did not.
Then the air shook.
A roar ripped through the frozen expanse, thunderous and primal, rattling snow from the ground.
Out of the white haze, it appeared.
A beast of towering scale, its massive frame wrapped in fur thick with frost. Sharp tusks jutted from its jaw, and its eyes glowed with hunger. Arms like tree trunks swung heavily at its sides, each hand tipped with claws as long as daggers. Even hunched, it dwarfed them threefold.
The snow troll bellowed again, its breath steaming hot against the cold. Claws scraped together, shrieking like metal.
Crowley trembled. "God help us…"
Conus's eyes narrowed. His appraisal surged, numbers burning into view.
[Snow Troll — Level 58 (D)]
A cold pit formed in his gut. A D-rank.
"This portal is D-rank," Conus muttered.
Crowley whipped his head toward him. "How do you know that?"
He ignored the question, eyes still on the beast. "What's your ability?"
Crowley swallowed hard, his voice shaking. "I can shoot lasers from my eyes."
Conus blinked, almost disbelieving. "Lasers. From your eyes?"
"Yeah."
For the first time in hours, Conus huffed a breath that almost resembled a laugh. "I hate to admit it… that's actually impressive."
The troll roared and charged. Snow exploded under its strides, each step shaking the ground.
Conus's dagger appeared into his hand, the blade black against the frozen wastes. He slid into stance, voice sharp. "Support me. Don't miss."
The troll's first blow crashed down like an avalanche. Conus rolled aside, snow bursting as the ground cratered.
"Move!" He barked.
Crowley's eyes flared. Red beams tore from them, scorching the troll's shoulder. The beast staggered with a howl, smoke rising from charred fur.
Conus darted forward, weaving between wild swings. His dagger cut, but the hide was thick, his blade barely carving shallow lines.
"Burn it deeper!" he shouted.
Crowley obeyed, beams lancing into the troll's chest. Flesh seared black, but rage only fueled the beast.
Shadow stirred around Conus's feet. He whispered, "Terror."
The troll faltered, eyes wide as primal fear seized it. For heartbeats only, but enough.
Conus vanished into shadow, reappearing behind it. His dagger drove into the back of its knee. The beast crashed to one side, snow spraying like waves.
"Crowley! Now!"
Twin beams struck its face, searing fur and flesh. The troll writhed, blind with pain. One wild swing caught Conus across the ribs, hurling him through the snow. He hit hard, blood on his lips.
But he rose. He whispered. "Death Rot."
Shadow veins spread across the burns, black decay crawling over the troll's flesh. The beast shrieked, clawing at itself.
"Keep firing!" Conus snarled.
Crowley obeyed. Beams burned where decay spread, carving deeper wounds.
The troll collapsed to its knees, roaring as blackness ate spread from his leg to its chest.
Conus staggered forward. He leapt, dagger in both hands, and drove it deep into the troll's skull.
The beast convulsed once, twice, then stilled. Its massive body collapsed into the snow, silence crashing down with it.
Conus slid from its back, chest heaving. His dagger dripped blackened blood.
Crowley stood trembling, steam rising faintly from his eyes.
The silence stretched until Crowley whispered, voice raw. "You're terrifying."