Clang!
Caelan woke to the sound of metal striking metal. The piercing cold made him sneeze. His exhaled breath condensed in the icy wind.
Before him lay a cold, desolate wasteland. A dull red sun hung high in the sky, its faint light offering no warmth.
The biting wind tore at his exposed skin like blades. Each breath felt like swallowing thousands of sharp razors, slicing through his lungs and searing him with heart-wrenching pain.
The harshness of this world rivaled Fenris's deepest winter.
This frozen world, like the mountainous Olympia, had its own distinct features.
"Inwit... just as I imagined."
Caelan murmured to himself. His psychic power formed an invisible barrier, shutting out the cold.
Clang!
The metallic pounding continued. Its maker seemed increasingly impatient.
Caelan followed the sound through the snow. His psychic barrier glowed with a faint blue light against the howling wind. Ice crystals assaulted the light like a raging storm, creating ripples like raindrops on a lake, accompanied by a faint sizzling sound.
This made Caelan almost invisible in the blizzard. Even a few meters away, he would be hard to see.
The ice storm was too fierce. The sun soon disappeared from the sky, leaving only a swirling mass of white.
But this white world was not beautiful. It was full of deadly danger.
Even compared to Fenris, it was no less harsh, perhaps even more so.
Fenris's dangers mainly came from the cold and beasts. But Inwit's ice storms could freeze a person solid in seconds.
Moreover, Inwit was a pure ice world, the same all year round.
This meant that Inwitans could barely survive on the surface. Raging ice storms would destroy any settlement.
If anyone lived on the surface, they would have to be nomadic.
Caelan murmured, "If I remember correctly, Inwit should be tidally locked to its sun."
Tidal locking is a common phenomenon in the universe. Mercury and the Sun, the Moon and Terra, and most stars and their moons experience tidal locking.
He could see the sun, so he should be on the sunward side.
But it was still freezing here. So this must be the terminator zone at the equator.
Theoretically, the equatorial terminator zone is the only habitable band on this world.
But the extreme climate changes still made it dangerous. At the very least, Caelan didn't think an ordinary person could survive the recent ice storm.
He turned his back to the dull red sun and walked towards the dark, starless side.
The storm carrying ice crystals came howling from the dark side. As Caelan ventured deeper, he finally found the source of the sound, a metal capsule half-buried in the ice, its body faintly marked with the Roman numeral VII.
The impatient clanging was the sound of howling ice crystals constantly striking the capsule.
The incubation cradle was covered with a thick layer of frost, and a small impact crater had formed around it, which the ice storm was filling in.
Frost flowers covered the cradle's observation window, but through the crystalline ice, a small, curled-up figure could be glimpsed inside.
Bang!
A psychic hand tore open the cradle's hatch. The raging storm instantly ripped the heavy hatch cover dozens of meters away, smashing a deep pit in the ice sheet.
The biting cold instantly flooded the capsule, but was blocked by a soft psychic barrier the moment it touched the infant.
The pale blue energy gently wrapped around the curled-up little body like a swaddling cloth.
Ice crystals struck the barrier, creating ripples like a shimmering halo.
Caelan carefully cradled the infant in his arms. A thin layer of frost had already formed on the baby's skin, which had turned blue from the cold.
The cradle's time of fall was unknown, but it certainly wasn't today. It had been some time.
This child had spent a long time alone on this ice field. If no one had found him, he might have stayed in the cradle until adulthood.
The infant slowly relaxed in the warm embrace, unconsciously nestling closer to Caelan.
"It's alright. I'm here."
The Primarch was found. Next, he needed to find people. Caelan didn't want to stay out on the ice field.
And Perturabo's education wasn't finished yet.
He might return to Olympia as soon as he fell asleep. The still-growing Primarch still needed him.
Though Caelan believed that even without him, Perturabo wouldn't become a twisted mess now, he couldn't just leave.
If he started teaching, he had to see it through. Giving up halfway would be irresponsible.
Caelan walked into the eternal night, back the way he came.
The dull red sun gradually disappeared into the raging ice storm, like a dying ember losing its last warmth.
Only a cold darkness remained. Caelan's psychic barrier glowed blue in the darkness, illuminating the snowy path for three meters.
The ice storm still raged, ice crystals constantly battering the barrier, their tiny ripples almost merging into one.
Caelan didn't know where he was going. There were no visible landmarks or special signs in his direction.
No reason. He followed his intuition. And his intuition was usually right.
Caelan walked along a flat, narrow ridge. On both sides were bottomless icy abysses; one misstep would mean certain death.
The snow had been sculpted by the ice storm into stretching wave-like drifts, like frozen white billows.
Gradually, the ice storm subsided, or perhaps Caelan had walked out of its range.
The sky was no longer dark. Stars dotted the black curtain, scattering their light across the ice field.
Shattered ice pillars flickered in the fading blizzard. Sharp-edged ice crystals, like transparent glass, appeared deep blue under the starlight.
"Close in! Don't let that beast get you!"
"Protect Sapphire!"
Caelan heard shouts. He quickened his pace towards the sounds.
With a wave of his hand, a psychic flare shot towards the shouts, tearing a brilliant path through the darkness.
The flare was like a blue sun, illuminating hundreds of meters around like daylight.
Four warriors stood back-to-back in a defensive circle, wearing cold-weather gear studded with metal plates, holding knives and guns.
An older warrior with a lasgun was directing the other three, two young warriors and a small, slender girl.
Twenty meters away, a six-legged beast crouched in the darkness. It had no cover; the darkness was its shield.
It slowly circled the four warriors, looking for a gap in their defense.
It was very patient, an essential quality for a predator on the ice field.
Without the flare, it would have had a feast.
When the sudden flare tore through the darkness, the blue light exposed it completely on the open ice field. A human-like confusion even flickered across the beast's face.
This completely disrupted its hunting rhythm.
"There it is!"
"Kill it!"
The warriors were also briefly stunned, but almost instinctively raised their guns and spat deadly fire at the beast.
Bang bang bang!
The harsh gunfire tore through the darkness. But the six-legged beast was remarkably agile, its six limbs deftly spinning and leaping to avoid being targeted. Most bullets flew uselessly into the darkness.
But one tore through its thick hide, splattering dark red blood on the snow.
The beast stumbled, letting out a pained roar.
In the darkness, it was the hunter.
But in the light, whoever had the gun was the hunter.
The beast abandoned the hunt. It might not have the intelligence for language or culture.
But the instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm was etched in its genes.
As long as the flare remained, it had lost the cover of darkness.
It was wounded and disadvantaged in every way. It had to retreat into the darkness for now.
Just as the beast seemed about to disappear into the dark, the warriors' faces showed disappointment.
The beast also thought it had escaped. But just as its front paws touched the darkness...
An invisible giant hand suddenly seized its throat, lifting its massive body into the air.
The beast let out a piercing shriek, its six limbs clawing uselessly at the air.
Bang!
The beast flew back like a stone from a catapult, crashing heavily into the snow at the warriors' feet.
The impact even sprayed ice chips in their faces, making them step back half a pace.
But the beast was still pinned to the ground by the invisible hand, only able to bare its teeth and snarl in weak threat.
The warriors instantly recognized that its threat was just a bluff. They drew their knives and plunged them into the beast's throat. Blood gushed out, staining the snow.
The beast's struggles weakened, finally ceasing with a whimper.
But the warriors remained highly alert. What had just happened was bizarre, beyond their understanding of the ice field.
Besides the beast, a more dangerous enemy lurked in the darkness. The blue flare was still frozen in the air.
When Caelan emerged from the dark, the warriors watched him warily.
Though Caelan was human and had helped them hunt, he shouldn't be an enemy. Otherwise, they'd be pinned like the beast.
But on Inwit, members of other clans were often more dangerous than beasts.
Conflicts between different clans over resources were common. They were all fighting for survival, and no one gave up.
The lead veteran cautiously sized up Caelan. His thin clothing was out of place in Inwit's frozen wilderness. In his arms, he held a completely naked infant.
He hesitated, then finally lowered his gun. The other warriors followed suit.
The veteran gestured, and the three men instinctively shielded the girl behind them, blocking Caelan's view.
Caelan stopped five meters away. "Which clan do you belong to?"
The warriors exchanged glances. The veteran replied in a gruff voice, "We're from the Dorn Clan. I'm the chieftain of the Dorn Clan. You can call me Dorn. These are my sons, Probus, Dean, and my granddaughter, Sapphire. Stranger, what about you?"
"I'm from Terra. You can call me Caelan."
Dorn asked, "Why are you here alone?"
Caelan gently shifted the baby in his arms. "For this child. What about you? Out hunting?"
Dorn paused, then said, "We're scouting for the clan. But I've never heard of a clan called Terra."
"Terra is a world, as vast as Inwit."
Dorn asked shrewdly, "So, you haven't joined any clan yet?"
Caelan said, "Maybe I could join the Dorn Clan."
Dorn's expression suddenly relaxed. He put away his gun and reached out to Caelan. "Maybe we can find a better place to talk in detail."
...
Boom!
Only a small part of the ice-hive was exposed on the eternally dark ice field. The hatch remained closed, guarded from inside by several armored warriors.
With a mechanical roar, the heavy alloy hatch slowly opened.
Dorn gestured with a 'please' motion. Caelan stepped onto the lift, holding the infant.
The lift was spacious, with walls of shiny silver metal plates. Lumen lights were embedded within.
Probus and Dean stood near the back of the lift, occasionally glancing at Caelan's neck.
Sapphire stood beside the old man, curiously eyeing the infant in Caelan's arms, seemingly innocent.
As the old warrior pulled the lever, the lift's metal gate slowly rose with a grating sound.
The gate was only waist-high, leaving the top open, forming a semi-enclosed space.
With the clicking of gears, the lift began its steady descent.
On the way, Caelan had learned more about Inwit.
Inwitans lived in enormous underground ice-hives. These downward-extending hive structures were the foundation of Inwitan life.
Inwitans were divided into clans and castes. Many clans lived in each ice-hive, but there was usually only one Ice Caste clan.
Other clans and castes were responsible for production and maintenance. The Ice Caste was like the Kshatriyas of a certain country in ancient Terra. All its members were warriors.
Thus, an ice-hive rarely accommodated two Ice Caste clans. Any Ice Caste would instinctively maintain its ruling position.
The Dorn Clan was Ice Caste. For centuries, they had firmly controlled this underground kingdom. They were the undisputed rulers.
However, in recent years, the clouds of war had quietly gathered in the ice-hive where the Dorn Clan had lived for generations.
Dorn said, "The Rahn Clan suddenly attacked us. We were unprepared, and our frontline outposts fell one after another. They attacked like madmen, tearing at our defenses. We had to prepare retreat routes in advance, just in case."
Caelan asked, "Why not take the underground ice caves?"
There are over a hundred ice-hives on Inwit, connected by an ancient network of ice caves, forming a complex underground transportation network.
Due to the harsh surface conditions, Inwitans rarely risked leaving their ice-hives, only moving between the ice caves and their hive.
"Each hive has its ruling clan. They won't accept us. If we lose the war, we won't have the strength to fight for another hive."
"We must find a new home for the clan. According to the ancient maps left by our ancestors, we found a collapsed ice cave leading to a forgotten ice-hive."
"It seems you're not optimistic about the war."
A flicker of worry crossed Dorn's eyes. "If it were only the Rahn Clan, we might risk a final stand. But other clans are watching secretly, all eyeing us covetously."
"More importantly, the Rahn Clan probably won't let us go. They're attacking fiercely. This war won't end easily."
On Inwit, wars between clans are far more deadly than the environment.
Children of the Dorn Clan must learn to be warriors against their enemies before they learn to endure Inwit's relentless cold.
Through long years of conflict, the Dorn Clan has built deep, intractable grudges with other Ice Castes.
It's not about whether the Dorn Clan is warlike. It's about survival.
Only by eliminating rival clans can they ensure enough living space for their own.
On Inwit, Ice Caste clans have deep, irreconcilable animosities. They can never coexist peacefully.
Thus, defeat in war usually means the destruction of the clan.
When the Dorn Clan was strong, other clans lay low.
But the Dorn Clan wasn't strong enough to defeat other clans without overwhelming superiority.
If they forcefully attacked another Nest, they would pay a heavy price. Even if they won, they'd face the threat of other clans taking advantage of their weakness.
Such heavy losses would deter any clan. This delicate balance maintained Inwit's fragile peace.
But the Rahn Clan broke that balance. They disregarded casualties, determined to destroy the Dorn Clan even if they perished too.
Other clans were still lying low, but if either side showed weakness, they would pile on.
Dorn was the chieftain. He had to prioritize the clan's survival.
Caelan asked, "Why not collapse the ice cave?"
Dorn gave a wry smile. "Now I believe you're not from Inwit."
"The Rahn Clan's attack is fierce, but our situation is merely dangerous. We can still defend our stronghold."
"But the ice caves are the lifeline of all ice-hives on Inwit. The collapse of any ice cave would have disastrous consequences, even destroying an ice-hive. Any clan that dared would become an enemy of all."
"Not to mention, our ice-hive is a hub of the cave network, connected to dozens of passages. We don't have enough explosives to collapse all of them, and other clans wouldn't stand by."
The Rahn Clan, having nothing to lose, wanted to destroy the Dorn Clan even at their own cost.
And other clans were likely supporting the Rahn Clan behind the scenes. Otherwise, where would the Rahn Clan get so many weapons to attack?
The more reckless the Rahn Clan, the more cautious the Dorn Clan became, their decisions hesitant.
They didn't dare collapse the ice caves, but they feared losing the war. So they had to find an escape route in advance.
But there was no underground escape. They had to go to the surface.
The surface was perilous, but if they carefully avoided blizzards and reached the forgotten ice-hive, they could start over.
Other clans would find it difficult to follow them on the surface. The blizzards would cover all traces.
....
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu