Authors Note
Thank you for reading.
And before the chapter begins, I want to apologize again, for the long silence. I disappeared for a while without giving any warning, and that's completely on me. Life got a bit chaotic, and I couldn't keep up with writing the way I wanted to.
But the story isn't abandoned.
In fact, during that time I spent a lot of it thinking about where Maxwell's journey is heading and how the world around him will slowly unfold.
So thank you to everyone who waited patiently. I truly appreciate it.
Now, let's continue the story.
___________
Boom!
Maxwell instinctively turned away from the explosion.
But he was too slow.
As though it had targeted only him, the blast struck his body and sent him flying across the snow-covered ground.
Hard. Hot.
Maxwell rolled violently across the snow, icy powder filling his mouth before he finally managed to steady himself.
"Eukk...." He spit out the snow and dirt that endered his mouth.
He struggled to stand. His legs trembled, and he used his sword as support. Slowly, painfully, Maxwell forced himself upright.
His back felt hot.
So hot it felt like it was burning.
But he knew, it wasn't a normal burn.
Because he could feel it.
Along with the burn, something was there… something that hadn't been there before.
He knew.
A strange sensation of being watched crept over him.
No…
More accurately, it felt like the gaze was coming from inside him.
Like he was watching him through a camera, through a third person lense.
***
After the explosion, Nova finally regained a small measure of composure.
The encounter with the primordial was still affecting her, it had affected her far more than Maxwell.
Being stronger than him had only made the pressure worse.
The terror it radiated had frozen her completely.
Her legs wouldn't move.
Her hands wouldn't move.
Even her eyes struggled to blink.
All she could do was watch.
She could barely focus on anything. When it spoke, she felt as though the entire world had turned against her, strangling her existence.
Even breathing felt like a crime.
"So… that's a primordial," she whispered, her lips trembling.
Just thinking about it again made her stomach churn.
She clutched her stomach tightly as her eyes scanned the surroundings.
Then she looked toward the sky with a solemn expression.
I must become stronger… by any means.
On that day, in a harsh region where even luck was needed to survive the endless cold, a vow was made.
A promise to never be weak again.
To one day become powerful enough to instill the same terror the primordial had forced upon her.
Thud.
Nova's thoughts snapped back to reality.
Her mind, which had been wandering, pulled itself together.
What was that sound?
She looked around, searching for the source.
Then, from the corner of her eye, she noticed something.
Snowy.
The white hawk lay on the ground, his wings half-spread against the snow.
His feathers were pure white, untouched by any stain—like fresh winter snow beneath pale sunlight.
Even in his struggle they caught the light and shimmered softly. Each feather layered perfectly over the next, forming a cloak of quiet majesty.
Though the primordial's pressure had forced him to the ground, nothing about him looked small.
Even fallen, the hawk carried the dignity of the sky.
"Hmmm…" Nova assessed his condition. "It seems he suffered just as much as I did."
She crouched slightly.
"The good thing is that he isn't physically injured. In a few minutes he should be able to stand again."
She frowned.
"I feel like I'm forgetting something… what is it?"
Her thoughts were still slow to form, proof of just how terrifying the primordial had been.
Then suddenly–
Her head snapped up.
Maxwell!