With patience, Enrei held Royans draw till the first barbarian peeked his head through the door. Sheathing the bow with the shimmering of ice crystals reflecting moonlight as Qi raged through it, and the arrow alike.

“Za-” The lead barbarian’s voice drowns under thunder as Royan loosed its rage, leaving an icy trail behind the arrow.

The headshot sent the barbarian flying, his head encapsulated with thick ice that shatters against the earth. His companions jolt, the furthest back losing his footing and falling into the snow.

“Wha–”

Yells drown beneath sudden uproar within Snowhaven, furious gales carry the roars of man and clashing steel throughout derelict streets. Her second arrow failed in claiming a life, quick to react the stalwart monster drew his sword whilst she charged.

It’s risky, but the hut had no windows and each second spent within it, is another moment Eneri spent trapped. Seizing the opportunity, Enrei broke from the trap and traded a series of blows with barbarian.

His Qi-dense armor saved his life, but it’s deceptive aid hindered him more. The alloys and leather constrict his mobility as if it were a snake, making his attacks slow and sluggish. He kept a certain wild ferocity with his attacks, reminding her of the four-armed Galazards without the agility to pull it off.

With a final thrust, Enrei’s blade pierced through his heart, sending him stumbling back. Her ears stood up straight, quick on her feet she dodged a fatal strike and blocked, guiding the blade down to her hilt where…

“D–Demon!” He shouts, his cry of pain and aid drowns in the distant conflict.

The crude metal broke off. She hissed in pain as he cleaved into her wrist, failing to take the hand. Adrenaline and raged fueled deftness to counter and numbed the pain alongside the hoarfrost. Her knuckles met his face with a nasty hook, cocking his jaw but ultimately dealing more damage to her knuckles.

Quickly, her blade slashed into his shoulder, lodging into the flesh and armor she switched to her dagger and twirled, driving it upward through his now freshly shattered ribs and armor alike, stealing his life with a raspy and pained cry.

‘That’s really handy…’ As useful as it is to someone with less cultivation than the blade, she couldn’t get herself used to it.

Regardless, she knelt down to retrieve the wisps of wind. Enrei couldn’t shake the disappointment she felt. These monsters were renown throughout the Taiga and hinterlands for their brutality and toughness yet… They fought with as much grace as a dying Galazard separated from his pack.

‘Even those would’ve put up a stronger fight…’

Eneri remarked with a scoff, collecting the final wisp hovering above the final beast's body. A crunch of snow alerts her to a barbarian charging behind before he sounds a mighty roar.

“You– You killed them!”

The air beside her cut, if it weren't for her quick action the blade would’ve killed her. Even now, the nearness provided the wind and Qi to prick against her skin like needles, subsiding quickly to numbness.

Through reflex, she threw the flame in hand and twirled her dagger to lunge.

Sent tumbling back, barely capable of keeping her stability as a sudden and strong gust of wind spawned around the barbarian. The flame of wind expanded into a raging squall that consumed his form, the visible gales ripped and tore him into chunks throwing them around with the ferocity of a tornado.

Eneri’s jaw went slack, the distant battle still played. She could only look at her hand, then the new body which sprouted a familiar flame, from it, a plan flourished.

Quick and mindful in her movement, The Sentinel cut through rubble and buildings alike. Even with whiteout slowly obscuring the narrow streets, she is careful to steer clear of them for the odd barbarian fled down or fought within them.

With how little she knew of this power, there was no room for error.

‘Just how many of these rats are there?’

Enrei mutters, cutting through a burnt townhouse and up the stairs. This entire time, Royan remained drawn, filtering a crude mixture of Ice Qi from the air and her, and Wind Qi from the flame she drew against the notching.

It’s part of the bet, the other resided in Royan itself, and the special trait it possessed. An artifact passed down from her mother’s family when they were still within a clan generation ago. It takes the will of one who shares blood, or an absolute bond with the family. Awakening itself to show resplendent horns and draw Qi from the surrounding environment.

Using the townhouses burnt window, she gained a view over the pavilion and more importantly, a look down into the gates where a barbarian, his armor bloodied and savaged ran from the gates.

Bones protrude from his cheeks and ribs like daggers held against the skin, he whimpers.

“N–No pl–”

Silenced by the crunching of his bones as his form contorts like a twist toy, lifeless he falls to the floor, a fiery voice roars over the chaos of battle.

“Is there anyone else?!”

Enrei’s blood boiled, the boasting voice of the chieftain reached her ears, springing her attack.

“I can take all you tr–”

His boasting is cut short, the arrow cut through air and landed in the pavilion for a moment, nothing… The battle ceases as a wild gale of Ice and Wind Qi explodes within the building, the force throwing loose stones free and rattling the wooden roof above.

At the end, the pavilion exhales an icy gust throwing out five barbarians cut into bits, their flames radiating above their pieces while the Ice flames remained in place… The windy ones slowly leaned toward the pavilion.

Seeing the plan go true, Enrei sports a wide grin and descends from the townhouse into the blood and bit-stained courtyard. In truth, the head monster still lived. Her senses told her so, and if they were correct then he ascended to the next stage.

Almost on queue, a cruel growl sounds from within the pavilion. A thundering step rattles the building as it comes closer and closer, till she could clearly make out the beast's visage.

Wreathed with wounds of sword and bludgeon, bruises cover him from the savage winds. His muscles twisted and bits of flesh free from his form, failing to heal from the frost caking him. Despite this, the chieftain stands clutching the bone cleaver in his hand as if it were a lifeline.

Instinctively, Enrei’s heart fell to her stomach as she met the zealous eyes of the beast who took her life no more than a day prior. A new, bloodthirsty taste in the air as the hoarfrost desperately tried and failed to bite further against his skin.

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“Yooou…” Surprise hissed through an icy red stained breath, “Are back...?”

Enrei drew Royan, she could end him now like she did the boar back then but… He had information.

“The Demihumans of this village.” Her tone is colder than the Hoarfrost as snow melts beneath her feet, and her eye’s burn through the village. “Where are they?”

Chieftain snorts, stepping forward “Doesn’t matter… Demon…” Like a snow leopard, he lunged forward, his free hand and sword hand working in motion. “I’ll send you to your ilk!”

Expeditiously Enrei dashed back firing an arrow she rolled beneath him as he cleaved the air. Her bones tingle as residual Qi from the weapon slashed her skin.

“Demon…” Enrei spoke aloud, her blood boiling but she didn’t have long to brood. Chieftain twisted to charge once more. Beneath all his zeal, Chieftain’s deep blue eyes carried a familiar bloodthirst and wildness. One shared with boars.

“Can’t talk anymore?!”

He charged forward, a sudden gale protects him and blew the arrow off into the distance. Enrei muttered, glancing to the two final Wind flames, she sprinted and notched a normal arrow.

“Where d’ya think your runnin’ little rabbit?!”

Chieftain chased like a hound, cleaving the dirt and a body with his blade, a tremor of foreign Qi shot ahead, tailing her as she turned.

“Don’t ya’ know ol’ Capricoune pays handsome for demons! Dead or Alive!”

Enrei’s eye’s widened, House Capricoune, Shanyang… On queue curled spikes of bone thrust like claws of great cats. Only thanks to her quick agility does it narrowly cut against her cheek, but she’s forced to a stop as she rolled between the narrow crevice left between the pincered claws.

The split second it took for her to get on her feet nearly stole her life away with a sickening crunch as Chieftains knee rammed into her stomach, shattering bone and a few organs alike. Overwhelming her senses, a miasma of Qi erupts from her body.

Letting loose a torrent of slashing winds and freezing chills, even a thin spreading of flame joins the whiplash as her core desperately saw to heal, to continue her life.

“What th—” Chieftain reaches up to cover his face from the whiplash of energy, roaring his pain as it chewed, shattered and burnt through metal and flesh alike.

For a moment, Enrei saw smoldering suns boring into her soul. For a moment, she heard that whistle and hum as natural as the wind. And in that moment, she forced herself back on her feet, gripping the icy flame from the nearby body she lunged at and through his legs, cutting through his knee with the dagger before passing into the mist like a shadow.

Roaring in pain, Chieftain wildly swung his sword in a vain attempt to strike a fly that wasn’t there.

“Where the hell’d ya go coward?!”

Tears froze within his eyes as he scanned around, each breath heavy and haggard as he scanned around. He was the King of the Asarge, scourge of winter! He ascended to the realm of Roaming Comet, given time he’d unite the tribes and seize the Hoarfrost yet…

This Demon and her pathetic tricks drove him to the edge, mixtures of Qi overwhelmed his hampered senses painting everything in an energetic red where only Qi could be made out, and the coward hid hers within the frost!

His eye’s catch it, the jacket she wore lunging out from the mist her core late Qi realm core shone with brilliance.

“Showing your power now?!”

He charged forward with a grin on his face, cleaving down into the half-frozen jacket his eyes widen; beneath he didn’t hit flesh but solid ice which lashed out at him like the spears of soldiers.

Enrei whistled a mockery of the one she heard in the Crosstraits; her bow drawn with an icy glare as she faced down a monster several stages and a whole realm above her in cultivation. His prestigious form wreathed with wounds and solid ice which impaled him, he still turned.

Before his bloodied lips could speak, she fires her arrow kissed with wind striking its mark with a sickening crunch. Ice froze his upper body, and wind tore it to bits which shattered like glass against the fresh snow.

Heaving, Enrei pressed against the wall. Her body wreathed with frozen wounds and red stains painting her skin like tattoos, and clothing. The Sentinel's mark is dead, but the hunt is far from over. She couldn’t feel pride from it.

Adrenaline ceased, but she felt no pain, no exhaustion just small bouts of numbness tingling from her wounds on the surface to her bones. Blood leaked from the corner of her mouth, but quickly froze as it rolled.

With a final breath, she stood once more. The reward had yet been reaped. Above the Chieftain a flame of wind danced through the air as if it were water, the tail flicked with exuberance letting loose raging gales while keeping growing frost at bay. Drawn to it like a thief to a dazzling gem, Enrei squeezed it in her palm.

‘He ascended…’ In doing so, he forfeited his life.

Opening her palm, nothing is there and she’s free to reap the rest of her reward. The remaining flames of those she slayed, and more importantly the Chieftains blade ‘Fang’.

The blade is fashioned from the fang of a great beast, notched along the length with serrations and nooks to catch and cut. Decorating the handle is brown leather, there is no hilt. Immediately taking it, everything from Enrei’s skull to her digits tingles as if they were rattled by an earthquake. A moment passed before it subsided, she saw what it could do, but she still had to learn, a thought passed her.

‘Something like this and the best name they could come up with is Fang? Not Bonerend or something?’ She scoffed, and sighed… There’s nothing left for her in Snowhaven, and a journey needed to be prepared for.

----------------------------------------

Deftly searching through her home, Enrei compiled a list of what she needed, and what she knew.

She handled the cold pretty well, but with no Cultivators using the array, Hoarfrost already began to flood the village, thus… Jacket? It’s her mothers and black instead of white, but check.

Entering the pantry to seize the few ingredients rich in Fire Qi, she looked over the clues.

Originally, she believed it to be a contact within Shanyang but the mention of House Caprinoue turned a string to a target. The only issue? Caprinoue is one of the four head families within the Snow Wraith Sect. The largest and most opulent, bar House Laohan.

‘Ah! There they are.’ She reached for the Fire Fruits, a mixture of berries and apples happendashed with Fire Qi, all provided by merchants from Shanyang.

Barring House Laohan they’d be the only family with the crowns, and contacts to supply this number of barbarians with gear… The only question it brings is, ‘Why?’.

Seeing a box buried at the back of the pantry, Enrei raised a brow and brought it up only for her heart to squeeze, indecisive between bursting and stopping as she opened it.

‘Happy 22nd Birthday Eneri! Love Miyo, Iyomi and Mom!’

Struggling to suck in air, a black muddled red tear rolls down her cheek turning to slush midway onto the white paper.

Three plushies the size of her finger lay within. One for each of her family. Failing to choke in her sobs, she squeezed the plushies in her hand. She wanted to bury them back in the box, to forget it all but… but… There’s no turning back the past. Enrei clipped them to her bracelet, giving them a final squeeze as she steeled herself.

Only now did she notice… Her skin had been turned a mixture of light gray and a pale blue, turning back to the box she’s lost in her own glare.

Enrei’s sclera once white as snow, are a midnight black with twinkles of blue and purple shining within like stars, her iris turned to burning blood red halos filled with hate and staving off exhaust.

She noticed it earlier, but it only fully dawned on her now. Her hair is pitch black save a plume of dark, bloody red splattering across the center where the blade struck. And her skin truly is a light gray mixed with blue, her freckles, generally scattered across her nose even changed to look like tiny coals.

Shutting her eye’s, ensuring it wasn’t a trick of her exhausted mind… She is met with the same sight.

‘Have… Have I become a demon?’

She felt stronger since she woke, and while her mind remained the same… Her body had been altered by death. Even the Hoarfrost which threatened to freeze her solid with a single mess up, now couldn’t even tingle her skin when she wore a jacket.

Rubbing her temples, she couldn’t care less about her appearance. What she needed was focus. Chewing her lip, she stood and grabbed her gear, squeezing the trio once more.

There’s nothing left for her in Snowhaven, and the next few days will be spent cutting through the taiga until she reaches an outpost… The taiga where monsters in the shape of man and beast lurk, where one misstep could lead one to the Crosstraits.