I didn't move forward. Instead, I snapped the hat into my inventory and took a step back, holding my torch up. It crackled, casting dancing shadows over Michael's face as his expression slipped from joy to annoyance. I took another step as anger flickered in his eyes. They turned so cold.

"The hat wasn't made by your mother," I said, my voice firm and certain. The words hung in the air, like someone had hit the pause button. I knew I was right.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, I don't know what you think is going on, but my mom made that hat." He glanced away at the cave, then back at me. He looked so young, and concerned for me. "Can I get it back?" He smiled softly at me. "My ears are a little cold."

For a second, I wanted to believe him. His eyes were almost glowing as he stared at me. But the Made in China label was there, so I shook my head, my heart pounding in my chest. Somehow he was making me doubt myself, and I had to resist. "I'm not trying to start a fight, Michael, but that hat was made in my world, not here."

Michael's eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I could see a flash of something dark and dangerous in his gaze. But then it was gone, replaced by a look of determination.

"Come with me to the cave, Alex," he said, taking a step towards me. "I'll explain everything there. I promise you, it's not what you think."

I took another step back, my mind racing. The wolves howled in the distance, closer than before, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. I didn't trust Michael, not a freaking chance. The hair on the back of my neck stood up and my hammer appeared in my hand.

His eyes grew wide at the sudden appearance, and he stepped back slightly, hesitating. "Let's get to the cave and away from the wolves. We can start a fire inside to keep them at bay. Then we can talk about all of this."

I took another step back, my heart pounding in my chest like a drum. The cave loomed behind Michael, a gaping maw in the mountain's side that promised danger. My eyes darted to the dark woods beyond him, where the wolves howled again, sending shivers down my spine. Bright yellow eyes peered out at us. No, not us. Him.

I turned and ran, my boots sinking into the snow with each step.

"Alex, wait!" Michael called out, but I didn't stop.

In the distance, the wolves' eyes glowed. They watched me, their gaze piercing through the shadows. I could feel their hunger, their wildness, their otherness. And yet, there was something almost protective about them.

I ran faster, barely keeping the torch upright. I tossed it through the air so it wouldn’t keep slowing me down, and it hit a tree, falling into the snow and going out. The cold air stung in my lungs as I heaved, and my heart racing. The sudden darkness jolted me out of my panic. Running was something I knew how to do, something I was good at. I slowed my pace to a more manageable long-term cadence and calmed my breathing as I continued ahead, following our footprints. The campfire wouldn't be far.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

The wolves followed me, their howls echoing through the night. But they didn't attack me. Instead, they kept pace, matching my steps as if they were herding me away from the cave. Away from the feeling of danger.

Michael followed me, too, his torch flickering in the darkness. "Alex, come back! We must talk. You’re doing the wrong thing. You don't understand!" His voice became tinged with anger and desperation. But I didn't stop. I couldn't. I didn't know what awaited me in that cave, but I knew it wasn’t what I was looking for.

The wolves got closer, their eyes locked on mine. They were beautiful, fierce, and untamed. The fire flickered in the distance, and I picked up the pace.

Michael's face twisted in anger, and I knew I'd made a grave mistake. His torch flickered wildly as he charged towards me, his eyes burning with rage. I pushed harder, giving up on my breathing to just make it to the fire, my heart pounding in my chest like a drum. The wolves closed in, their eyes gleaming in the darkness, and I realized they were my only hope for salvation.

"Alex, come back!" Michael roared, but I didn't look back.

As I reached the clearing, the wolves closed in around me, their eyes glowing in the darkness like lanterns in a storm. I could hear Michael's footsteps behind me, growing louder as he tried to catch up. But the wolves wouldn't let him get too close. They snarled and snapped at him, keeping him at bay.

"Alex, stop!" Michael yelled, his voice echoing through the forest. "You don't know what you're doing!"

But I knew what I was doing. There needed to be blood in the snow, and not mine. Michael was the one who fell in the song, not the wolves. The campfire glowed as I moved deeper into the circle of warmth and light, the wolves forming a line behind me, facing Michael.

I glanced back to see Michael swinging his torch at a wolf who’d gotten too close. Michael stumbled, his torch flickering out as it hit the ground. He cursed, his voice full of anger and frustration. "You were my last hope, Alex!" he screamed, his voice barely audible over the howling wind. "My first two offers turned on me, and now you're doing the same thing!"

I didn't respond. I couldn't. But I paused, wanting to see what would happen next. If I was wrong, I needed to be ready. The wolves leaped on him, tearing. I glanced away, then back, to see blood everywhere. It’d happened so fast. The hymn whispered softly on the breeze and faded away as the red glowed in the moonlight. The wolves vanished into a cloud of glitter, and for a moment I heard soft crying.

You have solved the riddle of the White Winter Hymnal.

Turning away from the scene, I continued to walk in the direction I'd come. The trail was illuminated by the moonlight. The snow crunched loudly under my feet as I caught my breath and calmed down my racing heart. Even if it turned out I needed to run toward the exit, I had to take a moment to rest.

He was dead.

I didn't do it, but by not going to the cave and getting away from the fire, the wolves had been given their chance. Thankfully, they were gone now. The banked fire glowed in the clearing, but I walked resolutely away, moving toward where I assumed the exit was. As I walked, the moon grew brighter, and the sky lighted. I expected to hear birdsong, but it remained eerily quiet.

Was Michael a real person? Did I help kill someone?

The bodies were gone. Harold and Fennel, both. I'd noticed that Fennel was gone first, since his was the last one I'd seen. Everything from the blood splatter to his actual body. Had vanished, like the wolves. The indent in the snow was even gone. What happened to the Divers that died in the dungeons? What would have happened to me if I hadn’t figured it out?