Jinyoung was always distant. Not as much with her, but with their father. Or, that is, the man who adopted them after the Break. There was a period of time when the world was lost in chaos, when laws and rules were tossed aside as vestiges of the past. It was hard enough surviving, let alone taking on the care of children who weren’t your own flesh and blood.

Youngho was by no means a natural father figure, but he did his best. Enough so that Hana took to calling him father rather easily. She’d long since forgotten the names and faces of her own parents.

On the other hand, Jinyoung was old enough to remember his parents vividly. Even as an adult, Hana couldn’t remember why Jinyoung had accepted his offer to adopt him. Still, for a time, Jinyoung tried to make things work. While each of them were closer to Hana than each other, they sat down for breakfast and dinner every day. Then there was a night, many years ago when that all changed.

There’s a tone that their father’s voice took on when he was angry. His words were sharper and when he spoke, there was almost a hiss to the way pronounced his words. He never raised his voice, at least not with Hana. It wasn’t uncommon to hear her brother and father argue, but this time was different.

“You knew, and yet you never told me.”

“It wasn’t my place.”

Their voices were low, but there was no mistaking the anger in Jinyoung’s voice.

“You goddamned knew, old man. And instead of telling me, you-”

“Keep your voice down. Your sister’s asleep upstairs.”

Hana crept to the top of the stairs, careful to avoid the spots of the floor that creaked audibly.

“If there’s a way back, I need to know. I don’t want any more secrets,” Jinyoung hissed.

“There’s no way back. Not yet. The water isn’t safe and travel to the north still isn’t open. We don’t know-”

“How am I supposed to believe that?” Jinyoung exploded. “If you’ve been lying about that, how can I believe anything else?”

Hana held her breath at the top of the stairs. She didn’t know what they were talking about, but she knew enough to understand the importance of that moment. Of the stakes it held for their relationship moving forward. She couldn’t hear her father’s response, but she could feel the reaction.

Instead of listening to the rest of the conversation, she crept back to her bedroom and lay down under the blankets. Quietly hoping that it was all a bad dream.

The next morning and for several mornings after, Jinyoung would leave before breakfast and arrive late at night well after dinner. It wasn’t until Hana was old enough to start training for the Academy that he started to make time for her again. But always away from their father.

***

“I don’t trust it,” Jinyoung said.

The path led to a small gully which had long since dried out. The walls weren’t sheer, but climbing out would prove a challenge for Hana and Jinyoung since their hands weren’t protected against the harsh cold. And they’d be at a severe disadvantage if there were any monsters waiting for them at the top after such an arduous climb. Luckily, there was a mining shaft situated just above the gully which was easily accessible by foot. Luckier still, the padlock holding the reinforced steel gate shut was unlocked.

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“I don’t trust it either,” Willow added.

The three of them stared at the lock. It, like the gate, was old and well worn but kept in good condition. In fact, every bit of manmade architecture seemed to be in working order. Far beyond what Hana would have expected this far north under these conditions.

Traveling back the way they came wasn’t an option and taking on walls of the gully was asking for trouble. The mining shaft led in the right direction and, judging by the condition of the gate, it was well-maintained.

“No one trusts it, but we don’t have any other option.”

The gate swung inward silently exposing a wide passage, large enough to fit a caravan. Hana slowly pushed the gate closed behind and latched it shut careful to leave the padlock to the side.

Do you see anything, Jinyoung?

There was no telling if more of the Frostbite were in here. And until they knew what drew their attention in the first place, using clan chat was safer than talking aloud.

Jinyoung's eyes narrowed, then he shook his head.

Nothing comes up.

Walking through the abandoned structure reminded Jinyoung of the Academy’s final test. Without any bearing on the monsters of this region, the party was forced to move slowly and quietly.

Up ahead. Willow pointed out a map on the wall.

The structure was three floors, built into the base of a mountain. Each floor was offset from the previous floors leading further north.

Looks like there’s an exit on the topmost floor, Hana said. If we move carefully, we should be able to get there in an hour.

Each floor was a painstaking exercise in clearing passages and rooms before making progress. The party would round a corner to find rows of shelves, neatly organized with books and files in one room while there were barracks with well-made beds and clothes hung up in closets. It wouldn’t have surprised anyone if they rounded a corner and found a family at dinner or a group of players hunkering down for the night. But each hall and each room of each floor was empty. The only sound was the occasional shuffle as the three players made their way through.

Every few minutes, Jinyoung [scanned] their surroundings and with the exception of the occasional flicker, the system returned nothing. If there was ever life in these tunnels, there was none now.

The upper floor was obviously a garage, probably for large machinery used to maintain and create the structure they had traveled through. But whatever was housed here was long gone leaving a large open space with a single exit to the outside.

“We should set up a fire,” Jinyoung whispered.

Hana grit her teeth. They’d cleared each floor, but it was still an unknown environment. The idea of making camp or even speaking out loud felt like a breach. She was about to say so when Jinyoung held a finger to his lips.

Just go with me on this.

Hana and Willow traded looks before nodding in agreement.

Lighten your load, we’re not alone.

Jinyoung emptied a small pile of books he’d collected on his way up. Hana nodded at Willow who cast [ember]. It wasn’t long before the books were smoldering. Meanwhile, Jinyoung [scanned] the garage again. It was a wide open space, but he could see the mana pulse outwards, searching for something. And just like each time he’d activated his skill over the past hour, he saw the same flicker. The system returned nothing, but he knew the flicker wasn’t nothing.

Once the party was ready, Jinyoung unsheathed his sword while Hana did the same.

“I know you’re out there,” he called. “You can either come out now, or I can come get you.”

It was a jarring sight. Jinyoung had kept his eyes on the way they had just come. And while there was nothing there a second ago, suddenly he could make out the outline of a man.

“Step into the light!” shouted Hana.

The stranger held his hands wide at his sides to show he posed no threat and slowly walked forward. The party scrutinized his gait, looking for any sign of a tremor or awkward limp like the other Frostbite had exhibited.

Once the stranger had gotten close enough, he spoke with a calm voice. “You shouldn't have come, Hana.”

Hana stiffened. She half expected not to find him. Or worse. Actually, she had never thought of what would actually happen if she found him.

It was Seunghyo.