The High Reaches were not a place for the weak-hearted. The path down was treacherous even in good weather. Today the clouds above churned, heavy and gray, their bellies threatening snow. Sharp winds howled through the jagged peaks, carrying with them a bitter chill that sank into bones and refused to leave.

The nymphryn padded carefully along the narrow path, its sleek form low to the ground, each paw step as silent as moonlight. Below, the world fell away into a chasm of swirling mist and jagged cliffs, a reminder that one misstep would mean a swift end.

The path itself was treacherous, carved into the mountainside as if by grudging agreement with the stone. Frost clung to its edges, sparkling in the dim twilight that filtered through the peaks above. The nymphryn’s luminous eyes caught every glint.

Somewhere above, the wind keened softly, threading its mournful song through the jagged rocks. The nymphryn’s ears flicked toward the sound but found nothing unusual. Still, its fur bristled slightly.

It continued down the path, its tail sweeping slowly behind it as it navigated a particularly narrow stretch where the frost crept closer to the center. The mist below churned uneasily, tendrils curling upward like pale hands reaching for the ledge. The nymphryn paused, sniffing the air. There was no scent of danger—only the sharp tang of snow and stone—but the unease remained.

The path snaked downward in a series of sharp switchbacks, each turn narrower than the last. To the left rose sheer cliffs of dark stone, their surfaces streaked with ice that glittered faintly in the weak light filtering through the clouds. To the right, the mountain dropped away into an abyss of swirling mist, a void so vast it seemed to swallow sound.

The air was thin, sharp, and bitterly cold, carrying with it the scent of frost and distant pine. Every breath felt like a challenge, the altitude stealing warmth and strength from even the most seasoned traveler.

Despite the harshness of the environment, there was a certain beauty to the High Reaches. The frost on the rocks formed delicate patterns, fractals of ice that caught the light like scattered diamonds. Snow clung stubbornly to ledges and crevices, its pristine whiteness broken only by the dark streaks of windblown stone. Above, the clouds parted occasionally to reveal glimpses of an impossibly blue sky, so vibrant it seemed to defy the bleakness below.

Axil paused at one of these openings, his breath misting in the air looking out over the land below. The nymphryn didn’t pause to appreciate the view. It was already several paces ahead, its focus entirely on the path.

The trail grew narrower as they descended, the frost thickening into slick patches of ice. “Show-off,” Axil grumbled as the nymphryn leapt lightly over a fallen rock that had wedged itself into the path.

It was just as Axil was preparing to follow when a faint rumble echoed through the mountains.

The nymphryn froze, its ears swiveling toward the sound. Axil paused, ears twitching forward. “Avalanche?”

The rumble grew louder, but it wasn’t the rolling, thunderous sound of snow cascading down a slope. It was deeper, more resonant, as though the mountain itself were shifting.

The nymphryn crouched low, its silver eyes fixed on the trail ahead. Axil stepped closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “What is it?”

The answer came in the form of a sudden gust of wind, carrying with it a bone-chilling howl that seemed to come from everywhere at once. Out of the mist rose a figure—a shadow at first, its form indistinct. As it drew closer, it became clear that it was not one of the mountain’s many dangers but a traveler, bundled in heavy furs and moving with the slow, deliberate steps of someone who had been walking for far too long.

Stolen story; please report.

Axil relaxed slightly but didn’t lower his guard. “Another fool on the High Reaches,” he muttered. “Misery loves company, I suppose.”

The nymphryn bristled slightly, its silver eyes locked on the approaching figure.

The traveler stopped a few paces away, his face obscured by a thick hood. For a moment, there was silence. Then the figure raised a hand, pointing past Axil and the nymphryn toward the path they had just descended.

“Turn back,” the traveler said, his voice rough and broken, as though it had been unused for years. The traveler said nothing more. He simply turned and disappeared into the mist, his steps soundless against the frost-covered ground.

Axil shivered, though it wasn’t from the cold. “Friendly sort,” he muttered, turning back to the nymphryn. The nymphryn didn’t answer. It simply resumed its descent, its silver eyes flicking occasionally to the mist behind them.

The trail widened slightly as they continued, revealing a series of jagged outcroppings that jutted out over the abyss. From this vantage point, the swirling mist below seemed almost alive, curling and shifting in patterns that defied logic. The mist below shifted suddenly, parting just enough to reveal a faint glimmer of light far beneath the surface. It was fleeting, gone as quickly as it had appeared, but it was enough to make Axil straighten.

“Did you see that?” he asked, his voice sharp.

The nymphryn stared into the mist for a long moment before turning back to the path.

“Well, I saw it,” Axil said. “And it looked... unnatural.”

The nymphryn pressed onward, its movements slow and deliberate. Axil followed cautiously, his staff scraping against the rock as he tested each step before committing his weight.

Ahead, the path widened slightly, offering a small plateau where the ground was bare of frost. The nymphryn hesitated, its glowing eyes scanning the space. It stepped forward, the frost crunching faintly beneath its paws. It was as they rounded a sharp bend that the hum began.

At first, it was faint, almost imperceptible beneath the howl of the wind. But it grew steadily, a low, resonant tone that seemed to vibrate through the mountain itself.

The nymphryn froze, its ears swiveling. Axil stopped behind it, his brow furrowing. “What now?”

At first, it was faint, barely more than a vibration beneath its paws. But it grew steadily, resonating through the ground and up into its chest. The nymphryn froze, its ears swiveling.

The hum sharpened, turning into a deep, resonant tone that filled the air. Cracks spiderwebbed across the plateau, glowing faintly with threads of silver and gold light. The nymphryn backed away, its fur bristling.

The mountain itself seemed to groan, a low, guttural sound that vibrated through the rock. The hum deepened, and the frost-covered rocks began to glow faintly, threads of silver and gold light weaving through the stone like veins of molten metal.

Axil swore softly, stomping his cloven hoof. “I don’t like this.”

The nymphryn took a cautious step forward, its silver eyes fixed on the glowing path. The light grew brighter with each step, pulsing in time with the hum.

At first, it was faint, barely more than a vibration beneath its paws. But it grew steadily, resonating through the ground and up into its chest. The nymphryn froze, its ears swiveling. The mist below churned violently now, roiling like an angry sea.

The hum sharpened, turning into a deep, resonant tone that filled the air. Cracks spiderwebbed across the plateau, glowing faintly with threads of silver and gold light. The nymphryn backed away, its fur bristling. The mountain itself seemed to groan, a low, guttural sound that vibrated through the rock.

The nymphryn tilted its head, its luminous eyes narrowing. It padded forward, its paws leaving faint imprints in the frost-dusted stone. The sound was beneath it, creating vibrations through its paws. The trail shimmered faintly, as though a trick of the light had caught the frost just so.

And then the ground beneath it cracked.

And then the light erupted.

And then the ground gave way.

The nymphryn let out an undignified yowl—a sound of surprise and indignation—as the stone fractured and collapsed beneath its paws, fragments of stone flying outward as a brilliant vortex of silver and gold burst forth. The yowl echoed as the ground beneath its paws dissolved, dragging it into the swirling void. Its claws scrambled for purchase on the dissolving edges of the stone, but there was no holding on.

The world dissolved into chaos. The vortex of silver and gold light yawned wide, dragging the nymphryn into a vortex of shimmering starlight. The world spun, its sense of up and down unraveling as the trail dissolved into a blur of color and light.. The nymphryn tumbled through the vortex, the sensation of falling mixed with that of being buffeted by storm of a thousand forgotten dreams. The light was soft but unrelenting, bathing the nymphryn in warmth that seeped into its fur.

Axil was frozen in shock as the trail shattered like glass and the nymphryn was swallowed by a vortex of silver and gold light. He lunged forward, too late, and was left staring down at the dirt where the celestial gate had closed.

The nymphryn was gone.