I opened my eyes to a world of white. The cold wrapped around me, gentle yet unrelenting. Was this death?

Was this... what they called cold hell?

It was cold, yes, but not harsh enough to punish. The biting chill felt too soft, too quiet. It didn’t seem like the kind of torment you’d find in hell.

“So... this isn’t hell,” I murmured, my voice muffled by the snow. “But then... where am I? And why am I even here?”

The falling snow muted everything around me. Occasionally, I caught glimpses of the sky, only to see it swallowed again by the storm.

“Wasn’t I dying? How did I end up here?”

I tried to push myself up, only to feel something unfamiliar. My body was... wrong.

“Huh?” Even standing, I wasn’t far from the ground.

Looking down, I froze.

“These are... paws?”

I turned, twisting to see more of myself. Four legs? Fur? No... no way.

“Did I... come back as an animal?!”

I jumped to get a better look at my body, but the snow caught me off balance. Face-first, I landed in the icy ground.

“Ah! Cold!” I yelled, squirming to get free. My breath came out in quick puffs, my heart was racing.

“Hey! When do you think the storm will calm down?” Ratasha shouted, her voice barely audible over the howling wind.

“I don’t know! Maybe in an hour—or more,” the man in front of her yelled back.

Then, smirking, he turned and spread his arms wide.

“Or maybe a few days. Who knows? I can warm you up anytime, beautiful—ahh!”

Ratasha’s boot connected with his shin before he could finish.

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“Ow! That hurt, Ratasha!” Aiden yelped, clutching his leg.

“Then stop being ridiculous,” she snapped, her tone cutting through the storm.

“Hey! Hey! Cut it out, you two!” Reynard shouted as he finally caught up. “I leave for five minutes, and you’re already fighting? If you’ve got the energy to argue, use it to find shelter before we freeze to death!”

Ratasha huffed and stomped off ahead, though she slowed her pace.

“Don’t go too far, Ratasha!” Reynard called after her. “If you get lost, we won’t be able to find you!

"What did you do this time, Aiden? You know she doesn’t like the way you act."

"Are you seriously taking her side, Reynard?!" Aiden shouted, his voice rising above the storm. "She just joined our party this week! You didn’t even ask us before accepting her. Yes, you’re the leader, but that doesn’t mean our opinions are irrelevant!"

He took a deep breath, his frustration barely contained. "We’ve been together for three years now, and I’ll say this for the sake of it."

Reynard shook his head, already weary of the argument. "Stop it, Aiden. You keep say—"

"No, you stop it!" Aiden cut him off, his tone sharp and unrelenting.

"Why do you keep turning a blind eye to this? She’s incompetent, Reynard. She’s dragging us down! All because of some naive fantasy she has. She’s not cut out for the kinds of requests we take! We can’t even focus on our jobs because we’re constantly saving her!"

His voice grew colder, more cutting. "This is our job, our livelihood, and it’s just a hobby for her. One day, she’ll get herself killed—or worse, one of us will die because of her incompetence! What are you going to do when that happens, huh?"

Aiden’s hands clenched into fists, and he stepped closer. "And now it’s just the three of us out here. Why? Because everyone else took a break. Why? Because they didn’t want to deal with her!"

He shoved Reynard’s shoulder, his frustration boiling over.

"But the way you’re handling this isn’t okay," Reynard replied calmly, his voice steady despite the tension.

"I’m trying to make her quit on her own," Aiden muttered, his tone quieter but no less intense. "Before she gets hurt—or we do. Because you’re not doing anything about it."

He glanced away, his expression conflicted. "I’m not some kind of predator who harasses women. I don’t like acting this way. But if you don’t step in, Reynard, this is the only way I know how to handle.

Before Reynard could respond, Ratasha’s voice broke through the storm.

“Hey! I found a cave! We can take shelter here!”

Both men turned to see her waving at them. Reynard exhaled heavily.

“Come on, Aiden. Let’s go before we freeze to death.”

“Sigh.” Aiden rubbed his temples and followed, grumbling under his breath.

---

The “cave” wasn’t much of a shelter—just a rock jutting out from the ground, shielding them from the worst of the wind. They packed their bags against the sides to block the cold, but the biting air still seeped in.

“Hey, Aiden, can you make a fire?” Reynard asked, hope flickering in his voice.

Aiden shook his head. “You think I wouldn’t have done that already if I could? This storm has magical properties. So if I tried to use mana to start a fire I could burn us alive. And honestly?” He smirked. “Freezing to death seems like the better option.”

Ratasha shivered and pulled her cloak tighter. “Do you think they’re still alive?”

“If they found shelter, maybe,” Reynard replied. “But for a group that large? It’s unlikely. And even if they did, they won’t be safe. We’re not the only ones seeking shelter from this storm.”

“You mean monsters?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“Doesn’t have to be monsters,” Aiden cut in. “Wild animals can be just as deadly. Monsters are not the only thing that kills humans you know."

Ratasha’s frustration boiled over. “Then why are we even here? If you think they’re already dead, why are we risking our lives?!”

Aiden’s smirk returned, sharper this time. “Because we’re not heartless, Ratasha. Some of us actually care about saving lives.”

“You—!” Ratasha lunged at him, but Reynard pulled her back.

“That’s enough, both of you!” Reynard snapped, his calm demeanor finally breaking.

He glared at them. “If we want to find those people, we need to conserve our energy. Just sitting in this cold is draining enough—where do you even find the energy to fight?”

The cave fell into a heavy silence.