Yona exhaled sharply, her breath fogging in the biting air. She crossed her arms, her thin coat doing little to shield her from the cold. Meanwhile, the man ahead of her walked as if winter itself bowed in his presence—hands buried in his pockets, his pace unbothered, cool like the frost wasn't even there.
Kai didn't spare her a glance.
A twitch of irritation flared across Yona's face. "You could've just come alone," she snapped. "Why do I always have to play royal escort for your highness?"
"Quit yapping," Kai muttered without turning, his voice as dry as the frost under their feet. He strode into an abandoned alley where a dense mist curled like silent smoke, the cold biting harder with each step. "We're here." His pace slowed, and he peeled off his fingerless gloves.
Yona eyed the place warily. "The portal's here?"
"You don't see this creepy mist and unnatural chill?" Kai replied, shrugging off his coat. The fabric slid from his shoulders, ghosting to his elbows. "It was warm outside, remember? People avoid this alley because sometimes, it turns so cold it can freeze you solid."
She squinted, unconvinced. "No, I mean—is the portal exactly where you're standing?"
Kai finally glanced over his shoulder, his gaze razor-sharp. "Yes."
Yona gave a small nod, lips pursed. "Hmm."
***
"We were assigned to investigate this area," Yona muttered, her boots crunching against the frost-coated ground. "There might be an opening—a gate to the Halcyon. It's been attacking this neighborhood with freakish methods… freezing people alive. And then—" she paused, "—the victims vanish like they were never here."
Not a single trace of monsters. No reports. No claw marks. No signs.
Too clean. Too quiet.
"Are B-level monsters getting smarter at hiding?" she wondered aloud. "Or is this something else?"
No. That's not it.
There was something off. A rhythm. A pattern just out of reach. They needed to find the portal fast and take down the Halcyon before anyone else disappeared.
But things weren't simple—Opening Detection Bureau was currently tangled in bureaucratic red tape, their top detectors sidelined for recalibration. Which left them with one option: follow scraps of intel from the Corporation or sniff out clues the old-school way.
Yona's train of thought broke as she noticed Kai staring at her.
"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
He looked away. "Nothing."
She scowled. "Huh?! What's your deal today?"
Kai didn't answer. Instead, he clenched his fist, power gathering in his palm. Sparks danced over his knuckles. With a sudden growl, he slammed his fist into the ground.
Boom.
The earth cracked with a thunderous creak, a tremor rippling through the alley.
"Ah—!" Yona staggered as the ground split open. A rupture formed, glowing softly with golden light. From within, transparent stairs unfolded like a dream—or a trap—spiraling into a glowing abyss.
She peered into the depths. Endless. Unknown. Very much not normal.
"What the hell is this…?"
"Jump," Kai said flatly.
"What?" Yona's head snapped toward him. "There are stairs! Literal glowing stairs! Are you blind?!"
"Jumping's faster. I'm on a schedule."
"Seriously, you're—AH!"
Before she could finish, a foot landed square on her back, and she was booted straight into the abyss.
"Wha—YOU PSYCHOPAAAAAAATH!"
Her voice echoed into the depths.
Kai sighed. His face blank, utterly unimpressed.
With all the enthusiasm of a man late for his lunch break, he jumped after her.
Yona had no idea how long she'd been falling. Seconds? Minutes? Time twisted in this abyss like a dream. The void around her began to shift—light bleeding in through the dark.
And then she saw it.
A massive, frozen chamber unfolded before her. Jagged icicles clung to the cavern ceiling like frozen fangs. The ground below glittered like a frosted mirror, slick with unnatural ice. Strange crystalline plants bloomed in twisted beauty, pulsing faintly with a pale blue glow.
"Shit…" Yona muttered, squinting as the icy floor rushed up to greet her.
Just before impact, arms swept around her.
Kai.
He landed gracefully, the force of his descent slowed by a burst of magic. Snowflakes spiralled behind him in slow motion, trailing light like tiny falling stars. He looked like he'd stepped out of a legendary painting.
"Huh?" Yona blinked. Once. Twice. Then her face twisted. "Hey—put me down! You yank me off, and now you're pretending to be Prince Charming?!"
Without a word, Kai let her go. She flopped to the ground with a thud as he turned his back to inspect the strange frozen world around them.
"Unbelievable," she grumbled, scrambling to her feet. "This time, I won't tolerate your—"
Freeze.
Her body locked up mid-stride. Not a twitch. Not a blink.
"What the hell…?" she tried to say, but no sound came. Her voice was trapped. Her breath fogged against the ice creeping over her boots.
She looked down in horror—ice was crawling up her legs, wrapping around her like a living cage. Her muscles refused to obey. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, then—
Whoosh.
The ground gave way beneath her, and in a blink, she was gone—swallowed whole by the ice.
Kai blinked. Three seconds of dead silence.
He turned, gaze narrowing—only to catch a final glimpse of Yona's head sinking into the frost like it was water. He raised his hand to cast a spell, but—crack! An icicle shot from the side, piercing his arm with cold fire.
"Damn it!" he growled, stumbling back as his magic sputtered.
By the time he looked up, she was gone.
He clenched his jaw. Breath slow. Controlled.
Then—a voice.
A low, melodic hum. A lullaby, gentle and eerie, echoed through the chamber.
Kai looked forward.
A woman sat on the frozen floor, her back to him. Her entire body was sculpted of translucent ice, shimmering with unnatural grace. She was tracing patterns into the frost with a single finger, her voice a soft, haunting tune.
She stopped.
Then, slowly—so slowly—she turned her head.
Her eyes glowed like frostbitten stars. Her smile was too wide. Too calm. Too knowing.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it… Master Kai?"