The moment her spear pierced Polaris's heart, Snow awoke from her trance as the effects of Blood Boil faded. Her eyes, once wide with animalistic fury, softened to their usual gentle look, and her feral smile faded.
She gazed at her sister with a complicated expression. Polaris had sunk to her knees, still clutching her broken spear, blood spurting from the wound in her chest. One glance told Snow she had pierced her sister's heart—a fatal injury.
"Don't look at me like that," Polaris hissed, her expression distorted.
"You're going to die," Snow said, her voice coming out far calmer than she had expected.
"You think I don't know?" Polaris sneered, though her voice had lost its bite. She was weakening rapidly, with only moments left.
"Was it worth it?" Snow asked, her eyes growing misty at the sight before her. She had never wanted this, had never wanted things to end this way. But, as always, the world didn't care about her wishes.
"Worth it?" Polaris echoed, her face twisting in agony. "I'm dying in a ditch, defeated by a child, hated by my family, despised by my kind. Do you think I wanted it to end like this?" As she spoke, a surge of blood streamed up her throat, and she spat on the ground.
Snow frowned deeply. She didn't want to see her sister like this. In her mind, Polaris had always been a majestic existence: Smart, elegant, and refined. She was nothing like the pitiful woman before her now, cursing her fate and spouting profanities.
"…But," Polaris continued, getting her coughing under control. "That is the nature of gambling. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose." She grinned at her sister, showing off her bloody teeth. "At least I dared to take a chance."
"A chance for what?" Snow asked.
"To rise above my fate," Polaris said, her voice raw. "A chance for more than just living in your shadow my entire life."
Snow looked at her sister, her emotions in turmoil. Now that the clarity of Blood Boil had faded, she felt lost again. Why did Polaris speak as if they were mortal enemies, as if Snow had tried to take her position? She had never even considered something like that. If it would have made her sister happy, she would have gladly given up any rank in the tribe.
"I don't understand," Snow finally said.
Polaris spat, her saliva completely red. She clearly didn't have long in this world. However, a small smile still appeared on her face. "I guess you wouldn't."
Snow felt even more confused, seeing how her sister was acting.
"…After all, I have been quite selfish," Polaris admitted, "So, please don't blame me for being selfish one last time."
"What are you talking about?" Snow asked, having a bad premonition.
Polaris raised her eyes, her bloody smile on full display. "I don't want to go on this journey alone," she said.
A moment later, Snow felt the floor beneath her shift. Not good. She immediately jumped back, her instincts on high alert. But nothing happened—no follow-up attack, nothing at all. She could have sworn that Polaris had used her power, but it seemed nothing had happened.
Snow looked back at Polaris, only to see her sister wearing a satisfied smile. "This time, I won..." After saying those words, her limbs finally lost their strength, and she collapsed to the ground. A shiver ran down Snow's spine; her intuition screamed that something was wrong.
She quickly scanned the plaza but froze when her gaze landed on a certain spot. Frost lay exactly where Razeth had left him, unable to move with so much poison in his body. But it wasn't the poison that shocked Snow—it was the thick pillar of ice jutting from his chest.
"NOOO!" Snow screamed as she rushed over, kneeling beside her brother. She didn't dare touch him for fear of making things worse. In her panic, she did the only thing she could.
"Help him, please. I beg you, Zeke!"
"Please!!"
A moment later, she heard the voice she most wanted to hear. However, the message was not good. "I cannot save him," Zeke said telepathically. "His heart has been destroyed, and there is too much poison in his body. He wouldn't survive the extraction. I am sorry, little one…"
Hearing his words, thick tears streamed down Snow's face, hitting her brother's chest as she wept. Frost's breath was weak, but he still managed to smile. With his remaining strength, he draped an arm over her and said, "It's fine... It's going to be fine."
Snow didn't speak, and neither did she stop crying.
She kept sobbing, the endless torrent of tears soaking his uniform. She remained in that position long after his body had turned cold. Even then, the small smile remained on Frost's face.
Snow's heart felt like a hollow void, an abyss where warmth and love once flourished. The cold seeping into her bones wasn't just the chill of the plaza; it was the icy grip of despair that wrapped around her, tightening with every shuddering breath. She had lost not one, but both of her siblings.
In her mind, the whispers of doubt taunted her, insisting that she was to blame. What if she had been stronger? What if she had acted differently? Those questions gnawed at her, turning her grief into a suffocating shroud of guilt. With every heartbeat, the truth crashed down upon her: she was utterly alone, and the warmth of family was now just a haunting memory, the tears that stained her cheeks her only companions.
***
On a distant, grassy plane, a massive white wolf turned his head, glancing at the solitary mountain peak on the horizon. A flicker of sadness passed through his eyes before he decisively averted his gaze.
"It's rare for you to get distracted," Shassra teased, having arrived just moments ago. The Progenitor had also taken on his true form, that of a blue-scaled snake with two small horns.
Winter sighed. "Two of my children just died."
Shassra's eyes widened. "How do you know?"
Winter shot him a disdainful look, as if the answer was obvious.
Shassra clicked his tongue, a gesture that seemed very foreign to his current body. "Wolves… such strange creatures." However, a moment later, a sudden thought came to him, and he burst out laughing. "Two dead, and the third one has betrayed you. Doesn't that mean you have lost all your children?"
Winter's expression remained unchanged. "The ones that died are Frost and… Polaris."
"What?!" Shassra immediately narrowed his eyes. He had ordered his eldest son to ensure nothing would happen to that girl. After all, he still had uses for that bloodline. This was a considerable loss. However, more importantly, this turn of events meant that something must have happened to Razeth as well…
Shassra glanced at the distant mountain, a sense of foreboding washing over him. Although he wasn't overly attached to his tribe, it was still a force he had spent a considerable amount of time cultivating. No matter how cold-blooded he was, even he would feel the sting of losing all his descendants at once.
However, his tense expression eased as he turned back to Winter. No matter how many losses he suffered, it would all be worth it if he could eliminate this final obstacle. Descendants could always be replaced, but he might never again get a better chance to eliminate his oldest rival than he had at that moment.
Winter's aura, usually so domineering, now felt significantly less intimidating, barely at half its peak. Moreover, his body didn't appear to be in good condition either. His fur lacked its usual luster, and even his fangs seemed dull compared to their typical sharpness. This was the weakest state Shassra had ever seen the wolf in.
For some reason, that sight made him feel nostalgic. He remembered a time when he had been the stronger of the two, looking down at the wolf as beneath his notice. Of course, that was before the detestable wolf had discovered that treasure…
Shassra frowned, but the expression quickly faded as he remembered that soon, that prize would be within his grasp. It was the sole reason for all his actions. He had plotted and schemed, preparing for this very moment—his final chance to defeat his rival before the opportunity slipped away forever.
"Shall we begin?" he hissed, a gleam of excitement entering his eyes.
Winter stood calmly, looking at him with an unreadable expression. "You're quite ambitious," he said all of a sudden.
Shassra narrowed his eyes, flicking his tongue through the air. He couldn't sense any fear from his opponent—no hint of nervousness at all. This was odd; Winter should have been aware of his precarious situation. Yet, for some reason, he radiated absolute confidence, as if everything was completely under his control.
"Even now, after I have long surpassed your level, you still dare to harbor such designs," Winter said, narrowing his eyes. "Usually, I wouldn't mind that attitude—I might even find it praiseworthy. But you didn't dare to face me, did you? Instead, you relied on schemes and tricks. Now, two of my children lie dead, all because you didn't have the courage..."
Shassra hissed, feeling that Winter was looking down on him, even treating him as if he was a child.
"… truly disgraceful," Winter finally said, his voice emotionless.
Shassra narrowed his serpentine eyes. He was too old to be provoked by mere words, yet he couldn't shake off the irritation of that superior attitude. It annoyed him to be spoken to like that by the prey that had fallen into his trap.
"Very good," Shassra said. "This will make it much more satisfying to finally shut you up."
Winter looked disdainfully at the opponent before him. "Shut me up?" In the next moment, he stomped his paw on the ground, and the entire area transformed. The lush flora of the plains froze instantly, and all movements stopped as if time had halted. As far as the eye could see, everything was covered in a layer of white.
After a moment of silence, countless small sounds echoed as birds, insects, and other flying creatures struck the ground and shattered like glass. In an instant, Winter had eliminated all life in the surrounding area, creating a perfect battlefield for the two of them.
Shassra's gaze hardened when he saw that display of strength. Even though the cold couldn't harm him, he still felt wary. Winter, even in his weakened state, wasn't someone he could take lightly.
"Come then, cowardly snake," Winter said with a teasing grin. "Show me what all your pride and strength amounts to."