In Testharia, there are three continents.

  The main continent has all the big cities such as Tristate City, Bovisti, Lenvisti, Fursan City and Miduseos.

  But in one of the continents encompasses a mountainous region where there is permafrost and snowfall is eternal.

  That one place is called Snowfall Heights.

  Since temperatures go down to a freezing -47 degrees celsius, this is not a place an ordinary person would want to traverse.

  It's a huge desert region that spans almost a thousand kilometers from one point to the other in every direction. This is also a great place for criminals to hide and continue their illegal activities. It's remote and hard to reach. No one would even dare go into the snowy mountains to search for criminals.

  However, S&R operations and criminal searches for the Snowfall Heights are frequent, with one of the Search and Rescue operatives being the Great Kamisword himself.

  He was hellbent on finding the person who incapacitated his sister, Asheera Eria.

  Nythel gave information on where this person could be as she was with her before she was ambushed. Nythel also gave information about their appearance and what they are wearing.

  But Sachiel Eria knew his planet better than anyone. If you attacked a member of the royal family to such an extent that they are hospitalized, you'd go as far away as possible, to a place so hard to reach.

  "..."

  He was silent, standing in the huge ship with open doors, looking for any survivors to rescue. He was there alongside 200 other volunteers to rescue any survivors from a cargo plane crash on the mountains.

  He was here for a different mission though and those people got note of it.

  They couldn't decline, anyways. It's a honour to work alongside the Great Kamisword, but it's a sin to reject a request from a royal, so they had to agree.

  The cold bit at Sachiel's exposed face, a thousand tiny needles of ice. Below, the snow stretched out like a vast, white shroud.

  "Great Kamisword, who will be accompanying us around Snowfall Heights while you look for the person you're looking for?" a volunteer asked.

  "..."

  Sachiel didn't even turn. His gaze remained fixed on the unforgiving landscape below. "Kadmer Amerbree will accompany you. He is a Soul-Wielder and a former Soul-General. You will be in safe hands with him." His voice was as crisp and cold as the air itself.

  The volunteer bowed, a sign of respect, and retreated.

  Sachiel adjusted the thermal collar of his coat, the heavy fabric rustling softly. Somewhere down there, in that blinding white shroud were answers. And he would have them. Sooner or later.

  .:. They will not get away with this. .:.

  His ship's proximity alarms blared suddenly. A storm was coming. In Snowfall Heights, blizzards were a once in every 30 minute occurence. Those same blizzards plunge the temperatures down to a deathly -62 degrees celsius, which is enough to kill everyone falling victim to the blizzard.

  "Lieutenant, bring us above the clouds. Keep scanning for life signs," Sachiel commanded. "Do not engage the storm."

  "Yes, Great Kamisword."

  Slowly but surely were they going to touch down on the ground outside the blizzard. The people in the middle of the blizzard might be dead. But the people outside will probably have a better chance of surviving the storm.

  Which is why the Great Kamisword ordered the Lieutenant to touchdown on the ground next to the forest that has frozen trees, but no snow on the ground as it's protected by the trees.

  The landing was rough. The ship shuddered and groaned, against the uneven terrain.

  "Rescue Hawk 2, move with Search Alpha 1, 3 and 4. Hawk 1 and 3 will move with me into the forest. Understood?" Sachiel said.

  A chorus of "Understood" echoed through the comms.

  Sachiel turned and faced his team. His face was grim, determined. "Remember your training. Watch your backs. The blizzard is a natural enemy, but the people need saving. Give your lives up for those who can't defend themselves. We move out in five. Prepare your gear."

  Sachiel was the first one to exit the ship and walk into the deep, deep snow and the stabbing cold.

  He turned back to see the other volunteers, already moving alongside him as their boots were crunching against the snow.

  "Disperse. Good luck." Sachiel said, bowing to the others before moving into the forest with Rescue Hawk 1 and 3.

  The crunch of snow was strong voice against the silence of the forest. Every branch and leaf was coated in a thick rime of ice, turning the woods into a crystalline labyrinth.

  The thick air made it hard to breathe while the fog obstructed their vision, being as close to their feet.

  This wasn't an easy task for the Great Kamisword himself. He might be the best martial artist in the world and a Soul-Wielder of fundamental power, one mishap could still kill him.

  There are creatures lurking about that could pose a big problem even for someone like him.

  .:. ... .:.

  -

  A crystallized sound of a branch breaking echoed in the vast crystallized forest. The sound of someone tripping on a branch with their feet, breaking it.

  They fell to the ground.

  "You fell, Hana" A guy pointed out the obvious.

  "That sounded like it." Hana stood back up, tapping the ground with their feet, trying to confirm something. "Did I stand up? The ground sounds further away."

  "Yes... It don't depress you any, livin' like that?" The guy questioned. He had black straight, spiked up hair. Plump white skin with teal-coloured eyes. He was beautiful, just like the girl.

  Hana had blonde hair and blue eyes, a stark difference from the usual red hair and white transparent eyes. Those were disguises she made to appear weaker. The transparent eyes gave people the understanding that she was blind.

  But she was different. She was blind, but her eyes showed no signs of it. Her blue eyes were vibrant. As a Testharian, it was a one in a million chance too.

  Testharians often carry black eyes with greyed out irises. Some were even fully black.

  They were walking in the crystallized forest for 2 hours. It has been around 4 hours since they ambushed Asheera Eria.

  "What was that about though with that royal girl?"

  Again, no comment from Hana Zurgen. It got on Ren's nerves a bit, being ignored like that. He was that type of person. Slothful, yet confident in his attitude. He specifically doesn't like following orders but still do them at the end of the day.

  "You sure did become really vulnerable against that woman." He mused, kicking a hardened snowball.

  "..."

  Hana still didn't respond, which only pissed Ren off more.

  "Listen. It's one thing to attack a member of the royal family. It's another to attack a member of the royal family without finishing them off. You know that girl's going to tell her brother about what happened-"

  "If she lives through it-"

  "That she will."

  "Then you didn't do the job right." Hana turned around, staring him in the chest. She couldn't stare him in the eyes. She was blind.

  "Maybe you shouldn't be the one talking. You're the one who attacked her. You're the one who left her to die. If she lives through it, it's on you."

  "..."

  Silence, again. It started to grow annoying.

  "We are here for one reason and that is to kill Sachiel Eria, am I right?"

  Hana nodded. "How I handle and finish my job is none of your concern. I will not hear from you, a Soul-Wielder, to tell me what to do."

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  Ren yawned, chuckling after. "Be my guest."

  Sharp, crystallized sounds echo with every step the duo takes. They still couldn't find an end to the long journey in this forest. It seemed like it's neverending.

  Ren, in particular, was annoyed at this. It's been 3 hours since they stepped foot into the forest. He's starting to think they're lost.

  "Are you familiar with this place?"

  "... Only to an extent." Hana replied. "But not to the extent that I'd know where the forest ends. You just have to keep walking."

  "Figures... Ah, watch out." Ren grabbed Hana by the shoulders, stopping her in her tracks.

  The step that she was going to take was another branch and if she fell, she'd land on crystallized spikes. The uneven terrain made it easier for spikes to form around the land, but the ice was a good indicator to Ren as to where those spikes were. He could see after all.

  "...Thanks." Hana mumbled. She didn't like being touched like that. Not that she'd know if someone was holding her hand. Though, her intuitions were always perfect.

  The silence between was thick as the frozen air. Ren watched her back, the way she moved with confidence despite her lack of sight. Instead, she quickened her pace. She didn't have a walking stick but instead tapped with the metallic point of her boots as it provided a clearer sound, which made it easier for her to differentiate what was the ground and what was an obstacle.

  It wasn't the hesitant tapping of a typical blind person. It was mapping. She was building a world in her head, one tap at a time.

  He couldn't figure her out. Not at all.

  One moment, she was a ruthless, calculating fighter, capable of ambushing a royal. The next, she was this... fragile-seeming girl who would have impaled herself on a frozen branch if he hadn't stopped her. It was a performance, he was sure of it, but for what audience?

  If anything, it made him understand her a little more.

  She has Vincent on a chokehold, someone of fundamental power. Just controlling him like he was her personal little pet. But so fragile looking when she isn't fighting.

  How can anyone believe Ren if he told someone that he saw this person kill one of the strongest Soul-Wielders ever, yet struggle sitting on something?

  The forest was playing tricks on them, or perhaps they were playing tricks on themselves. Every direction looked the same, an endless cathedral of ice and shadow.

  Luckily for Hana, she knew the way out. The current of the wind that was strongest was a sign for an exit.

  "We've been walking for what feels like an eternity in this crystallized hellhole. Where are you taking us?" Ren asked, breaking the silence. "I don't see an end in-"

  "If you shut the fuck up, I can get us out of here."

  "..." Ren scoffed, "Feisty." He grinned. "You should be happy that you have someone like me."

  "I can do this without you. I wouldn't mind having Kaioshun lose a valiant warrior because he annoyed the fuck out of me." Hana replied, not turning back.

  Ren's grin didn't vanish. He knew she wasn't bluffing. She'd leave him in this forest in a heartbeat. That only made him respect her even more. He liked strong-willed women like that.

  "I think that just sounds like you didn't have a lot of lovin' in your life." He teased, walking behind her. "If I'm a bother to you then you're just being a big baby about it. I don't see how you're going to kill the Great Kamisword if you're sensitive about being annoyed."

  Hana stopped walking. She turned to face him, her blue eyes, so vibrant and unnatural, staring blankly in his general direction. She didn't say a word. She just stood there, an aura of cold radiating from her that had nothing to do with the temperature.

  "You're right. How about I let you fight him and see him tear you apart from limb to limb?" She clapped back.

  "Oh, please no. I'd rather have you by my side." He prayed before her in a dramatic way, "I'm a humble servant of your mighty will, oh great Hana!"

  That got a reaction. A small, almost imperceptible twitch at the corner of her mouth.

  "... Right." She turned and continued her trek.

  Another 5 minutes later and they were etching closer to the exit. The current got stronger and it got colder, ironclad evidence that they were close. Ren was trailing behind, watching her every move.

  "Here, your robe." Ren hoisted it over her shoulders, at the very least being a good companion. Hana wouldn't know if she was too hot or too cold. Though her shivering right showed Ren enough that she was in fact, very cold.

  The robe allowed Hana to warm up a bit. Hana looked back with a side-eye. "Thanks."

  That was all that Ren would get from her at the moment. Beneath her strong, hardened personality was a fragile, beautiful princess that was kind and compassionate. Even Ren could see it.

  It made him smile a bit, seeing Hana bury herself in the robe, even if she can't feel it.

  They broke through the tree line, stepping from the oppressive silence of the crystal woods into an open expanse of snow. The wind hit them like a physical blow, howling across the barren plains.

  "Finally," Ren muttered, pulling a scarf over his nose. "My beautiful face was about to freeze off."

  They both saw it.

  At the same instant.

  A ship, large and dark.

  It was grounded in the snow about half a kilometer away, a black shape against the endless white.

  Smoke, or perhaps steam, billowed from a vent in its side.

  "Is that...?" Ren started, trailing off.

  "Rescue," Hana finished for him. It smelled and sounded like a rescue vessel. Her voice was flat this time, devoid of the sarcasm she usually wielded. Her blind eyes widened slightly, as if sensing something far more than just the sight of the vessel. "And something more."

  "...That feels... strong." Ren said, sensing an unimaginable sum of Soul-Energy coming from the right. That was Sachiel Eria, accompanying Rescue Hawk

  He turned to Hana. "He's here. And with a full squadron." She remained silent, her head tilted slightly, as if listening to the wind.

  "They're searching for survivors, from that crash we passed."

  It was amazing how her mind worked. Kaioshun was right in choosing her as one of His followers.

  "So, what's the plan?" Ren asked, a spark of reckless excitement in his teal eyes. "We could introduce ourselves. Make it a party."

  Hana didn't answer. She was already moving, not away from the ship, but parallel to it, her steps deliberate and precise despite the snow. She wasn't mapping the ground anymore; she was mapping the battlefield.

  "He won't be expecting an attack here," she murmured, more to herself than to Ren. "He thinks he's hunting us. He doesn't know we've already found him."

  Ren fell into step beside her, a grin spreading across his mouth. It was amazing to see a great mind at work.

  "Ren, you should survey the area. Be ready to steal the ship at any time. If there are squadrons coming back, just kill all of them."

  "... Ugh, why put me on a pity mission?"

  "The Great Kamisword isn't someone you should underestimate. I may be one of the strongest people alive right now, but even he could kill me if he really tried."

  That sent shivers down Ren's spine. Hana Zurgen admitting someone is stronger than her? He had never heard those words.

  "I see." Ren gave a mock salute. "To the ship, then. Don't have too much fun without me."

  She didn't reply. The crunch of her boots was the only answer he needed.

  He watched Hana disappear in the thick pearlescent fog, leaving him alone with the wind and the distant, silent ship.

  He was supposed to sneak and kill. Fine. But that didn't mean he couldn't watch the main event from a good seat.

  With a lazy, fluid motion, he scaled a nearby frozen outcropping of rock, the ice cracking like glass under his feet. He settled into a crouch, the wind whipping at his hair, and looked through the thick fog.

  He saw him.

  Even through the swirling snow and distance, Sachiel Eria was easy to spot. The golden person that stands out.

  The Great Kamisword.

  He stood a head taller than the volunteers with him, his posture straight, mowing the snow with his legs. The 20 other members were on either side of him, their weapons drawn.

  Sachiel stopped suddenly, raising a hand. His head snapped to the left, right where Hana was approaching.

  Ren's breath hitched.

  .:. Did he see her? But Hana is a full kilometer away from her. She has no Soul, nor Soul-Energy... how can he sense her? .:.

  Ren was confused, but the Great Kamisword's presence was so strong, Ren had to hold himself from falling. Even he was a Soul-Wielder of fundamental power, but he was on a whole another level.

  .:. Do not underestimate him, huh? .:.

  The volunteers looked to their commander, confused. "What is it, Great Kamisword?"

  "Sirs, people are watching us." Sachiel stood firm, his gaze fixed. "I sense a person with a substantial amount of power."

  "...How strong?"

  "It is strong enough to put up a good fight." The commander looked to the others, nodding. "Let's proceed with caution. Spread out, stay in pairs."

  "Assume a V-shape formation. Rescue Hawk 3, assume an X. There is not one person watching us. There is another one... I can not exactly point out how strong they are... nor can I sense them."

  "...With all due respect, Great Kamisword... How can you determine if there is someone else if they cannot be sensed?"

  The Great Kamisword smiled. "Do not underestimate my intuition, men. It has saved my life more times than I can count."

  The volunteers smiled as well, trusting the Great Kamisword with their lives. They were not scared. They were not afraid. They were honored to fight alongside the Great Kamisword.

  "Rescue Hawk 1 and 3, return to the ship. Do not engage with the person watching our ship until they attack you themselves. They are strong, be careful."

  "Alright! Everyone! Disperse!" The commanders of Hawk 1 and 3 dispersed, assuming their respectful shapes and walking back to the ship.

  And then, through the pearlescent fog, a figure emerged. Alone. Not running, not charging. Just walking.

  Hana.

  She had shed the robe Ren gave her, letting it fall into the snow. All she wore now was a thin, tight white sweater and simple black pants. Her blonde hair whipped around her face, but her posture was serene, almost casual.

  She stopped about a hundred meters from Sachiel. The wind shivered both of them, with the fog partially blocking them from enjoying the cold oxygen entering their mouths and noses.

  Sachiel fully turned towards the robed girl, towards Hana.

  .:. It seems that the person I have sensed is still surveying the ship. Which makes this person an anomaly. No perceivable Soul-Energy... impossible. .:.

  "Identify yourself," Sachiel commanded, his voice cutting through the wind.

  "..."

  The girl did not answer. She only tilted her head, a gesture that was both curious and utterly unnerving.

  .:. They must excel at suppressing their Soul-Energy to the point it appears imperceptible. .:.

  "State your name and business on Snowfall Heights." He took a step forward.

  "My business," she said, her voice soft but clear, "is with you, Great Kamisword."

  "Perhaps you are the one who attacked my sister."

  Hana smiled, a small, thin-lipped smile. "Perhaps."

  Sachiel's men shuffled nervously, their hands tightening on their weapons. They could feel the tension, a static charge building in the air between the two figures.

  This woman was the pinnacle of being fear-inducing.

  A woman that should not be reckoned with.

  A femme fatale.

  Upon a closer and clearer look, Sachiel realized that the details Nythel shared with him matched the description of the person he was looking for. Blonde hair, blue eyes and a black robe with a white tight sweater worn under it.

  Seeing this, Sachiel knew what he had to do.

  It wasn't exactly revenge, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was just that.

  But all of that can be misunderstood for justice.

  "Per Article 6, Chapter 12 and Section 4 of the Testharian Constitution of Rights, I, Sachiel Eria, Great Kamisword of Testharia place you under arrest for the attempted murder of the Second-Leader of Testharia, Asheera Eria and a member of the Royal Family."

  His recitation was formal, clipped, an official condemnation in the middle of a frozen wasteland.

  Hana listened, her head still cocked. Then, she laughed.

  "You won't take an innocent, fragile girl like me in for something I didn't do... right?" She feigned a pout.

  "I will not ask again," Sachiel said, ignoring her act entirely. "Surrender yourself."

  "Or what?"

  Sachiel didn't reply.

  "Why should I listen to you, Great Kamisword?"

  The fear that she induced was only minimal to someone like Sachiel Eria. However, to any ordinary person, they would crumble under it. The volunteers were not here to witness it, but Sachiel Eria was.

  "It's a great shame Kaioshun-Rymela couldn't kill you."

  She blurted it out, direct and unfazed, towards him. She spoke about a person only him and Jumkou Katatoria knew. And that, was what scared Sachiel.

  The person who risked Jumkou's chances of saving the future. The person who Sachiel swore to protect until his last dying breath. The person who Jumkou spoke about with overlooked fear.

  Sachiel assumed a defensive stance now. "You speak of him as if you know him personally. Did he send you?" His entire demeanor shifted from a stern enforcer of the law to a man on the precipice of a terrible revelation.

  "Does it matter if he did? This will end in you dying anyway." She replied with a shrug. "He's not here right now. So you're stuck with me."

  As the wind howled for another second, she disappeared.