A Soul Thief (Part 1)
The monster that stood behind Kiara was humanoid in shape, but that was where the similarities ended. It lacked a face, yet the swirling storm of snow around it seemed to pulse with an unnatural power. Its body was formed entirely of snow and ice, but the energy that radiated from it was dark, almost malevolent.
Kiara turned to face the creature, her body frozen in place as her eyes widened in disbelief.
She took in a deep breath, but when she tried to call upon her soul energy, nothing happened. There was nothing left. Her last strike had drained her reserves completely.
The wind howled around her, the snow clinging to her skin like a suffocating blanket. The icy chill gnawed at her bones, and for a moment, the pain of it all became distant.
She was staring into the face of her death—only there was no face to stare into. It was just an empty, faceless void of ice.