FORTY- ONE: BREAKING POINT

I couldn't estimate how long we had been in the Cold Lands, but I was confident it hadn't exceeded a week.

Spending a mere week here, navigating the trials of survival, had already yielded more dependable companions compared to the seventeen years since I was birthed.

You might wonder, 'What do I mean by that?' Well, back at home, I had to maintain a facade of being a cheerful personality. However, even with a buoyant demeanor I still found it challenging to establish authentic friendships.

However, being in the Cold Lands with these two individuals allowed me to truly grasp the concept of genuine friendship for the first time. For the first time since I gained consciousness into the world, I had people who watched my back for real.

Throughout our journey so far we hadn't met any landmarks except the cave, the river, and trees.

The vast expanse of snow seemed endless, stretching out as far as our eye could see.

With each step we took on our frozen path, covered by the comforting warmth of Sky's golden aura, we found ourselves sinking deeper into the snow.

The struggle to move forward grew more challenging with every passing moment. The once gentle descent of snowflakes transformed into a more vigorous and rapid flurry.

We had our aim in sight; Look for another piece of the puzzle ...

The last puzzle we received was when I managed to defeat the king of the Blizzardkin creatures. So, it was logical that we had to defeat another major creature to get another puzzle piece.

But where would we find one in the sea of blazing snow where even our vision was becoming blurred by the thick curtain of falling snowflakes? And it was the instructor that had specifically given Hassan the quest as a reward... So, maybe we just had to look for a reward that would be gotten from defeating a creature.

Soon we didn't have only that part to worry about. The golden aura was becoming subpar in comparison with the level of cold caused by the heavy snow.

Sky who was talkative at first started slurring her speech like she did when she was at the tree. She had been speaking a lot about random stuff, like the kind of food she ate when she was at home and how her internet-influencing job was doing well for her.

"One time I went into a haunted house I saw a real dead body but it turned out to be fake... I was so freaked out..."

She went on and on about so many stories she could think of and it made me worry about her using up her energy by just talking alone. But hearing her talk was like bringing a light into a somber and dark room; it cheered us up a little.

Soon she couldn't talk anymore...

She was slowly reaching her limit and with everything she had done who knew if she had already reached her breaking point?

How long were the strange abilities supposed to last?

Even the logic-defying Hassan was growing weaker as time went back. At times he'd shake a little like he was out of balance.

"Are you okay, Hassan? I could carry her so you can rest" I said.

That was a lie. I couldn't possibly carry her with the little strength that I had left from walking such a long distance in the snow. I even wondered how he was able to persevere.

"No" was what he said each time I offered and even though I was glad each time I still pitied him.

From the beginning of our entry into the arena till then the 'rest: active ratio ' was so off and even though we suddenly (out of nowhere) had these strange things that we could do, it didn't remove the fact that we were humans with limits.

As if they both planned it, both of them collapsed into the deep snow.

The exact reverse of what had happened when we initially entered the Cold Lands.