Extra: Veil of the Unwritten Worlds

"Fuck Snowman"

I cursed as my breath faltered, forming a swirling cloud-like mist in the cold. My hands instinctively clutched my chest, trying to reduce the pain. My heart raced, pounding against my chest like it was trying to escape the icy doom of the outdoors.

Seriously, who ordered this weather?

The cold winds howled, making my cheeks sting like a thousand tiny angry bees. I couldn't tell if I was freezing or just mildly annoyed by a faint pulse in the corner of my head, a mixture of chilly, unrelenting exhaustion.

Amidst the storm, tiny snowflakes pounded on my eyelids in the middle of the storm, swiftly encasing my eyes in a chilly white cocoon. The blizzard showed no signs of stopping, obscuring my vision and reducing the visibility to close to nil.

The whirlwind engulfed me, shrouding the region in a layer of pure white snow that reached my knees. My legs were going numb, and every step felt like I was trudging through a field of marshmallows. One misstep, I would be buried under the same snowman I was cursing.

Note to self: never trust a weather app again.

With shaky hands, I finally unzipped my coat, a process that felt like wrestling a bear in mittens(it was multilayered). I pulled out a device that looked like a cross between a smartphone and a brick.

The machine had a matte black surface, worn out on the edges. It featured a bright screen that flickered as if it was auditioning for a horror movie. It was filled with colorful waypoints and two blue dots dancing in the center. One of them showed my sanity and my will to live.

Below the screen, a compass needle spun wildly, as if it had just downed a few too many cups of coffee. Great. Not only was I lost, but my navigational tool had gone rogue.

"Just great," I muttered, shivering like a Chihuahua in a blizzard as my internal thermostat had joined a polar bear convention. If Snowman was watching this, I hoped he was enjoying the show.

"Y-You don't have to do this" A voice came from behind, staggered pleading with concern.

I turned around as the hazy figure obscured by the snow made its way towards me- slowly. It's face was framed with a fur-lined hood, her light-brown eyes piercing through it, gazing towards me. On closer inspection, one would see snow dust accumulated in the corner of her eyes.

She was covered in multilayered clothes with an ice axe in her right hand, snow-dusted casing her gloves.

"Y-You don't have to do this. L-Lets go back to the camp and wait for the weather to clear " She pleaded again, insisting on going back fearing that my condition would worsen any moment.

Hypothermia

"NO! We don't have much time left!" I shot back though my voice trembled more than I intended. "Plus, if the clues provided by our sources are reliable—and I've got a great feeling about this—we might uncover the secrets of an ancient civilization right here in the Himalayas!".

She took a step closer, her brow furrowed. "Secrets? Or a really bad decision? Your lips are blue, and I think I saw your nose fall off."

I blinked, struggling to focus. "It's just… fashion. Very avant-garde." My head swam, and I stumbled, leaning against the icy wind for support. "If we leave now, we might miss our chance! I'm fine! Just… a little cold."

I was not fine. My limbs felt heavy like I was dragging weights with every move, and the world around me swayed.

Elena, unconvinced, chose to remain silent, knowing there was no way to change my mind. However, it seemed that the snowman curse had not completely taken hold of either of us, as we both managed to push through the biting cold until we stumbled upon a cave, snow-laden and offering a glimmer of shelter from the relentless storm.

***

(In the cave)

Feverish and shivering uncontrollably, I could barely move as I made my way to the corner of the cave

My partner, Elena, worked tirelessly, her face etched with worry as she carefully unpacked our emergency supplies. With practiced hands, she skillfully wrapped me in layers of thermal blankets.

Amidst the storm, Elena's presence was our only anchor in this perilous situation—a beacon of hope amidst the gathering snow. Elena's hands were numb as she worked, her breaths coming in short, visible bursts.

She fumbled with the matches, her frustration mounting. "Come on, come on," she muttered, striking a match and holding it close to the tinder. As Elena struggled to get the fire going, I, weakened by fever, tried to offer encouragement from where I lay.

"Come on, Elena, you can do it," I whispered. "I know it's cold, but you've always had a way with these things."

Elena glanced at me, her face illuminated by the fire's sparks. "Ren should rest for now."

Her eyes remained focused on the fire as the match finally caught. Elena's face softened with resolve as she carefully arranged kindling and logs. A small flame grew, gradually warming the cave. Elena sat beside me, offering the warmth. Soon, the cave was filled with silence, punctuated only by the occasional crackling of the fire.

Despite the cold, Elena and I found comfort in each other's presence. We had been childhood friends, and though neither of us had ever had romantic feelings for the other, but there was an unspoken bond between us.

"Do you remember the stories you used to tell me when I was young?" Elena asked, breaking the silence.

A chuckle escaped my lips as I recalled our childhood. "Yeah, I do. Why ask now?" I was curious about her sudden interest in a topic we had left untouched since our parents died in an accident while on a business trip.

Elena's face brightened at my response. "You remember how you used to narrate the hardships faced by the main character, how hopeless he was and how he overcame them. What was the novel's name again?"

She paused, trying to remember. "Ah! LEGENDS OF THALORIA. The world contained magic and places where you could find answers to everything. It all seemed so far-fetched back then, but now we might be on the brink of discovering something extraordinary."

She looked into my eyes and said, "I couldn't help but feel that we are following a path that could change the history of human civilization."

I was momentarily lost in her gaze but quickly averted my eyes. The fire's glow revealed intricate patterns etched into the cave walls, previously hidden in the shadows. My eyes widened in amazement as I saw the ancient inscriptions.

"What do these mean?" I asked, bewildered.

Elena, seemingly lost in thought, followed my gaze. "I'm not sure," she said, tracing the symbols with her fingers. "But they seem significant."

As the firelight grew stronger, the inscriptions began to emit a soft, otherworldly glow. Elena's heart raced as the symbols pulsed with mysterious energy. "Ren, look at this! The inscriptions are glowing."

The glowing symbols seemed to respond to our presence. A low rumble echoed through the cave, and the ground beneath us trembled slightly. A hidden door, previously obscured by the rocks, creaked open, revealing a narrow passage beyond.

Elena quickly moved to support me with all her strength. As soon as we set foot on the threshold of the narrow passage, a loud screeching noise was heard. Something was rushing toward us in large numbers.

Disturbed by our intrusion, bats erupted from the darkness, filling the air with the flapping of wings. Elena instinctively ducked, pulling me closer as bats swarmed around us, their dark forms barely visible in the dim light of the fire.

"Hold on!" Elena shouted over the chaotic noise, shielding her eyes from the frantic creatures. Too weak to react quickly, I leaned heavily against her, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The bats soon dispersed, fleeing into the storm outside, leaving the cave eerily silent.

Elena took a deep breath, steadying herself as the last of the bats disappeared into the night. "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern.

I nodded weakly, my face pale from the cold and my faint illness. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just… didn't expect that."

With a deep breath, Elena stood up, offering her support as we stepped into the passage. The inscriptions began to glow, providing enough light to guide us along the path.

As we moved forward, Elena stepped on a black rock that was strategically hidden along the pathway, its dark hue camouflaged in the dim light. Trained in martial arts, I sensed something and quickly bent down with her.

Suddenly, a dozen arrows shot past us, grazing our clothes and even nicking Elena's earlobe. Alarmed, we looked at the arrows, which were glowing with a strange energy and disintegrating into small granules, leaving no trace behind.

We swallowed hard, both thinking the same thing: this place is not as simple as it seems, filled with traps waiting to claim our lives at any moment. We nodded at each other, choosing to proceed with caution, relying on our unspoken bond.

—to be continued