The Cave

Continuing their journey towards the so-called temple, for which Adrian harbored little optimism, he found himself putting a degree of trust in the twins, who seemed well-versed in the unfolding events.

What Adrian lacked most at the moment was information—details about his location and the purpose that lay ahead of him.

With limited options, he had no choice but to stick with these two.

Adrian glanced back and noticed they had ascended a considerable distance up the cliff. Despite the increasing steepness, they had successfully managed the climb—so far.

"Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse," mumbled Adrian as he observed a blizzard approaching their location. He could sense that they would have to navigate through it to reach the summit, a prospect that filled him with apprehension.

Observing the twins, who appeared unfazed and untroubled by the impending blizzard, Adrian couldn't help but curse his own lack of resilience.

'Even they are trying their best.'

"There's a cave up ahead in the cliff, or so I've heard. I'm not entirely sure, but if we're fortunate enough to find it, it could shelter us from the oncoming blizzard," the boy said, leading the way with his sister.

Hearing the boy's words, Adrian couldn't help but curse inwardly.

'Not that you appear overly concerned about the blizzard.'

He refrained from saying it out loud, recognizing that they were simply trying to encourage him to keep going, which he appreciated. They had no obligation to include him on their journey, yet they had been kind enough to do so.

The freezing ground beneath them posed a significant challenge in their journey, as it began to ice up, making it much more difficult to press forward. Despite the adversity, they persevered, somehow managing to continue.

Soon, the blizzard caught up to them, and they still hadn't come across the so-called cave mentioned by the boy.

'Why is this cliff so towering? We've been at this for so long.'

These thoughts began to consume Adrian's mind as the intensifying cold became increasingly difficult to endure. Being a shadow didn't offer much assistance in this situation.

Just as he was on the verge of cursing the twins, the girl slipped.

"AHHHHHH!" Her scream shattered the deathly silence of the night, jolting Adrian from his thoughts.

The moment he comprehended what was unfolding, he slid forward to catch the girl, who teetered perilously close to the edge, preventing her from falling.

Barely catching up to her, she now dangled down the cliff with her arm caught by Adrian. Gazing into the unfathomable depth beneath them, Adrian couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.

"Barely... got you," Adrian uttered, pulling her up while ensuring he didn't lose his own footing. After confirming that she was shaken but physically unharmed, he too felt a wave of relief.

"Can you move?" the boy inquired as he arrived to check on her just now, a situation that felt a bit peculiar, though Adrian refrained from commenting.

'He's just a young boy after all. He's likely exhausted by all of this too.'

Adrian didn't dwell on it, dismissing it as the boy being worn out.

"Yes, it's nothing, but I think I strained my ankle," the girl admitted. Her words didn't bring a cheerful expression to either Adrian's or the boy's face.

In these harsh conditions, carrying someone, even a child, was going to be exceptionally challenging. The boy was ruled out of the task, leaving Adrian to shoulder the responsibility.

'Sigh'

Moving forward and turning his back to her, Adrian signaled for her to hop on. After a brief moment of consideration, the girl complied.

Their already challenging journey became three times more arduous due to the intensifying blizzard. Unable to see anything ahead, they pressed on.

'I think... I'm at my limit.'

Adrian thought, feeling almost frozen from the inside due to the blizzard. It was difficult to discern how severe it was for him, given that his shadow form didn't exhibit symptoms of the cold.

However, the collar around his neck was undoubtedly telling a different tale.

It was frozen to such a degree that if struck with enough force, it would break, and that had been on Adrian's mind for some time. However, he refrained from doing so because he simply couldn't muster the strength.

Just as he believed he was done, and the numbness spread through his legs, almost rendering them without sensation, the boy in front of him came to a halt.

"We are here" were the magical words Adrian had been waiting for.

Adrian looked up and spotted a rudimentary cave carved into the cliff. It was barely large enough to accommodate three adults, but for them, it was more than sufficient—exactly what they needed at that moment.

The boy entered first, followed by Adrian carrying the girl. Her hair was already adorned with a layer of snow.

Setting her down beside the boy so they could share some warmth, Adrian sat against the opposite wall, gazing outside.

"How long has it been? I have no sense of time since I arrived here, and the night somehow feels a bit too long, not that I mind," Adrian contemplated to himself.

While lost in thought, Adrian touched the collar around his neck, and a burning sensation shot through his palm due to the cold.

"Just great. My body is so weak that I can't even handle this much cold now," Adrian lamented to himself.

Not paying much attention to the burning sensation, Adrian attempted to pull off the collar, but his efforts were in vain. Glancing at the closed eyes of the boy and the girl, a wave of drowsiness swept over Adrian as well.

'It was a tiring day. I wonder how Emilie is doing now. I'm pretty sure it hasn't been that many days, but I hope she's eating something other than chips,' Adrian mused as he succumbed to the weariness of the day.

With these thoughts, Adrian closed his eyes and drifted away into a slumber.