Seraing turned out to be larger than Xin had expected.

  To make travel more manageable, Gloria ended up purchasing two horses. They rode northeast along the main road, slowly leaving behind the bustling heart of the city. After several days on the road, they finally reached the outskirts.

  Here, at the edge of civilization, only a single inn remained in operation—a weathered old place with walls stained by time. Gloria clearly wasn’t thrilled, but she accepted the arrangement nonetheless. She needed a proper rest before stepping into the Dark Zone.

  The inn doubled as a tavern and, being the only one for miles, had naturally become a hub for passing travelers. The ground floor buzzed with noise—groups of adventurers ate, drank, gambled, and swapped stories about the perils of the Dark Zone. The air was thick with heat and noise.

  Xin glanced around the room, then leaned closer to Gloria and whispered.

  “Some of those guys have been staring at your ass since we walked in.”

  He grinned, that mischievous glint in his eye suggesting he knew exactly what kind of reaction he was fishing for.

  “You should be careful… they don’t look like the friendly type.”

  Gloria frowned, clearly annoyed. She let out a soft scoff in his direction, then pretended not to hear a word.

  Unfortunately, trouble came quicker than expected.

  A burly man with a bushy beard and a face flushed red with drink suddenly stormed over, his heavy boots thudding against the floorboards. Without warning, he grabbed Xin by the collar and yanked him forward, breath reeking of alcohol.

  “You little punk! You talkin’ shit about us?!”

  Damn… he actually heard that? Xin winced, caught off guard.

  He hadn’t expected a drunk that size to have such sharp ears. The guy’s bulky frame towered over him, reeking of sweat and stale booze. Still… Xin wasn’t too worried. Dealing with a drunk brute like this wouldn’t be that hard—just annoying.

  With a swift kick to the knee, Xin brought the brute down in one motion. The man let out a heavy grunt and staggered back, nearly losing his balance.

  His companions—four men sitting at a nearby table—saw what happened and immediately stood up. Each of them wore the same scowl, and their eyes glinted with brewing rage.

  Xin tensed, already calculating his next move… but before he could do anything, Gloria suddenly shouted.

  “Look up! There’s something on the ceiling!”

  The entire group—including Xin—instinctively glanced upward.

  To everyone’s horror, a swarm of snakes had appeared out of nowhere, slithering across the wooden beams before dropping one by one onto the men’s heads. Scales in every color twisted and coiled around their faces, sending the thugs into a panicked frenzy as they flailed and clawed at their heads.

  Taking full advantage of the chaos, Gloria grabbed Xin by the wrist and pulled him up the stairs, leaving the commotion below behind. The shouting and cursing of confused patrons echoed in their wake.

  “Snakes! Get it off me—get it off!”

  “Wait—look closely! They’re just paper!”

  “What the hell?! I swear one bit me—why doesn’t it hurt?!”

  Xin glanced at Gloria’s mischievous smile and immediately put two and two together. Illusions. Of course it was her doing. A flicker of surprise and doubt crossed his mind, but he said nothing. He simply kept watching, quietly impressed.

  Just then, a young server approached, holding a small ceramic jug. He bowed politely.

  “Apologies for the disturbance earlier. We occasionally get… less-than-polite guests around here. Please accept this Couple Wine—a local tradition we offer to traveling pairs. It's said to bring warmth and harmony for the night —”

  Gloria cut him off before he could finish.

  “You’re mistaken. He’s just a travel companion.”

  The server blinked, clearly flustered. He gave a quick bow, glancing between Gloria and Xin.

  “My apologies! I misspoke. That said… I’m afraid we only have one room available. It’s quite small, so—“

  “That’s fine,” Gloria waved dismissively, her tone sharp and final. “As long as it fits me. He can stay outside.”

  The server froze, visibly startled. Then he shook his head with a hint of concern.

  “I’m afraid that won’t do. You two might not be aware, but this region often experiences strange mists around midnight. If exposed, the human body can… freeze solid and shatter completely. We’ve placed heatstones in each room for safety, but outside… we can’t guarantee anything. For your own safety, I strongly advise both of you to remain indoors until sunrise.”

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Despite the man’s sincerity, Gloria couldn’t have cared less.

  She gave Xin a firm pat on the back of the neck and spoke with complete composure.

  “Don’t worry. He looks soft, but he’s tough as a mule. Already died and came back once.”

  The server, who had been slightly bowed the whole time, straightened up in surprise. He opened his mouth as if to protest—but wisely thought better of it. One look at the strange pair told him all he needed to know: the girl was the one in charge.

  “This way, please,” he said at last.

  Without sparing Xin a glance, Gloria followed him.

  “Is there a bath?” she asked.

  “Yes, of course. Each room has one—so our guests don’t have to risk going outside.”

  Their room was located at the far end of the first-floor hallway. Because part of the space had been carved out for the bath, the room itself was quite narrow—just enough to fit a single bed. Beside it was a sealed crystal window that looked down onto the barren courtyard below.

  Gloria scanned the space with a quick glance, then turned to Xin.

  “Bring in the luggage.”

  He obeyed, only for her to shove him right back out.

  SLAM!—The white wooden door slammed shut in his face.

  The server looked at Xin, then sighed and shook his head.

  “What a shame. So young…”

  He turned to walk away, muttering to himself.

  Xin furrowed his brow and called after him—

  “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

  ---------------------------------------

  Even after being so unceremoniously kicked out, Xin didn’t complain. He had confidence in his endurance. Or so he thought. But as the cold began to seep into his skin, numbing his fingertips and freezing his breath midair, doubt started to creep in.

  Ugh… This is not fine...

  He sneezed. Tiny droplets left his nose—only to crystallize into miniature snowflakes before they could hit the floor. They floated for a brief second… and melted into nothing.

  The cold wasn’t natural.

  It was something else. Something… wrong.

  As the chill pushed past what his body could handle, Xin decided it was time to swallow his pride. He subtly shifted his weight, then let his back fall against the wooden door with a dull thud—a quiet but deliberate knock.

  A silent SOS.

  After a long pause, the door creaked open.

  A wave of warm air spilled out, carrying with it the faint scent of flowers and the whisper of rising steam. Framed in the soft golden glow of candlelight, Gloria stood in the doorway—now dressed in a light, sheer nightgown.

  She looked down at him, her lips curling into a faint smile at the sight of his pitiful, shivering form. Then—without warning—she pointed a finger straight at his wide, frozen-open eyes.

  “Wha—Hey! What are you doing?!” Xin yelped, startled.

  Gloria gave a small huff, her fingertip hovering just above his lashes.

  “Trying to fake your death to guilt-trip me? Cute.”

  Xin wanted to retort—but quickly realized something was wrong.

  He could breathe. He could blink.

  But everything below his neck was frozen solid.

  “If you’d left me out here another few minutes… I might’ve actually died,” he said through gritted teeth.

  Gloria sighed and grabbed his arm, pulling him into the room before gently closing the door behind them. The warmth from the heatstones inside the small stove in the corner began to spread through the space, chasing away the sharp edge of the cold.

  She sat down beside him, her expression unreadable—though her eyes showed the slightest flicker of thought.

  Xin remained completely still—only his eyes moved, darting from side to side. Panic started to rise when he felt Gloria’s fingers brush gently over his body—his arms, legs, the back of his neck, even his face.

  She wasn’t rough. In fact, her touch was oddly careful. Methodical.

  He swallowed and spoke with a trace of awkwardness.

  “I didn’t expect you to be so forward… This kind of thing, shouldn’t I be the one initiating it?”

  “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

  With a sharp flick, she snapped her fingers against his now-reddened nose.

  “I’m checking your condition. Muscle tissue’s stable, but the surface of your joints is already frozen.”

  Frozen? Did she just say I was frozen?

  Xin tried to move—anything. Nothing responded. Not even a twitch. He swallowed hard, voice trembling slightly.

  “Can I… go back to normal?”

  Without missing a beat, she flicked his nose again.

  “I don’t know. But you’d better stay still. I’ll figure something out when the sun comes up.”

  Xin let out a long, helpless sigh. He lay there, staring up at the shadowed ceiling above. With his body immobile and mind adrift, he couldn’t help but reflect on his miserable state.

  Was this just another trial? Or had the gods truly decided to push him to the very edge?

  If this is your way of delivering death to me…

  Then please, grant me a little more time.

  Let me send the medicine back to Tabi first. When that’s done… then I’ll be ready to face it.

  Fatigue from the long journey finally began to settle into his bones. His eyes grew heavy, and the quiet warmth of the room lulled him toward sleep.

  But just as he was about to drift off—

  Gloria’s voice broke the silence.

  “Hey,” Gloria said softly. “What’s your name?”

  Wait, is she actually showing interest in me? Falling for me already? Xin chuckled inwardly, a dry sort of humor rising up despite the situation.

  “It’s Xin,” he replied.

  “No family name?”

  “Nope. In Gedion, nobody has one.”

  “Gedion?” she echoed. “Is that where you’re from?”

  “That’s right. A beautiful place…” He hesitated, then added, “…or at least, it used to be.”

  A brief silence followed. Then, in a voice quieter than before, Gloria asked,

  “Did something happen there?”

  Xin didn’t answer immediately. His gaze lingered on the ceiling, though his eyes seemed to see something far away—something unreachable. The memory of his hometown stirred inside him, tangled with the helplessness of the moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was tinged with something brittle and bitter.

  “It was like me… Abandoned and forgotten.”

  Unbeknownst to Xin, on the bed beside him, Gloria lay on her side—her gaze quietly resting on him. She’d been watching him this entire time. Her fingers toyed with a loose strand of hair near her cheek, her face lost in thought.

  Is he… blaming me?

  A flicker of hesitation stirred within her. But she crushed it quickly—burying the emotion before it could take root. She couldn’t afford to lose her edge. Not as “The Master.”

  So instead, she spoke—softly, but coldly.

  “Gedion isn’t on any map. A stray like you… if you vanished, you’d be like the snow outside. Gone, without a trace.”

  Xin let out a quiet chuckle.

  “You picked me for this journey because you thought I’d disappear that easily?”

  He exhaled. Then, slowly, he continued—each word sounding less like a reply and more like a promise whispered to the void.

  As long as someone out there still believes in me… I won’t let them down.

  “I’m not that easy to kill. I still have to go back. You know… a man’s promise—That’s the hardest thing in the world to swallow.”

  No answer came from Gloria.

  Perhaps… she’d already fallen asleep.

  Xin closed his eyes, letting the silence take hold.

  And soon, sleep followed.