Angel Monarch

The freezing winds of the Realm of Boundless Frost hit Vicky's small body like a hammer.

When she began walking north, a snowstorm just hit the area. Her clothing had already frozen to her skin, and with each small movement, more and more pain appeared all over her.

She even glimpsed at trickled of frozen blood where her skin broke, but the cold got rid of any open wound.

The snow was to her waist at this point, making moving much harder. With each step, she felt herself closer to the gates of death.

The temperature was nearly unbearable, and funnily enough, the only reason she was still alive was her frozen clothing. All the small holes in the fabric had an icy layer on, which stopped the wind from getting through.

The wind had other surprises, though. In combination with the large snowflakes, the wind carried tiny ice shards, too.

These wouldn't be a problem, since they couldn't pass through her clothing, but her face and hands weren't covered. With each minute, more and more minor cuts appeared, causing a stinging pain.

Vicky took deep breaths and pushed her limits farther than she had ever done before.

In the past two hours, she made little progress. Judging by her map, she had travelled only three kilometers, and her average speed was getting slower as more snow fell.

The Huntress only told her to go north a few kilometers, but now Vicky realized how stupid she was. She should've asked for exact numbers, since 'a few' could differ drastically per person.

Another issue she needed to clarify was which north she should head towards.

Saying north means nothing, when she was looking for an exact position. Even a one degree difference could mean finding or missing the location.

In her mind, Vicky cursed at herself and at The Huntress. She was stupid to not ask more questions, and The Huntress should've made everything more understandable.

Deep down, Vicky knew The Huntress did it on purpose, probably to test her abilities or something. But it was still very annoying.

Her anger and hope were the only emotions keeping her going. She swore that the next time she finds a mysterious person offering help, she would be much more careful.

She lifted her frozen foot and placed it down on the thick snow. Each movement was heavier than the previous, and it took a lot more energy to keep going.

When she was about four kilometers away from the site where she met The Huntress, a sound pierced through the screaming wind.

It was strange and otherworldly, nothing like she had ever heard. It was a high-pitched rumble that shook Vicky's very existence.

A sudden fear began consuming her body, but somehow her legs still moved.

A few minutes later, she heard the sound again, but it was much closer. The direction was impossible to determine, since it echoed all over the empty plain, but she didn't stop.

At this point, she couldn't stop. If her feet didn't move for a few seconds, she would freeze on the spot. Only her movements were keeping her alive... And her willpower...

In the next minute, the sound was so loud she had to cover her frozen ears, but still her legs didn't wait for her mind.

She also felt a trickle of blood flowing from her nose, but it froze before even reaching her lips.

Her vision was restricted to about a meter in front of her, so she never had a chance to see the wall in front of her.

Vicky bumped into the building headfirst, but somehow, she stayed on her feet.

With one hand, she touched the wall, and it felt warm, but also very smooth. It was like a polished stone.

Out of desperation, she pressed herself to the warm wall, and she basically moaned in ecstasy. Never in her life did she feel so happy to find something to cover against the wind.

After a few long, satisfying minutes, she began walking around the wall, but it never seemed to end.

It was black and smooth at every point. She never found even the smallest ridge or wrinkle. The more she walked, the worse she felt.

Something was very wrong, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

Following the warmth wall, she walked for at least an hour. Strangely enough, the high-pitched sounds stopped after she reached the wall.

Her hand slid on the smooth surface, and she was pretty sure the wall got warmer the further she walked.

After another hour of walking, she finally saw some change in the wall. It seemed to flatten out, and because of curiosity, Vicky climbed on top of the wall.

Her vision was still mostly obscured, but at least she wasn't walking on snow anymore.

The warmth radiating from below her feet felt especially nice, and at some point she began contemplating taking a break.

Her whole body was reaching its end. She felt like a walking corpse, and with each step, her balance got less firm.

She managed to walk another half an hour before finally collapsing to the warm, black ground. It felt smooth and very comfortable. It wasn't quite soft, but it wasn't like stone either.

The material felt unnatural, but in her exhaustion, Vicky didn't care.

With one hand, she kept brushing the ground, like she was petting it. She focused on its smoothness, which somehow calmed her turbulent mind.

After a few minutes, she moved her hand to the other side, but something was wrong. She felt a ridge in the smoothness. It was near imperceptible, but after feeling the smooth surface for hours, it stood out instantly.

Only using her hand, she felt the groove, but she couldn't find its end. Out of curiosity, even though her body resisted her efforts, at first she rose to her knees.

With her eyes, the line was mostly invisible, but her hand felt the small dent. She began to crawl in one direction, following the ridge, but even after ten minutes, she didn't find its end.

At that point, she stopped trying and lied back down. This time her stomach was pressed to the warm ground, and it took a lot not to fall asleep.

She spent another half an hour lying there, then something seemed to change. She felt as if an earthquake shook the ground beneath her feet.

With a quick move, she jumped to her feet and looked down. It was like some large object moved below her feet, and at some point the ridge widened. Now she could see it and not just feel it.

She watched the ridge widen slowly, then out of nowhere it opened and swallowed Vicky.

Her face and body slammed into a sticky, hot something. Vicky groaned in annoyance and exhaustion. The fall wasn't big, only a few meters, but her body still wasn't recovered.

She turned and looked over the place, but nothing seemed to change. The ground was still black below her feet; the wind was still blasting and the snow still fell.

The only perceptible difference was the permanent stickiness, which was very disgusting.

She moved her feet up and down, leaving trails of some liquid behind her. After a few steps, the blackness below her feet constricted until it was only a few meters in size.

Next to the blackness, the ground was pure white, with large lines that resembled veins...

Vicky wanted to laugh to herself at the ridiculous metaphor, but as she walked further, the blackness below her feet followed.

At some point her walk turned brisk, and eventually she was running, but the blackness kept up with her.

She just didn't want to believe it, even though at this point she knew very well what was below her feet...

Vicky was standing on an eye...

The feeling of dread washed over her again, but no matter how far she ran, there was no end in sight. Only now did she remember walking for close to an hour on the closed eyelid before finally stopping.

The dread turned into pure terror as she started to realize just how gigantic the creature was. If just its eye spread for who knows how many kilometers, just how large was the actual monster?

As the fear froze her blood, she fell to her knees. Her body trembled, and she felt hopeless, like she could die at any moment.

Vicky closed her eyes and waited for her death... It never came...

This confused her. If she was correct, then the creature literally just had to blink for her to be crushed. But something didn't feel right.

Curiously, Vicky stared below herself and looked into the creature's pupil. It was wrong. There seemed to be no life left in it, like the eye only watched her because it was a reflex. It felt like a corpse's eye.

At this point, Vicky figured it out. She knew this was the creature The Huntress wanted her to kill.

Vicky took a couple of deep breaths, collecting all the scattered pieces of her mind, then she began the slow process of destroying the creature's soul.

Strangely enough, it only took her a few minutes, which meant the creature was really close to death's door and just needed a tiny push to get through.

Still, the entire ordeal required all her essence, and afterward she fell to her side breathing heavily.

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Because her whole body was touching her prey, the long awaited question popped into her mind...

'Do you wish to evolve?'

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