Edgar's Descent
For two days, we scoured every inch of the Sia Kalt mountains. We checked every ice cave and crevice in the rocks, but the flower from the rumors was nowhere to be found. Exhaustion was plain on the knights' faces.
Where the hell is it... I led the way, slicing through the wind. Enduring the cold with the Haind family's swordsmanship, we pressed on with the search—but it was all for nothing. Not even a trace of the legendary flower.
"This can't be right," Rowan growled through gritted teeth. His red aura flared stronger. It was his pride refusing to accept failure.
"The saint and hero got something from here...? It was all an illusion?!" His angry shout echoed through the mountains. The knights just exchanged glances.
We'd braved this insane cold, only to face death by freezing with nothing to show for it.
What would brother have found here...? The thought hit me suddenly. Seven years ago, had he faced a moment like this? No... if he had, he would've found another path. His words came back: Head-on isn't always the answer.
Then Rowan's gaze fixed on the massive ice wall in the distance. The entrance to the Sia Kalt Labyrinth.
"That's it." His voice rang out cold and clear.
As expected... I swallowed a sigh. I'd sensed we'd end up there eventually. But not this soon.
"The knight order heads for the labyrinth." At Rowan's declaration, the knights' faces went pale. The survivors had already endured the horrors of Set Hanryeong. The labyrinth promised even worse.
"Captain, please wait a moment." One knight mustered his courage. He spoke of the village at the mountain's base—gathering intel there. But Rowan's response was icy.
"What would peasants know? Where's your noble pride...?" I bowed my head at his words. Noble pride. Wasn't that what drove us to this point? Brother had abandoned it and left. And I... I'm here clinging to it.
"Advance." Rowan's order fell. No one dared argue. We all knew—this was our last shot.
Our steps toward the labyrinth felt leaden. The massive ice entrance loomed like a maw ready to swallow us whole. No decorations, no doors—just a gaping hole.
This is... the Sia Kalt Labyrinth.
Inside, the chill intensified. But something was off. This wasn't mere cold. It felt like... someone was watching us.
A wind blew through, carrying an eerie hum in the frigid air. A warning? Or a welcome? I gripped my sword tight. No turning back now. We... had to find the truth.
And so we plunged into the ice maze.
The first night on the upper level passed in uneasy peace. Frost flowers on the ice walls glowed faintly, and ceiling crystals scattered moonlight.
"Isn't it strange?" a knight on night watch muttered, eyeing the walls.
"What do you mean?"
"The tracks. No monster signs. It's like..."
"Like?"
"Someone cleaned it spotless."
He was right. It was too pristine. More palace than labyrinth. Even the upper level of Sia Kalt Labyrinth should have some monsters.
The next day, we descended to the mid-levels. Narrowing passages twisted like a maze, icicles sharpening on the walls.
"Same here." Rowan inspected the ice floor. Monster tracks existed, but no monsters.
Someone's maintaining this place. I knew it instinctively. Not coincidence.
Someone's... A chill ran down my spine. Unseen eyes followed us. Nothing in the shadows, no matter where I looked. But they were there.
That night, we camped in a vast mid-level chamber—a circular plaza we'd found beyond tight corridors.
"A place like this..." The knights marveled, but I was uneasy. The ceiling vanished into darkness, walls etched with unknown runes. And those eyes... persisted.
On the third day, finding the path to the lower levels took time. The maze grew more complex, runes more grotesque.
"See that?" A knight pointed. Faces trapped in the ice, screaming in agony.
"Ignore it." Rowan's voice was firm, but it wavered.
The lower level night was worse. Shadows danced between blue-glowing ice pillars. The gaze grew relentless.
"Who's there!" Knights shouted nightly, unanswered. Just the sense of countless eyes in the dark.
On the fourth day, we found the deep level entrance. Dark blue ice plunged like ocean depths, faint blue light pushing back the gloom.
"Rest here." At Rowan's word, we all collapsed in exhaustion. Four days of journey. No fights, but endless tension wore us down.
Why so quiet...? The answer was clear. Someone managed this place. And they knew we were intruders.
"Let's go." Rowan's voice shook. No one called it out. We all felt the same dread.
The deep passage stretched endlessly. Walls turned inky blue, icicles razor-sharp. Only our footsteps echoed in the void.
Nothing here either. Deep levels should teem with powerful monsters. But only traces frozen in ice—like someone had tidied up.
"Halt." Rowan raised a hand. The passage split into forks, each vanishing into unique darkness.
"Which way..." Before the words finished, a scent wafted from one path. Sweet, mysterious. Beckoning us.
"This... this is..." The knights' eyes wavered. What we'd sought. The rumored flower—maybe ahead.
But why? Danger laced the fragrance. Like a predator luring prey.
Then—something flashed in the dark. Too fast to identify... but small things, countless small things, watching us.
Chill gripped me. We didn't belong here. Instinct screamed it.
"Advance." Rowan's order came. He was already stepping toward the scent.
But I... couldn't move. Every cell screamed in protest.
Suddenly, brother's voice echoed: "Edgar, fear is your body's signal." Memories of him holding my hand as a scared kid. Still warm.
Brother... am I wrong?
In the darkness, unseen eyes watched our end.
A strange ache tugged at my chest. Leaning by the inn window, I sighed. It felt like someone was calling me.
And suddenly, I remembered. My little brother, trailing me since he was five.
Edgar... As kids, he'd always wanted my hand. When scared, when anxious. He's probably walking his own path now. The noble one.
"Brian, you look pale." Kevin's worried eyes met mine. Usually teasing, today he was serious.
"Yeah, are you sick?" Marianne asked from beside him.
"Nah, it's nothing." I forced a smile.
Too much had happened lately. The mysterious flower on the mountains, Ricoris and her astonishing power. Meeting the silver hero and saint. And... her.
A shiver ran through me. Sia Kalt's true ruler, Frostia. Appearing as a colossal ice dragon, then a silver-haired woman. That overwhelming presence lingered.
As a human—no, as a living being—the ultimate terror. Surviving her was a miracle.
Am I caught in something too big...? For C-rank adventurers like us, it was overwhelming. We'd barely fended off trolls and goblins, yet here we lingered like guardians of a sacred flower. Witnessing legends firsthand.
"I'm fine..." I muttered to myself, but Edgar's face kept surfacing. That last look—full of anger and contempt.
Through the window, Sia Kalt mountains faded in the clouds. Seven years ago, I'd headed there. Abandoning nobility for a true knight's path.
The path you're on now... A foreboding chill gripped my heart. This anxiety was new. Not during troll fights, meeting Ricoris, or even facing Frostia.
"Brian?" Kevin's voice snapped me back.
"You sure you're okay? All those sighs... too much lately, huh?"
"Don't worry. Just... old memories." But deep down, something kept calling Edgar. Like he was desperately searching for me, far away.