Rigon could see the orange rays of light in between the trees of the [Ardan forest] which started to disappear over the horizon. It was the middle of winter and the sun started to set quicker than normal. Rigon rubbed his fingers which started to feel numb from the cold.

“We should get back to our camp. The [Crowned Wolf] is not a nocturnal creature. We won’t be able to find one in the dark buried under the snow.” Jasper, Rigon’s bodyguard said.

Begrudgingly Rigon agreed, he knew that remaining this deep in the [Ardan forest] was dangerous for anyone below the third tier. He nodded his head and they headed for safety. Jasper’s steps were soundless as he moved through the snow.

Jasper was Vence’s youngest son, he inherited his dark hair and complexion as well as his unbelievable dexterity, both through training and bloodline that was close to reaching its end.

Rigon on the other hand was walking like a proud hippo. Uncaring for the noise he made each time he broke a branch or scraped against a tree. Jasper even wondered whether Rigon was doing this on purpose to attract predators to their location. He knew his companion was a battle-hungry maniac who hated being denied a fight.

Jasper could sense a few beasts already heading their way; however, he used a small bell to release a noise that would cause excruciating pain to most monsters in the first and second-tier, forcing them to run away from the source of the noise.

“There were so many sightings of those beasts not long ago. I don’t believe that there isn’t a single one in this forest.” Rigon said clearly annoyed that their three day expedition has brought no results. He managed to kill quite a few beasts and raise his levels however, levels were not what Rigon was after.

The [Crowned Wolf] was a tier two beast that possessed an extremely durable exoskeleton and three short horns at the top of its head creating an illusion of a crown. He wanted to use that exoskeleton in order to create armour for himself.

“Aye, there were but the beast might have migrated further north looking for a mate, they don’t venture that deeply into your father’s territory often, on account of the giants living in these forests,” Jasper said and stopped in his track, In a single smooth motion he threw a needle-knife into the skull of a monster that was ready to pounce at them. Rigon didn’t notice the creature lurking above them.

“Your bell must be broken.” Rigon said after an eighty-pound ball of black fur fell onto the snow, creating a white cloud around it, a few dozen metres in front of them.

The creature looked like the baby of an ugly housecat and an even uglier monkey. It had long hind legs, paws of a large cat ending in sharp claws and a long shiny dark tail resembling Damascus steel.

“This is a [Blind Stalker], they are completely deaf, blind and their sense of smell is even worse than yours. They use some strange sixth sense to see their prey.” Jasper said while slowly moving closer to the animal to retrieve his needle knife.

He pulled out a longer weapon; a single-edged short sword. The big ball of black fur lay there motionlessly, not breathing; however, Jasper didn’t believe that the beast was dead.

He lunged at its neck with the short sword and at the last second, the beast grinned and whipped its sharp tail in an attempt to cut off Jasper's arm. The blade-like tail cut through the brown fur coat that kept him warm but it bounced off of the primary armour that he always wears under his clothes.

It tried to use its long hind legs to push itself off the ground and run away once it realised that its enemy was upon him, but it was too late, the point of the sword easily penetrated the neck of the [Blind Stalker]. Jasper jumped away from the creature leaving behind the sword in the neck of the beast.

The [Blind Stalker] flayed on the ground, it used its tail to strike blindly at its surroundings, leaving large gashes in the bark of the trees. The beast managed to pull out the sword from its neck which only caused more blood loss, it was dead within seconds.

“Are all of them arrogant?” Rigon asked, the creature attacked Jasper’s arm instead of going for the neck. It was clear that the beast liked to play with its prey.

“Yes, they don’t even hunt for sustenance, they hunt for fun. They usually eat vegetation and mushrooms, leaving non-threatening animals alone... They should hibernate during winter. It is strange to see one at this time of year” Jasper said while retrieving his weapons. He used his short-sword to cut open the torso of the [Blind Stalker]. He plunged his hand into the beast and retrieved a kidney-shaped organ.

“What is that?” Rigon asked somewhat disgusted.

“I told you that they are completely blind and deaf.” Jasper said and lifted the long black hair covering the face of the [Blind Stalker]. Its face lacked eyes, nose and ears, its head was flat and its mouth was eight inches wide and contained a set of teeth similar to a human or a horse rather than that of a predator.

“They have an ability to sense their surroundings without the need for external stimulation. This organ contains the liquid that grants them that ability, it can be used to brew a potion that allows you to see everything around you with your eyes closed. Luckily for me, it was a young one. This ability becomes stronger with age, he would be able to guide his tail better and even be able to sense my armour.” Jasper said while carefully storing the organ in his pouch.

“Will the same happen if you eat the organ without processing it first?” Rigon asked, intrigued by the strange ability. Rigon knew that the components of the potion could have unusual side effects on humans or sometimes not even produce the same effects as the potion.

“Yes. The effect would be far stronger and could last a few months however, within that time your senses would become dull.” Jasper said and wiped off the burgundy blood from his fingers and his weapons. Once clean, Jasper continued walking. “Let’s get going, spending a night in this place is not safe if his parents are around.” He said and left behind the beast for any hungry predator not deterred by the bell.

Both of them were wearing thick sturdy coats and their constitution was high enough to be mostly unbothered by the simple winter winds but as they continued walking away from the centre of the forest in the direction of their camp the wind became far colder.

Thick dark clouds have gathered above them and It started snowing, the visibility became worse with each step, and the dimming sunlight became obstructed by the clouds and snow.

The cold wind gained in speed and the small snowflakes started to feel like minuscule daggers cutting into their faces and hands, Jasper grasped Rigon’s shoulder so as to not lose him in the snowstorm.

“Hold on tight!” Jasper shouted. Rigon was unable to hear him. The wind was deafening.

After fifteen minutes of walking Jasper completely lost his bearing, his ears were burning and he had a hard time keeping his eyes open. The trees around them were swaying and bending under the ferocious wind.

Jasper could definitely last in that wind a few more hours but he wasn’t too sure about Rigon. He could feel his companion’s body shaking from the cold. Soon he would go into a hypothermic shock. He needed to get him out of this cold weather as quickly as possible.

Jasper's cold fingers entered his pouch and fished out some [Novar Berries] He popped two into his mouth and started to chew them, his body temperature increased dramatically after swallowing them.

He grabbed Rigon by the neck and fed him a handful. Rigon stopped shaking and they continued to look for shelter.

“Which direction is this fucking wind coming from!” Jasper swore into the wind realising that trying to find bearing based on the direction of the wind was futile. It felt like the wind was guiding him somewhere, whenever he would try to go off course it would become stronger and once he submitted to it, it eased up and became bearable again.

The wind started to feel more unnatural by the second, he started to sense foul play in the air. Right as he was about to fish out another portion of the [Novar Berries] everything clicked.

The only way for him to find his bearing again was right there in his pouch. He became convinced that someone sent that [Blind Stalker] on purpose and most likely the snow storm too.

After a moment of deliberation. He decided that it is better to be blind than dead and started to chew on the frozen organ and berries. He submitted himself to the person behind these events.

There were easier ways to kill them or to cripple him than to control the weather and the monsters hiding in this forest. He was on his last leg against the force of this storm and if he didn’t submit he would break.

Jasper closed his eyes and anticipated the changes in his perception. After a few seconds, he could somehow see his heartbeat. Each pulse extended slightly further each time. At first, he could only see his internal organs, bones, tendons muscles and eventually his skin. After a few breaths, this strange sight extended beyond his skin.

He could see the snow, what was under the snow, the trees and even the contents of his pouch. He could see everything around him in about a five-metre radius.

It took him a few seconds to compose himself and adjust to his new form of sight then he realised that the only thing that he couldn’t see was Rigon.

***

Lacking the support from Jasper, Rigon fell face-first onto the ground shivering. His skin felt so cold it burnt. His eyelashes were covered in ice and snow.

“My apologies for the cold welcome my dear grandson, but people like me need to be careful whenever they make an appearance.” A smooth and gentle feminine voice resounded in his head. Rigon expected it to be a hallucination caused by a hypothermic shock.

The burning sensation in his skin spread through his body like wildfire. The heat wasn’t an illusion, he became warmer within seconds. His skin was no longer in pain and his muscles stopped shivering, his body relaxed and his fingers grasped the earth which felt feathery and stringy. The medicinal smell of the herbs tickled his nose. He wiped off the molten snow from his face and opened his eyes.

Instead of the snow and the storm he saw green grass and flowers lining the floor, even the time of day was different now. The area was well lit like in the middle of the day.

He lifted his head and saw a woman in her late twenties looking down at him with her large purple eyes, he instantly recognised them. They were the same eyes as his mother and… younger brother possessed. She had smooth olive skin and long obsidian hair.

Her jawline and cheekbones could only be described as regal, sharp and domineering. Not even a crown of the high king could add to that image. Her beauty was intimidating and overwhelming.

She waited for him to get back onto his feet and spoke while gesturing at a small wooden cabin in the middle of the clearing. “We should go inside. I have prepared tea and some sweets for you.”

“Who are you?” Rigon asked, completely overwhelmed by the experience. He could see that they were inside of a semi-translucent dome outside of which he could see the snowstorm. He was scared and on the edge, instinctually his hands travelled to the pommels of the axes hanging from his sides.

The woman reacted by looking at him with pity. The arrogance and stupidity behind that action were beyond her comprehension. “Are you that averse to tea my unfilial grandson?” She asked.

Rigon’s face twitched slightly. “Grandson?” He asked not understanding how the woman that looked not much older than himself could be his grandmother.

“Yes, I have decided to visit you since you have managed to enter the first tier. I have come bearing gifts to celebrate that occasion. I have done the same for your older siblings and I will do the same for Veric if he manages to overcome his ailments… Now come, we have a lot to discuss.” She said and started walking toward the wooden hut.