Even when Seth lived in the plains of snow for years, he couldn’t predict the weather. The clouds never change after all.

And the weather itself comes and goes randomly, which means they couldn’t know a snowstorm would suddenly brew out of nowhere.

Goggles worn, scarfs tugged above their noses, and their hoodies over their heads. That was the best way they could face the monster that showered all over them.

Etta, on the other hand, hid in a bag whilst everything went on.

Visibility was near to null, they could not see anything around them. Seth and Nathanael kept close to each other with a connected rope.

Seth said there were no bunkers or abandoned villages nearby. No caverns or other houses to hide in. All they had were themselves.

“Where did this come from!? It was all fine a moment ago!” Nathanael yelled so he could be heard through the storm.

“Storms appear like this often! Thankfully, they don’t last long! Only a few more minutes!”

They huddled around their sleds, to feel that needed flame inside their bodies. The warmth to fight off the cold.

This ferocious type of storm Nathanael has only seen whilst in the house. And only seen it twice. But this time he gets to experience it. And he quickly came to the conclusion that he hated it.

The snow started to grow more around them. The sleds would be needed to be dug back from the ground. That wouldn’t take long but could cause slight exhaustion, and time they couldn’t waste.

Sleeping in the plains of snow is harder than inside the forest. Storms brew and extinguish the campfires, their sleeping bags would only succumb to the snow. And the snow could harden, trapping them below.

But in the forest, the storms don’t pass through the trees. Little to no wind within, allowing the fire to keep living through the night. And snowfalls are gentle and kind, as if it was a whole new world, away from the plains of snow.

The thing the two regions have in common is the silence. If you exclude the raging storms in the plains of snow, you wouldn’t be hearing anything besides your footsteps crossing the lands. The trees don’t rustle on their own, wildlife is rarely seen and heard. The calm peaceful aura kept people calm, but also anxious when nothing was happening.

As said, the only voice of nature that could be heard was the storm the three were now facing. And the cold kept seeping through their clothing.

I guess I was right about this journey being harsh! This is awful!

“…Mmhm!” Etta whimpered inside the bag she hid in. “…So… cold…”

Snowstorms don’t last long. But though they last for only a few minutes, they could feel as if they would last for hours. Struggling through it could be hard, but easily overcome with the right protection, such as the clothes they wore. Also, a tent could be used, but that would take time to set up, and the weather appears out of nowhere, there is no telling when is the right time to put it down. That’s why Seth didn’t bring one when he had one inside his workshop.

Seth knows if they would survive it or not. He couldn’t predict the weather, but surviving is something he is fully aware of. And in this instance, they would win the fight.

It lasted for fifteen minutes. The storm passed and then dissipated in the distance. The light snowfall came once again, and everything turned peaceful.

“It wasn’t that bad, was it?” Seth said.

“How can you endure this every time you go out? Nothing but a sled with you, does this happen often?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t be here with you if I didn’t survive the first one.”

Etta’s head popped out from the bag. Once she noticed everything had calmed down, she found her spot again, and suddenly fell asleep once more.

You lose concern quickly when the threat ends, don’t you?

The sleds were slightly stuck within the snow, shovels were brought out from Seth’s sled and they dug it out.

“How did the snow harden so quickly?” Nathanael asked.

“That is what this storm does to the environment. You should be glad it only lasts for a few minutes. And the hardened ice would become puffier again sooner than later. But if it was night, the hardened snow would last till daybreak.”

“What about us? Wouldn’t we freeze?”

“Not if your body still produces heat, your winter clothing helps provide that. Now come on, let’s not waste time chatting about, the cliff should be an hour away.”

The plains of snow were ever the same. Everything white with grey clouds, the mountains still far and massive. Nothing else that the eye could see. Except for some areas Nathanael stared at, which he could think to believe was just his mind playing tricks again. Something abstract, like a painting, but wavy and peculiar. He couldn’t understand this familiar feeling he had since first looking beyond the veil.

But today the scenery of white would change. The white was about to blend in with the greenery. The tops snowed after many untold years, the trees that never had sunlight or freedom from winter.

Nathanael didn’t notice it at first, his steps nearly went over as his breath was caught in awe. Seth pulled him back before he would succumb to his fatal death.

The snow was slightly over the near-vertical cliff. If he took another step, he would disappear through the snow and would bring his sled and Etta with him.

The forest below was what caught his attention. The trees reached far, far enough his eyes couldn’t reach. Vast and without the plains, this was a world Nathanael didn’t think he would see for a while longer.

But he felt something eerie about it. It felt oddly identical to the plains of snow. There was no shift in elevation it seemed from this point of view, and the treetops looked too identical to one another. Their distances from each other also didn’t look to differ.

A shiver ran down his spine. This same feeling once again. Slight nausea came and went.

“How do we get down?” Nathanael asked once his wonder left him. “And more importantly, what about the sleds carrying all of our stuff?”

“It’s simple, we use that,” Seth said and pointed at something to the side.

Wooden with stone and rope for support. Tethers kept the structure still and sturdy. And this small structure was slightly over the cliff. It was a makeshift crane. And somehow Nathanael managed to miss it while they got closer to the cliff.

“So the harness was for that? We hook ourselves on and we descend?”

“First we get the sleds down, then you and the girl, then me.”

Nathanael felt that tingle of betrayal again. The same situation as in that crystal cavern.

Don’t start thinking something like that again, Nathanael. He wouldn’t ditch us once we arrived at the bottom.

On the cliff face, below the crane, were ropes bolted along the wall that they could use while going down. It was made by Seth, saying if the crane suddenly collapsed, they could hold on for dear life. It could also be used to climb up and down, but wasn’t recommended, as the ice layer could suddenly break as well.

Etta grudgingly left her bed – which was still just a sled – and stood by Nathanael’s side. She quickly got tired from standing and asked to be picked up. Nathanael did so, and Etta quickly felt the delighted warmth running through her body.

Seth tied up the sleds, and sent them down one after the other. The structure held on with the weight, nothing seemed off. They ended up on each other, but that shouldn’t be much of a bother.

“Alright, who wants to go down first?” Seth asked and brought out the single harness they had.

“Could you perhaps go first? So you could show us how it’s done?”

“No need. All you gotta do is fasten yourself on the harness, then you wind yourself down slowly with the rope. There isn’t much to it. And I need to stay up here to see if the structure would break or not.”

Damn It. Now my fears would haunt me until he comes down. But there is nothing to fear, right?

Why do I still feel this untrusting feeling?

Nathanael took the harness once putting Etta down from his shoulders. Then contemplates if to make her go down first or himself.

“Etta and I are going down together.”

“What? Not happening. We only have this single harness, and it is the only one I have that isn’t ripped or unusable. You think you can hold her all the way down?”

Frankly, he wasn’t so sure of the idea. But he couldn’t decide which was the better option of going first. And he was scared of making Etta go alone. He envisioned a horrendous fate that could occur, and he just really didn’t want to see that.

Yet his conflicted thoughts turned back to Seth. Listening to him was the safer option, despite his thoughts of betrayal.

“I don’t like it, but I’ll do as you say.”

Etta didn’t think much of what was happening, and she barely listened. She was nearly clueless about this event. Her feet started to feel numb from the breaching cold.

Nathanael crouched by Etta.

“…Mm?”

“You think you can go down first? I’ll be right behind you once you touch down.”

Even with her drowsy state, once she looked down to where she needed to go, she instinctively backed away.

“…No,” she said, afraid.

Nathanael glanced back at the old man, in hopes of getting some help.

“Try to convince her,” Seth only said back to his plea.

“Etta, listen, the harness will keep you safe. You can close your eyes all the way.”

The cliff was around fifteen meters tall. No wonder she would be scared to go down.

“…No,” she whimpered, and held around Nathaneal’s leg.

Crap, I can’t make her go down when she acts like this…

Seth scratched the back of his head. And he slightly felt annoyed by this.

“Fine, but she comes down with me. I can’t let you two down together when it’s your first time.”

“That’s fair, thank you.” Even though he wanted to be with her on the way down, he couldn’t argue this was the safer option.

Yet Etta had other feelings.

“…I want… to be with Nat.”

The first hurdle crossed, a second yet to be achieved. Great.

Nathanael crouched down and looked her caringly and sympathetically in the eyes.

“Please, Etta, just this once. I know it’s scary going down with the terrifying old man over there, but do this for me.”

“I’m gonna ignore what you just called me,” Seth said.

“It’ll only be for a minute. You can wait that long, right?”

Etta gave a dissatisfied whine, but then released her grip on him and nodded.

“…I’ll do it… for you.”

Nathanael patted her on the head. She gave a joyous reaction. “Thank you.”

Nathanael would be going down first. The harness was strapped tightly around him, also loose enough to allow him to breathe. He hooked himself on the crane and descended.

Seth didn’t go quick, he had his eyes on all the supports of the structure, in case it would start to break.

Etta glanced down, even though she didn’t want to be close to the edge. She wanted him to be safe, to know it was okay going down this way. Everything was fine.

There was no trouble. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nathanael made it to the bottom.

He gave a sigh of relief and nearly decided to go down on all four to hug the snowy ground. He released himself from the harness, and let it go back up by the winding rope.

It was Seth and Etta’s turn.

The old man put on the harness, in addition to a rope he tied himself with Etta.

“Hold on tight now.”

They were now hovering in midair once he hooked himself. Etta clutched on with all her small strength. Her eyes were closed tight.

Seth used the winding rope to descend the hook. Slowly he went. Nathanael stared all the while, the suspense killing him.

The sleds were heavier than any of them. The structure Seth built could be relied on. The storm hasn’t destroyed it, it can survive this one more descent. Or that is what they hoped.

Something wooden cracked and snapped. A support beam flew off and fell down the cliff while scraping slightly the ice coated wall. Nathanael dodged, but the beam landed on one of the sleds, breaking off its front side.

The structure shifted, and Seth immediately swung to the wall, where the pre-placed fixed rope was at and managed to grab it with one hand.

He flailed about, not being able to get a good hold. Etta screamed and suddenly sounded fully awake and aware.

“Etta! Seth! Are you two alright!?” Nathanael yelled once nothing happened a few seconds later. He was only capable of watching, there was nothing he could do to help. And he felt horrible by that notion.

Seth didn’t respond to his worry. His feet managed to step on the bolted rope, which was horizontal. He controlled his balance, the harness kept him safe from falling, but only if the crane wouldn’t completely break apart.

They weren’t so lucky, something else above was falling, a stone that was around the broken wooden beam. It fell and hit one of the bolts holding the rope. Causing the rope to loosen. And Seth fell, the crane still held him up, but that didn’t last long.

A crack started to form around where the bolt was. Getting a hold on the fixed rope wouldn’t be optimal, as it could break off any moment.

The winding rope couldn’t work anymore, something was stopping it from working. That meant they couldn’t descend. And they were stuck, and they didn’t pass the halfway mark.

Finally, nothing was happening. Nothing else broke apart. The silence kicked in once again. But it wasn’t a peaceful silence, only anxiety and worry filled that atmosphere.

Nathanael was scared to move. As if a single movement could cause another falling beam, another disaster. If they died from that fall, what would he do?

Stuck on the ground, helpless. Nothing around he knew how to use. Nathanael couldn’t do a thing.

“…Nat…” Etta whimpered.

“Etta, don’t worry! I’ll get you down!”

I’ll get you down… somehow…

He looked over at the old man, hanging and still trying to tug at the winding rope, to try and descend this lethal cliff. But then the main part of it fell loose, the cogs fell with the rope. They still hung on the crane, but with nothing to hold onto.

Seth, can you do anything from there? Is the crane completely broken?

“Nathanael.”

“Seth?”

“I’m afraid we’re stuck.”

“Then… what… what do we do? Can you climb down with those ice axes?”

“Do you think I can climb down with a child? And besides, this wall is starting to crack. We can’t use the fixed ropes. Climbing it would be too dangerous.”

The wall was coated with hard ice, behind it a rocky surface. But getting to that was hard, because the ice was thick. Trying to break the ice was pointless. The crack was close to Seth, slightly above and below him. Nathanael could climb at some distance, but going closer to that crack would be risky. But if he even had climbing gear on him, he wouldn’t know how to climb. The crane couldn’t be moved, the wheels on it broke apart, along with the rope that made it possible to descend. Nathanael would somehow need to get up there and try to fix it without breaking anything else.

But Nathanael didn’t know how to climb. Nothing in his memories came up.

Silence of the snow. The trees didn’t rustle. No wildlife to call out to nature. This endless eerie feeling when nothing was happening.

Staring down into the forest, Nathanael could feel his tension building. He couldn’t see far into it. Though the sun lit the clouds, he couldn’t see what was beyond the hidden veil of the winter forest.

Etta didn’t make much sound. Her eyes were still closed, holding tight around Seth. The cold air started to seep through, and she began to shiver.

“…Cold…”

Time was running out.

“Nathanael, listen well,” Seth began. Nathanael stopped his stare into the forest and paid attention. “There is no way I can climb down from here. And a single movement could cause another ruckus, and we would most likely fall to our deaths.” The old man kept his voice calm. There was no fear in his eyes.

“Then… what do I need to do?”

“Inside the forest, not so far from here, is a crystal shard, the size of a small shack. There you can hopefully find a chest left by others. Inside is usually climbing gear. Not just icepicks and rope, but other tools that you could use to get up and fix this damn crane.”

A crystal shard? Are they similar to the ones in the crystal caverns?

“What sort of tools? I don’t know if I can even climb…”

“I know you can’t climb a wall like this. That is why I’m hoping you find something other than what we already have. But if you find nothing, you would need to try to climb it with the ice axes.”

“But isn’t it dangerous climbing this wall? Can’t we wait for help?”

“This cliff goes on for kilometers, just go and find a wall that isn’t cracked and tampered with. And waiting isn’t an option. Half the day had already passed, meaning in about six hours, the night would arrive. And when you come back, you will only find bodies frozen in ice.”

Six… hours? Is that enough? Getting a time limit makes it much more stressful. If only he didn’t mention that.

“Alright, I’ll find this… crystal shard, but where do I go? How do I navigate this forest?”

“That would be our biggest problem. I can’t tell you how to navigate it.”

“What? Then how…”

“There is a knife in one of the bags. Use it to mark the trees, that is how you find your way back. There are more than one structures inside the forest, going straight from here is your best bet on finding the crystal I told you about. It’s a few kilometers from here, I hope you don’t pass it and go deeper.”

Nathanael grabbed the knife and revealed it from its sheath.

“I’ll try my best, Seth. Please keep Etta safe while I’m… out alone.”

“It’s not like anything will get us from here. Perhaps hunger and the cold, but we can hold on for a while. There is no rush.”

Etta made a disagreeing “Mm” sound.

I need to walk five kilometers inside the forest. Can I really find it? Do I have the time?

“Nathanael,” Seth called to him once more. “Don’t trust strangers so easily. There are many who walk around here with no good intentions. You were lucky that I was the one who found you unconscious.”

“There are others?”

“Yes, but don’t try to talk to them. And also, if you find a glowing crystal, put your mask on immediately. You will know what I mean if you encounter them.”

Glowing crystals? The crystal cavern didn’t glow, what exactly glows and is needed to use this mask?

“Right, I’ll take your advice.”

He had his satchel with him. Bringing a sled would only slow him down. He needed to be quick, but not too quick to exhaust himself completely. Just the right pace would hopefully be enough to walk the rest of the day. Nathanael had no clock, no way to tell the hour. But when it gets darker, he will know he ran out of time.

Then he would be alone, in the endless winter forest, where the trees never change.