The wind cut across the open field like a living thing—sharp, cold, and merciless. Snow whipped sideways, blurring the horizon into shifting white ghosts.

  Suri’s illusions spread through the storm, faint distortions in the ground like heat ripples. Her mana laced through each one, forming echoes of her senses—phantoms she could see through, scattered across the field.

  She walked among her students, their breaths misting in the air, their boots crunching through frost. These were the ones who had volunteered—the ones who knew Kana, who refused to stay behind when the others hesitated.

  “Uhm… I think I found someone,” Boris called out, squinting against the glare of the snow.

  Suri’s focus shifted instantly. Her nearest illusion shimmered, eyes narrowing as it projected her vision far ahead—past the mist, past the wind.

  A dark shape. Several, actually.

  She frowned. “That’s not Kana,” she murmured. “It’s Mica, Artin… and a few injured. They were with her before she vanished.”

  Her voice sharpened. “Everyone, move! We help them first!”

  The message rippled through the group like a spark, students spreading into a loose formation. The snow swallowed their shouts as they ran.

  Moments later, the figures ahead became clear—Mica, pale and exhausted; Artin supporting an unconscious man; and Lex with someone draped across his shoulder.

  “Suri! Professor Wor-en!” Mica cried, relief cutting through her fatigue.

  Behind her, Shai let out a low growl, scanning the blinding white around them.

  “We successfully rescued the prince,” Lex said between ragged breaths, shifting the weight on his shoulder. Only then did they see the face of the man he carried—young, royal, bloodied but alive.

  At the word prince, Wor-en immediately dropped to one knee, bowing low, and the students followed in unison, snow crunching beneath them.

  The prince—his face bruised, but his bearing unbroken—smiled faintly. “Rise,” he said. “We don’t have time for that.”

  Elle York, who had just arrived from the rear, froze as she noticed the wounded strewn across the snow. Her hands glowed faintly as she reached for her satchel of vials and bandages, but the prince’s voice stopped her.

  “Help my friends first,” he said softly. “They are in critical condition.”

  He turned toward Wor-en, eyes fierce despite his injuries. “We must rescue Kana. At all costs.”

  The air seemed to still. Even the wind paused, as if waiting.

  “It’s shameful,” the prince continued, voice heavy with guilt. “But we left her behind to buy us time. Without her, none of us would have made it out alive.”

  Suri closed her eyes, pushing her senses outward. Her illusions scattered like shards of light, scanning the garrison, the tunnels beneath, the ridges beyond. But she still found nothing. No flicker of movement. No breath. No heartbeat..

  “She’s not in the basement,” Suri said finally, voice tight. “And the two persons crossing blades with her aren’t either. I… I can’t find her.”

  “I’ll find her,” Lex said, stepping forward. His eyes hardened with determination. “I established a [Shadow Link] earlier. I can trace her through it. Once I have the location, we’ll regroup and back her up. But…” His gaze darkened. “I’m not confident I can defeat those two monsters alone.”

  Wor-en nodded once. “Then we don’t waste time. Do it.”

  Lex drew a slow breath and raised a hand, marble energy flickering like smoke around his fingertips. “[Shadow Link]”

  The spell pulsed once—black veins of energy spreading across the snow—then faded. Nothing.

  He frowned, tried again. “[Shadow Link]”

  The word echoed through the cold. Again, nothing. No pull, no flicker of connection. His physical body remained motionless, dead against the ice.

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  Lex lowered his hand. For a moment, no one spoke.

  “This…” he whispered, voice trembling. His eyes widened with dawning dread. “Either she’s too far…”

  He swallowed, throat dry.

  “Or she’s dead.”

  The wind howled then, tearing across the field as if to swallow the words whole. But the silence that followed was heavier still.

  …..

  The twins had stopped chasing her and Kana wasn’t sure if it was a good thing.

  From her vantage atop a ridge, Kana watched their dark shapes move through the snow, smaller now, their pace steady and deliberate. They were heading toward the border—toward the direction of the Empire. The line was still distant, a faint shimmer of frost and haze on the horizon.

  But they were still in her domain.

  Her eyes narrowed. She was still in her turf and she was still the predator.

  The twins halted in a nearby river. Their movements were cautious, measured. One knelt while the other kept watch, scanning the tree line. They refilled their waterskins in tense silence.

  Kana smiled faintly. Opportunity.

  She drew her bow. The familiar hum of enchantment resonated beneath her fingertips as she nocked two arrows. Her breath slowed; her heartbeat matched the whispering wind.

  Two arrows. Two targets.

  She released them.

  The arrows flew with invisible grace—swift, silent, deadly.

  A moment later, both twins turned sharply, anger flashing in their movements. One’s shoulder jerked as an arrow grazed him. They started running towards her—then stopped.

  Stopped?

  Kana blinked, surprised, even as she moved to another position. They paused? Why?

  A grin crept across her face.

  Fine. Let’s see how long they can keep their composure.

  She loosed again. Not two this time, but five. Each arrow sang through the cold, weaving lines of motion that crisscrossed the open white. The recoil stung through her muscles. [Trueshot] burned stamina, not mana—a cruel price. Every pull of the string left her body a little heavier, her breath a little shorter.

  But it was worth it.

  Hours bled away in a blur of frost and tension. The twins refused to rest. Even as the night deepened and the stars sharpened overhead, they kept walking—relentless, tireless, shadows among forests filled with snow though not thick like the one in the north.

  When dawn finally cracked the horizon, painting the frost with pale gold, Kana was still tracking them. Her eyes were gritty, her limbs trembling with fatigue. From time to time, she fired another arrow—just one, a taunt, a reminder that they were prey in her world.

  But the twins had grown used to it. They no longer flinched.

  Kana frowned.

  She followed them, keeping her distance. When they reached a narrow clearing beside a river bend, she stopped and crouched low. Her stomach grumbled softly. They would have to eat soon—and so would she.

  She made her move.

  Roasting meat over a small, smokeless fire, Kana watched the oily scent curl through the air. She ate a small piece—enough to taste, to test. Then she poured the sleeping potion over the rest, letting it soak into the charred surface.

  Her brow furrowed as she worked. “Should’ve bought poison,” she muttered. The underground markets were full of them, she could have gotten it there because the apothecaries above always asked too many questions, required too many papers.

  When she was done, she left the food in plain sight—a trap that screamed too easy. She positioned herself on higher ground, the bow already drawn.

  It didn’t take long.

  The twins arrived, eyes sharp, steps wary. One of them—his shoulder still bandaged from her earlier strike—scanned the area, then looked at the meat. His companion raised a brow.

  It was obvious. Too obvious.

  But hunger was a persuasive ally.

  After a tense pause, they sat, exchanging a wordless nod.

  They ate.

  Kana’s lips twitched. As soon as they bared their teeth into the skewered meat, she loosed another volley. Arrows hissed through the air, slicing the dawn.

  The twins moved like lightning, blades flashing, deflecting every shot. Sparks scattered into the air. Kana shifted position—one shot from the ridge, another from the treeline, another from the shadow of a rock. Her arrows fell from every direction.

  The twins countered, fluid and unhurried, finishing their meal between deflections.

  When they were done, one crouched and traced something on the snow. Kana’s heart pounded as they stood and walked away.

  She waited a moment, then crept closer, bow ready.

  In the snow, half-buried under a dusting of frost, were the words:

  You’re so obvious. Thank you for the meat.

  Kana exhaled sharply, a fog of disbelief and frustration. The sleeping potion probably wouldn’t work.

  She straightened, eyes narrowing as she spotted the distant trail they’d left behind. The twins were still moving—but something about their direction changed. They weren’t heading toward the border anymore. They ran in opposite directions.

  Kana chased the injured twin.

  After a few moments, Kana’s instincts screamed. They’re hunting me.

  She leapt into motion, bounding through the snow, keeping low. Her [High Awareness] flickered to life, sharpening the world—every sound, every shadow, every heartbeat within range.

  Then she felt it.

  A second presence. Behind her. Moving fast.

  When did he?

  Her breath caught. The uninjured twin was ahead, running just as before. The wounded one—the one she thought she was chasing—wasn’t fleeing.

  He was leading her.

  The realization struck like ice through her spine. She turned her head slightly.

  Through the white haze, a dark silhouette appeared—closing in fast, silent, deadly behind her.

  They were no longer running to the border. They were running toward her.

  They were done acting as prey.

  Did they simply wait for the sunlight?

  Kana's heartbeat quickened. Why didn’t she think of it? At night, it was easy for her to blend into the darkness but if there was a light coming from above…

  She could only curse under her breath. She made a mistake. Again.

  Am I going to die again this time?

  Kana froze for a moment. The thought came naturally.