novelraw Chapter 143: Cabin in the Snow
Chapter 143: Cabin in the Snow
"—Gghk!"
Aren jolted awake, not by will but by a certain survival instinct. His senses immediately flared as his mind went into overdrive.
What the hell happened? Where are we? Are we alive? What’s going—
But almost immediately, he calmed down as his eyes scanned the surroundings. He was in some sort of wooden cabin, but the kind that seemed to be made by hand from multiple fallen logs.
But how did they...wood wouldn’t have existed all the way out here?
But regardless of the question, he was in one and he wasn’t about to complain. His eyes shifted next to his side, to the rest of his club members. That was when Aren felt a weight off his shoulders as he exhaled a brief sigh of relief.
Luna lay nearby, her breathing soft and steady. Aren immediately reached out but winced. Once the adrenaline had settled, he realized all the injuries he’d received. Bandages were wrapped cleanly around his arms and torso deliberately. Whoever had done this knew exactly what they were doing.
Aren managed to reach Luna. Using the back of his hand, he laid it flat across her forehead.
It’s...warm? She’s not cold anymore! Thank god!
Whoever treated us must know more about her condition. I have to ask them about it.
His eyes turned slowly to the other members resting nearby. Daniel was slumped against the wall, his head slightly tilted to the side as he breathed softly through layers of bandages and wraps. He was definitely hit the hardest, but it seemed like his body was stabilized now
Marcus was on the floor not too far from him, one arm draped across his chest, completely still but very much alive. Iris sat closest to the door, though even she had given in to exhaustion as her posture slackened just enough to convey it. Emily was curled near the fire, shoulders rising and falling in an even rhythm.
"...We made it."
But as soon as the words left Aren’s mouth, he couldn’t really believe them. They were in the Wildlands after all, safety was temporary at most.
His gaze drifted just toward the window, only to realize that they were almost in the exact same area. A blizzard raged just beyond the glass, with violent winds tearing across the mountainside with enough force that, under normal circumstances, this place should’ve been torn right off like that one children’s tale with the pigs and the wolf.
How does it...
But as soon as the question appeared in his mind, the answer became apparent. There wasn’t even a need to divert ether into his eyes...his very senses felt it.
The wood itself was seeped in such dense ether that it felt almost like concrete. It clung to the walls, floor, and ceiling—woven into the structure so seamlessly that it blurred the line between natural and artificial.
It was almost like...a little oasis from the cold. An unshakable and unstoppable wall that kept everyone safe.
Though...everyone?
Aren’s gaze scanned the room once more. His club members were there, yet the one person that had saved them wasn’t.
Professor Sterling.
Slowly, Aren got up, wincing from the pain but his body seemed to respond well enough. He reached the door and paused, fingers resting lightly against the handle. For a brief moment, he simply stood there, listening.
Through the raging blizzard outside and the soft crackling of the fireplace behind, voices could be heard, faint enough that it could’ve easily been missed.
He frowned slightly before pulling the door open. The moment it creaked forward, cold brushed against his skin. But it wasn’t biting like it was before, not within whatever force surrounded this place.
And standing there, just a few steps away—
Professor Sterling.
She was leaning lightly against the wooden railing, her usual happy-go-lucky expression was replaced entirely by a more soft-spoken one.
Bandages wrapped around her arms and side, visible beneath her coat. For once, she didn’t look as untouchable as Aren once thought.
"...You’re awake," she said without turning. "Are the others?"
Aren hesitated for a moment before he answered.
"No...they’re still sleeping, but—"
But his voice suddenly caught in his throat. The professor wasn’t alone. At first, it was just a figure.
White and soft against the storm, yet somehow more defined than everything around it. Long hair flowed down her back, pale as fresh snow, tied loosely into a ponytail as strands danced gently with the wind that didn’t seem to touch anything else.
Her clothing was elegant, dressed in a long, flowing white robe adorned with subtle black patterns resembled stripes to a certain degree.
She stood at the edge of the cabin’s boundary, one hand resting lightly against the wooden post, the other brushing idly against her chin as if lost in thought.
But even without the appearance, the demeanor, and her soft voice that Aren could only hear yet couldn’t understand—it was something else that made him recognize her instantly.
Her presence...specifically her pressure.
It weighed down on him, suffocating. Even as he took a step forward, it felt like he was being dragged through layers of mud and silt while completely exhausted and malnourished.
Thats—it can’t be anything other than—!
His memory snapped back in fragments. The freezing battlefield in the valley of frost. The collapse of everything after the two powers clashed and vaporized almost everything in its quake.
And the presence that erased the Fox’s dominance without a single movement. Standing before him was the one who saved them.
The woman tilted her head back slightly, as if only just now noticing him. Her gaze shifted over to meet his.
Even with just a glance, it felt like she was staring straight into his soul, reading everything from inside of him without much being said.
"Oh yeah, Aren. Let me introduce you to my mentor," Sterling said. "She saved me on my expedition as a student and was my mentor for a good while.
"Her name is Kko."
But did a name even matter in this situation? All Aren knew right now was one thing.
"...The same Lord-Class..."