When Ethan opened his eyes, he was in the Arctic Domain once again. Just as before, the surroundings around him were familiar as the internal icy flame danced and the snow glistened.
"Why is this so random? Can't I enter as I wish?" Ethan muttered nonchalantly completely unperturbed as he began walking onward like always.
This was of course not the first time he popped into the strange place after Alier died. There were some instances when he found himself in the Arctic domain after sleeping. But it wasn't often that entered the Arctic Domain.
The Domain was like a source of some sort of mysterious comprehension and knowledge as only when Ethan went through the icy hell did he advance on his path of power. The domain was a way to gain comprehension but Ethan still needed to practice control and put the comprehension to test in the real world.
By now, Ethan had traversed the path to the cliff many times and he was familiar with the entire path. The problem always came when he reached the cliff.
The journey was always treacherous as sometimes Ethan would lose control of the footing when the snowstorm was to stir. He would always feel the dampening pressure on his soul as if someone was ought to crush it. And so even if he were to make it to the cliff, he would be exhausted and highly fatigued without even having the strength to move a finger let alone climb down the cliff.
As he walked forward, Ethan once again experienced the same challenges. The random stirring of weather, the crushing pressure, the rigid terrain, and the unbound nothingness.
But even though the challenges were the same, Ethan was not the same. Since he had been constantly practicing and cultivating his strength and comprehension of Alier's absorbed Elemental Essence, he had become significantly capable.
Ethan started to gasp for breath as he neared the cliff. But it wasn't as bad as before. He could still go on and he hoped to attempt to climb down the cliff. As he walked, Ethan remembered the last time he had been to the Arctic Domain. He had managed to reach the cliff without expending too much energy by sheer luck. But his luck had run out when he tried to climb down the cliff. The wind had suddenly begun blowing heavily and Ethan was not able to control his strength that well, resulting in a nasty fall by which Ethan woke up in the real world.
Time passed quickly like what seemed like hours and Ethan reached the cliff once again. Below, he could see trees covered in ice spanning over a large area ahead. On the horizon, he could see valleys and mountains. Ethan was nearly hundreds of kilometers above the ground. Looking below, it looked quite terrifying as even the cliff was made of ice and frost. It was slippery and there were no ridges or clutches in the rock to hold on to climb down.
"Damn… I don't wanna fall to death like the last time…" Ethan muttered to himself as he gulped down a lump of saliva while looking down. His appearance was haggard and his breathing was rough, but he still seemed to have strength left.
As Ethan looked down from the top of the cliff, he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and trepidation. The cliff was made entirely of ice and frost, and it towered over the icy landscape below like a frozen monolith. It was clear that this was going to be a difficult climb, but Ethan was determined to succeed.
As Ethan began his descent down the ice and frost cliff, he quickly realized the challenges he would face. The icy surface was slick and unforgiving, and every step he took required a careful calculation of his weight and balance. His hands burned with the cold, and he had to fight to keep his grip on the icy surface.
His hands were glowing with a blue shimmer as he was using his mystical powers to hold on to the frigid wall. His posture was like a spider as he clung onto the cliff with his limbs glowing in blue. One step at a time, he moved downwards, carefully putting one foot below and then the other, his feet sticking to the ice-like magnet.
At one point, Ethan lost his footing and began to slide down the cliff face. His heart raced as he desperately reached out with his hands, trying to find a handhold to stop his fall. With a surge of magic, he managed to slow his descent just enough to dig his fingers into the ice and come to a stop.
Ethan took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He knew that any mistake on this climb could be fatal, and he needed to stay focused and alert. He continued his descent, using his magical abilities to help him find stable footholds and handholds.
A quarter way through the descent, thunder sounded in the sky as the weather changed abruptly, and dark clouds gathered, looming above Ethan's head as a snow blizzard eventually began taking shape.
"Shit!" Ethan cursed, but the blizzard wasn't his only problem.
The bagging pressure on his soul that had been manageable until now had suddenly raised exponentially to an unimaginable degree, making Ethan wish to bang his head on the ice and commit suicide. His entire body was shaking and his mind was turbulent, which made the control over his power falter.
Fortunately, Ethan instantly grabbed his senses and shook his head vigorously, trying to calm down. He closed his eyes for a moment and removed all the thoughts and the pain.
Ethan opened his eyes once again, this time a ferocious and stubborn glint in them as he resumed the climb.
As he climbed down, Ethan also had to contend with the freezing temperatures. His breath formed clouds of vapor in the frigid air, and he could feel his fingers and toes growing numb. He had to stop several times to warm them up and regain feeling before continuing his descent.
As more time passed, Ethan became numb to his surroundings. His mind almost acted on the beastual survival instinct as he mechanically climbed down.
Suddenly, the blizzard intensified and everything around him became obscure. On top of that, Ethan could feel small sharp ice shards bombarding his body as he climbed down.
Involuntarily, tears flowed out from Ethan's eyes which then froze into crystals. Ethan wanted to give up and simply let go. But his determination was unfaltered nonetheless.
All this made Ethan doubt his reality. Why was he trying so hard? Wasn't he the person who wished for peace and quiet and nothing else? What changed… And how?
Ethan had questions and doubts but this was not the time to ponder on them. And so he removed all thoughts once again.
Despite the challenges, Ethan persevered. He climbed down the cliff with a steady determination, his muscles burning with the effort. Finally, after what felt like hours of climbing, he reached the bottom of the cliff and collapsed onto the snow-covered ground, panting heavily.
He didn't know how much time had passed but he was exhausted. Looking down at his body, Ethan saw that he was covered in cuts and bruises.
Looking up at the towering cliff face above him, Ethan felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. He had faced the challenges of the icy climb and emerged victorious. The magical power of frost and ice had been a crucial tool in his success, but it was his own strength and determination that had carried him through to the end.
As Ethan smiled tiredly and turned his head away from the cliff. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, hearing a strange buzzing sound.
In front of him was a forest shrouded in darkness, and behind him was the mountain. Suddenly he heard the noise again and stepped back in caution.
Looking around him constantly, he couldn't spot anything. But then he saw something shining ahead in the darkness of the forest.
Two shining blue eyes.
And not one set of eyes, but five.
Ethan felt like killing himself. He knew that he would not be able to persist any longer. But before going back to reality, he wanted to see what was lurking in the shadows.
The eyes watched him like hawks for a moment, growling here and there and then it happened.
Ethan heard a loud howling coming from inside the forest. The howl was terrifying and loud as it resounded in the vicinity. Followed by the distinct howl, multiple bouts of hauling sounded from all over the place.
The forest stirred as the leaves rustled, the sounds getting closer and closer as the movements became clearer and distinct. As Ethan watched in anticipation, the creatures showed themselves as they came out from the woods.
"Wolves…" Ethan muttered as he saw around five wolves stepping forward, slowly and steadily approaching him while eyeing him cautiously.
The wolves had huge, sharp, black fangs and claws. They were so huge that it was better to call them demonic monsters. They also had bluish-white fur that covered their bodies densely. Leading them in the forefront was an alpha wolf.
Ethan was very exhausted and had no wish to fight these wolves at the moment. Neither he had any confidence to win.
He simply watched as the pack encircled and approached him cautiously, then suddenly, the alpha hauled and the entire pack pounced ferociously. As Ethan closed his eyes, he thought that the creatures somehow looked noble despite proving to be murderous and wild. Then his vision blurred and blackened.
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