Death came to him in the form of a beast.
Kazimir could hear it prowling over the freshly fallen snow, its heavy steps the only sound in the silent night.
The thing moved with purpose, no hesitation in its rhythm. With every step, the cold seemed to press harder against Kazimir's skin. He lay still, barely breathing. Waiting.
Then came the stench, hot, rancid breath spilling from a maw. It reeked of decay and blood. His instincts screamed, but he didn't run.
He made his peace and waited.
But death did not come.
What came instead was a piercing shriek that tore through the night, raw and full of agony.
Kazimir's eyes snapped open.
The moon, bright and full above, revealed the source of the sound: a grotesque creature lay collapsed in the snow.
It was like something born from a nightmare, an amalgamation of human bodies twisted together. Limbs jutted out at wrong angles, twitching. From its warped head, countless hollow eyes stared in every direction, and too many of them locked onto Kazimir.
From its back sprouted slick, sinewy tentacles that writhed even in death. Its entire body was covered in white feathers, though they were now soaked red, matted with blood and burned at the edges.
And standing atop the beast was a knight.
She was still, like a statue carved from moonlight. The wind caught her white cape, lifting it behind her as she looked down on him.
Her silver armor gleamed in the pale light, shaped and etched with elegant precision. Upon her chest was the unmistakable crest of the Umbrax royal family—a white flame wrapped around a crescent moon. Her hair, long and snow white, spilled freely over her shoulders. Her face was sharp, pale, scarred—a knight's face, beautiful in its severity.
In her hand, she held a silver sword wreathed in white flame. The fire hissed as it scorched the remains of the beast beneath her. Feathers and flesh turned to ash.
She gazed at Kazimir.
Her pale silver eyes were unreadable, calculating, curious, not quite human in how still they remained. Her pale silver eyes made it difficult to tell what she was focusing on.
Then, behind her, where there had once been only empty, frozen land, a colossal castle now stood.
It had not been there when he arrived.
Its walls rose impossibly high, carved from something that shimmered like woven moonlight.
The knight looked back at Kazimir. Her white brow furrowed, just slightly. As if he were the thing out of place in all of this.
Then, without a word, she stepped down from the beast's carcass. Her movements were smooth, elegant. Silent.
She approached him slowly, sword lowered, white fire still flickering along the blade. Her eyes never left him.
Kazimir felt her gaze like a blade of its own. Sharp. Searching. As if she were trying to recognize something buried deep in him, something even he didn't know was there.
And then, just for a heartbeat, the edge of her lips curled.
A smile. Faint. Mysterious.
Kazimir's mind reeled. Who was she? What was that thing? Where had the castle come from? Why did she look at him like that?
Kazimir tried to speak, but the words never came.
But before he could utter a word, darkness overtook him.
The last thing he felt was strong arms lifting him, carrying him toward the glowing castle of moonlight.