A few minutes earlier…
Before Paul decided to enter the snow fog and leave Julius behind,
His mind was still in turmoil, filled with all the plans that Julius had just revealed.
All the considerations and possibilities kept swirling in his mind, making it impossible for him to calm down.
Followed by cold sweat that began to flow from his temples, slowly dripping down to his chin.
With a gaze full of confusion and tension, he then looked towards Julius.
'I really won't be able to help Julius, but if she—'
He exhaled deeply, closing his eyes, trying to calm himself. It was as if he was preparing himself to face whatever was about to come.
"GO PAUL."
Julius's voice broke the silence. His eyes looked straight ahead, determined, without hesitation.
Paul was running before the Norrak could move. At first glance, he looked at the Norrak—their eyes met. But strangely, the Norrak just looked back at him without doing anything.
Then Paul looked at Julius,
Julius still tried to keep his distance from Norrak. Paul gritted his teeth, then looked forward.
'Damn... sorry, Julius... I'll be right back.
***
Paul ran through the thick blizzard, ignoring the biting cold that bit into his skin. His mind had a clear goal: to find Teila and the other Awakened.
No matter what, Paul refused to believe that someone as powerful as Teila could be so easily defeated by a single Norrak.
Besides, Julius had mentioned that Teila was probably already at the outpost on the mountainside.
Despite his slim hopes, Paul continued. He knew that only Teila and the Awakened could save Julius, who was now fighting the mad monster alone.
After running for a long time, Paul came to a rocky path that stretched upward like a path to the top of a mountain.
"This seems to be the road Julius was referring to..." he murmured.
Paul remembered Julius' words that after passing this way, there would be a sentry post on the mountainside where the Awakened gathered. It was there that he hoped to ask for help in rescuing Julius.
Paul looked up and stared at the towering rocky path. A sinking feeling crept into his heart. If he lost his footing, he could fall into the ravine next to him.
He swallowed and shook his head.
"No time to hesitate..." she whispered to himself.
Paul clenched his fists and began to carefully climb the steep path. Although fear crossed his mind, his determination to find Teila and save Julius was stronger than his fear of heights.
***
After climbing quite a distance from the base of the mountain to the higher parts, Paul continued to walk on the narrow, steep path. His breathing was ragged, his legs began to feel heavy, but he continued to force his body forward.
However, when he reached a flatter section, his eyes widened in shock.
In front of him, along the rocky path, human bodies lay scattered about. Blood flowed and froze between the rocks, coloring the snow a sinister crimson. Some of the headless bodies lay stiff, their organs scattered, with their guts sticking out, as if their bodies had been mercilessly crushed.
The few bodies that still had heads showed expressions of frozen fear, their eyes bulging, their mouths gaping, as if they had witnessed something unimaginable before their lives were taken.
Paul covered his mouth, a sick feeling starting to rise up his throat. The smell of blood mixed with the cold wind slapped him in the face. He almost puked at this horrific sight.
'Why... why are there so many dead people here?' he thought, his steps stopping for a moment.
'Are these the awakened that julius is talking about?...'
Her eyes widened, then a thought struck him.
'Teila... did she survive all this?'
Paul's heart beat faster, worry haunting him. Without waiting any longer, he quickened his pace, even though the smell of blood and the surrounding horror continued to overshadow his every step.
Paul continued to walk, passing by the bodies, some of which had been torn apart so badly that it was difficult to recognize their true faces. The cold wind blew softly, carrying the smell of human blood that pierced his nose. She covered he mouth and nose with he coat, trying to block out the strong smell of death in the air.
'Why isn't the wind as strong as down below?' he thought for a moment, sensing the strangeness of the temperature around him. 'Does this have some connection with that Norrak?'
After walking a few more steps, Paul saw a wooden fortress in the distance. It had a watchtower that looked ruined, the wood cracked and partially collapsed. The gate was hanging on its side, the wood covered in scratch marks and blackened blood.
Paul took a deep breath, trying to steady himself before stepping inside. But the moment he crossed the shattered gates, his eyes widened in horror.
"My God..."
Inside the fortress, the scene was far more horrifying. The cobbled path leading deeper into the camp was littered with dismembered bodies. Limbs without torsos, heads with eyes frozen in terror, and scattered organs lay everywhere, mingling with snow stained a deep, violent crimson.
Paul's stomach churned. He clamped his hand over his mouth, his body trembling, but he forced his legs to keep moving.
Around him, small wooden huts — perhaps former guard posts or lodgings for the sentries — now stood as silent witnesses to the massacre. Their wooden walls were spattered with blood, some even smeared with chunks of flesh clinging like a grotesque form of brutal art. Severed limbs lay strewn across the outer yard, hands still clutching weapons, and legs torn as if ripped apart by sheer, unrelenting force.
Paul paused for a moment, swallowing hard before forcing himself to step deeper inside. Every step felt heavy, as if his legs resisted carrying him further into this place.
'What... happened here? he thought, his eyes darting nervously, searching for any signs of life amid this sea of death.
But more importantly—was Teila here? Was she still alive?
Paul's breathing grew more rapid, each exhale forming white puffs in the cold air. He continued along the snow-covered cobblestone path, hoping to find Teila before it was too late. Every step felt like a struggle, not just because of the thick snow, but because of the horrifying shadows of the corpses he had just passed.
When he reached a wide courtyard—perhaps a square or gathering place—his eyes went wide in shock.
"Damn..."
Instinctively, Paul's body moved, pressing him against the side of a small wooden hut nearby. His eyes locked onto a massive figure perched calmly atop the roof of a house across the courtyard.
"Norrak?! Here too?!"
Paul's shock was immediate. The creature, unmistakably a Norrak, sat there with its crimson eyes glowing like embers, silently observing something below.
Paul held his breath, peeking through the cracked wooden wall, and what he saw made his heart pound even harder. The courtyard was littered with even more corpses, far more than he had seen along the path leading here. Some were heaped carelessly in piles, while others had been mounted on wooden stakes, their heads lolling with bulging eyes, bodies hanging like bloody warnings.
'What the hell happened here...
Then, his eyes locked onto another figure in the courtyard — someone fighting. Paul's body tensed in shock.
'Teila!' It was her.
Teila was clearly struggling, blood trickling from her temple, staining her usually clean, sharp features. She moved swiftly, dodging each attack from another Norrak towering over her. This one had fur as white as snow, its massive, muscular body more like a giant gorilla than the smaller, ape-like creatures Paul had seen before.
This Norrak was even larger than the one Julius had fought — its white fur shimmering under the dim light, muscles rippling beneath the thick pelt, easily standing over sixteen meters tall.
Paul squinted, focusing on Teila's movements. Her left arm hung limp at her side, clearly broken or severely injured, forcing her to fight one-handed. Yet even in this state, she moved with remarkable agility, weaving around the Norrak's massive blows, her right hand gripping her sword tightly as she danced just out of reach.
Each swing of Teila's sword cut through the air with a sharp, chilling glint, but her movements were noticeably slower than usual. Her breaths came in ragged gasps, her shoulders sagged slightly, and cold sweat trickled down her temple. Every step she took left heavy, uneven prints in the snow, which slowly turned crimson from her own blood.
"GRAHHHHHHHH!"
"DOMMMMMM!"
The gorilla-like Norrak swung its massive fist toward Teila with brutal force. The ground shook, snow exploded in all directions, and the wind from the strike howled through the surrounding trees. But Teila, with a burst of agility, ducked low, slipping between the creature's colossal legs just as the blow crashed down.
Without hesitation, she spun on her heel.
Her right hand gripped her sword tightly, and with a single, lightning-fast slash, she cut through both of the Norrak's thick ankles.
"SLASHHH."
"BRETT."
"BRETT."
Blood splattered, but not in the way she had hoped. The cuts that should have sliced deep into the creature's tendons merely grazed its thick hide. Teila's eyes widened in shock, disbelief flooding her mind. Her hand and sword trembled slightly from the jarring impact.
"No... impossible...
Before she could fully grasp what had happened, the Norrak reacted. With a speed that defied its massive size, the creature's enormous hand shot forward, filling her entire field of vision.
"Whoosshhhh!"
"GRAB!"
Her body was lifted into the air, crushed between the giant fingers of the gorilla-like Norrak. Bones creaked under the immense pressure, and a searing pain erupted from every joint in her body.
"Guhh..."
Teila choked, blood spurting from her mouth, splattering against the Norrak's thick, calloused hand. Her eyes went wide, her face turning pale, and for the first time since the battle began, a clear, unmistakable expression of fear crossed her face.
The gorilla-like Norrak lifted Teila high into the air, raising her until their faces were level. Its hot, rancid breath blasted against her face, forcing Teila to squeeze her eyes shut as the stench burned her senses.
Meanwhile, not far away, Paul stood frozen. His entire body trembled, not from the biting mountain cold, but from a deep, paralyzing fear. His eyes were locked on Teila, trapped between the massive fingers of the Norrak, her body limp and struggling, completely overpowered.
His fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug painfully into his own palms. He wanted to scream, to move, to rush in and save Teila, but his legs felt as heavy as stone, and his voice caught in his throat.
He watched, helpless, as Teila desperately fought to break free — scratching, punching, slashing with her blade.
But each strike, each frantic swing, glanced harmlessly off the creature's thick, rock-hard skin, doing nothing to loosen its crushing grip.
"...n-no... no... please... I don't want to die..."
Teila's scream tore through the frigid air. Her body hung high, caught in the Norrak's massive grasp, the creature seeming to savor every second of her suffering.
Tears streamed down Teila's face, her once poised and cold expression now twisted into one of sheer terror and agony.
Paul wanted to scream, to run to her, to do something — anything — but his body refused to move. His legs felt as if they were rooted to the frozen ground, his entire frame shaking, his heart silently screaming for the nightmare to end, yet his mouth couldn't form a single word.
"Crack... Crack... Crack..."
The sickening sound of breaking bones echoed through the corpse-strewn courtyard. The Norrak slowly tightened its grip, seeming to savor each crackling pop as her bones shattered under the immense pressure.
Teila's screams grew louder, more piercing, her blood now trickling from her mouth, dripping onto the blood-soaked snow below.
"AHKKKkkkkkkkkkk..."
Paul couldn't take it anymore. He clamped his hands over his ears, squeezing his eyes shut, desperately trying to block out the horrific sounds. But the echoes still reached him, piercing through his trembling hands.
Every crack of bone, every scream filled with raw, unbearable pain, echoed through his mind, making him feel smaller, weaker, and utterly powerless.
'Stop… stop… stop… stop…'
He whispered it over and over in his mind, hoping this was all just a nightmare, praying it would end if he simply shut his eyes hard enough. But the sound wouldn't stop. Teila's screams grew weaker, until all that remained was a hoarse, broken rasp, like a candle flickering out.
"CRACKKKKK..."
The sound was deafening, like a massive piece of wood snapping, only wetter, more horrifying.
Paul slowly opened his eyes, his breath ragged, and what he saw sent a shiver down his spine.
Teila, who had once screamed in terror, now hung limply in the Norrak's grasp. Her body was shattered, blood flowing from every wound, even from her eyes. Her neck hung limp, her head slumped forward, no trace of life left in her.
"...someone... hel-"
Teila's last words were barely a whisper, and then her body slipped free from the Norrak's hand, crashing to the ground with a sickening, wet thud that twisted Paul's stomach.
Paul stood frozen, his gaze vacant, his entire body drained of strength. Fear, guilt, self-hatred—everything swirled together in his chaotic mind.
Then, he felt the presence of something. Slowly, he lifted his head, and his breath caught in his throat.
The massive Norrak that had once been perched atop the roof now stood directly before him. Its face was more apelike, with glowing red eyes and long, protruding fangs. It crouched down, observing Paul as if he were nothing more than a helpless ant.
"Are you... afraid? ...human."