Prologue
It's colder than I expect.
Not enough to matter, but enough to notice the moment I breathe in. The air feels sharper here, cleaner somehow, like it doesn't soften anything before it reaches you.
The snow stretches endlessly in front of me, untouched in places where no one has walked yet. It reflects the light in a way that makes everything feel distant, like the world has been pulled back just enough to leave space for silence.
I've been here before.
The thought comes easily.
Nothing looks different. The horizon hasn't changed, the quiet sits the same way it always does, and even the cold feels familiar in a way that doesn't need explaining.
And yet, something feels off.
Not the place.
Not the silence.
Something else.
I shift slightly, my boots pressing into the snow with a soft sound that barely carries before disappearing again. It doesn't last long enough to matter.
I glance to the side without thinking.
There's nothing there.
Just the same stretch of white, the same empty space that doesn't hold anything in place.
Still, I don't look away immediately.
It feels like something should be there.
I just don't know what.
I exhale slowly, watching my breath fade the moment it leaves me. For a second, I try to hold onto the thought, but it slips before it can form into anything clear.
"...yeah."
The word comes out quietly.
I don't react to it.
There's nothing to react to.
I stay for a little while longer, not waiting, not expecting anything to happen. Just standing there, letting the silence sit the way it always does.
Then I take a step forward.
The snow shifts beneath my feet, soft and quiet, like it doesn't want to interrupt anything.
I didn't look to the side again.
After a while—
I keep walking...
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Disclaimer
This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, businesses, places, events, and incidents portrayed in this work are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental.
References to real locations, including but not limited to Alaska and the Philippines, are used solely as settings for the narrative. Any depiction of such locations is fictionalized and does not represent actual events, individuals, or circumstances.
Plagiarism is a crime. Any form of copying, reproduction, or distribution of this work, in whole or in part, without proper permission or credit, is strictly prohibited.
