The Inner Odyssey

He barely had any time to react.

A cloud of snow sprayed everywhere, before a sense of danger overwhelmed Alden. Immediately, his mana sense flooded his direct vicinity, and that was how he understood the nature of the sudden threat.

…A creature lunged at him from the snow, ready to devour him whole.

Doubtless, it had lay in wait.

Alden's demeanour turned solemn.

The thirst contained within his gaze burgeoned - his desire to spill blood soaring.

Time slowed to a crawl.

In that split-second, Alden finally got a good look at the creature assaulting him.

And when he did, he unconsciously cursed.

A maw of gleaming needle-like teeth.

Translucent, jagged scales like icicles grew on its back. A serpentine body that camouflaged greatly with the pristine white.

…Glowing eyes that pierced his soul.

Alden was looking at an Ice Wyrm.

And a strong one, at that.

He instinctively deployed a tangible shield of decay.

The last thing he witnessed before the Ice Wyrm was upon him was a crown of frost-encrusted horns.

…That sight sent a strange pulse of unease through him.

Alden realised why a moment later.

A torrent of glowing ice shot out from the Ice Wyrm's maw.

The young man's gaze constricted.

He poured more mana into his decay shield, watching as the two energies clashed. There was an ominous sizzle, and for the first time, Alden witnessed something overwhelm his abyssal decay. The tenebrous barrier quickly froze. He cursed again, hurriedly taking a step back and erecting another [Shield].
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'Ignia!'

Under his command, the little phoenix flapped its wings, soared into the air and opened its beak.

A torrent of searing black flame spread.

And following that, a cloud of thick vapour hissed into existence.

The young man squinted, channeling mana into his eye to peer past the obscuring fog.

Only, he did not not find what he was looking for.

…The Ice Wyrm had somehow disappeared.

A terrible premonition gripped Alden's mind.

In the next second, another cloud of snow sprayed upwards.

This time, however, it was right beneath him.

'Crap!'

Alden paled.

Time slowed once more.

As he watched the pristine white crumble into fine dust, and as he watched needle-like teeth peek out from below, another sense of overwhelming danger slammed into Alden. Acting on instinct, he imbued his limbs with [Haste] and leapt into the air. He had the presence of mind to deploy a tangible shield of decay, supported with multiple invisible barriers beneath his feet at the last second.

Sensing the presence of Alden's decay, the interior of the Ice Wyrm's maw glowed.

…And another blast of glowing ice energy crashed into the abyssal bulwark.

The tenebrous energy struggled valiantly, but was eventually overcome.

The shields above it also froze.

Alden's expression turned grim.

Eight inky-black tentacles suddenly manifested around his figure. Just as he was about to consume an ocean of mana to block the abomination's attack, Ignia swooped in from the side, releasing another burst of her flame essence. The scorching flame rushed to engulf the Defiled, however, the Ice Wyrm suddenly shifted, tanking the phoenix's flame with its frost-encrusted horns.

The serrated appendage pulsed with a pale light, neutralising the heat of Ignia's flame.

Another cloud of thick vapour bloomed.

However, this time, Alden kept a steady flow of mana into his eye, alongside the spreading of his mana sense to cover every inch of his immediate vicinity. He finally witnessed how the Ice Wyrm had disappeared after their first confrontation. As it turned out, the abominable creature was burrowing beneath the snow and the ground, using its camouflage to remain noticed.

Alden sucked in a cold breath.

What an insidious and slippery enemy.

He imagined that most lifeforms did not last very long after meeting this creature.

In fact, the Ice Wyrm probably aimed to finish each fight with one attack, reducing any chance of anything going wrong while also taking full advantage of the element of surprise on its side. Alden survived both thanks to Ignia and his quick reactions. If he had neither, he would have most likely met his end in this frozen hell.

And this was just his very first fight.

What other horrors lay in the depths of the Glacial Belt?

Alden didn't want to find out.

Mentally shaking his head, the young man landed back on the ground. And instead of remaining where he was, Alden whistled, beckoning Ignia to follow. Breaking into a sprint, [Haste] propelled his figure through the land of pristine white.

Flakes of snow rushed past, blurring into an obscure canvas.

Alden's gaze turned even colder.

There was a very simple reason why he decided to run.

It wasn't a retreat… well, maybe a tactical one - but Alden would be damned if he remained passive and let his enemy control the cadence of this battle. No, he had to take matters into his own hands. Starting with luring the Ice Wyrm into a chase. This way, not only would he make it harder for the abomination to attack - a moving target was much harder to strike than a stationary one -, but he would also be able to track its movements.

With a bit of effort, of course.

Ignia's sharp vision would help him there, but also by sending intermittent bursts of mana into the ground, he could discern just how close the Ice Wyrm was to his position. It was a risky plan. But Alden thought it was always better to be proactive. Better to die trying than to give up. Better to know that he had done his best, instead of just resigning himself to fate.

…That dubious thing.

The wind howled in Alden's ears as he ran, muted slightly by his use of [Haste].

Snow danced and swirled.

From time to time, it would explode upwards, signifying the ascent of the Ice Wyrm. Thanks to Ignia and the intermittent bursts of mana though, every stealthy attack launched by the creature failed. That was not to say Alden did not brush close to death a few times.

However, already used to the intoxicating mix of thrill and fear, he kept a cool head.

His target soon came into sight.