The figure moved shakily, with each step it seemed closer to collapse.
Max had already shaken off his surprise and positioned himself between the open door and the injured souls.
Sev was standing in the middle of the shack, some distance away from the door. He stood tall, as if unimpressed by the sudden entrance.
The figure took another step toward Sev, swaying from side to side before collapsing to its knees. It bent its body as if trying to reach Sev, a faint, shaky voice coming from its covered mouth.
"I'm back."
Sev smirked before turning his attention to the people and pointing at the door.
"Somebody grab that stuff and close the door before we all freeze to death."
Max stared at the fallen figure, slowly raising his gaze to look at Sev. It took him a moment before he realized Sev had even said something.
He stood up, his gaze jumping between Sev, the veiled visitor, and the open door.
Two men clad in white cautiously approached the door, shivering as they walked. They stepped outside and grabbed hold of the large woolly sack. Pulling as hard as they could, the sack barely moved.
They looked around for help, worrying they would freeze if they took too long.
A set of smaller hands reached out to grab it.
It was Max, who joined after seeing them struggle.
Together with the two souls, they managed to move it inside the shelter.
As soon as they did, Max swiftly stepped toward the door and shut it behind them.
In the meantime, Sev had already prepared the fireplace and worked on lighting it again.
Soon enough, light and warmth filled the empty shelter, allowing everyone to see the mysterious guest.
The figure lay beneath a sheet of woolly hide, with only a pale, chapped hand extending from it.
Sev looked at Max and nodded, pointing at the hide.
Together, they grabbed opposite sides of the woolly cover, revealing a frostbitten, shaking Astel.
Multiple gasps could be heard from the huddled souls as some of them rushed closer to inspect Astel's state.
After some basic checkups, a person clad in white spoke, "He'll live. For now, he just needs to rest close to the fire."
Sev nodded, trying to hide his excitement.
*
It was warm and comfortable.
There was a calming sound — the cracking of burning wood — along with a pleasant smell.
Astel slowly regained consciousness. He didn't rush to open his eyes; instead, he let the moment sit.
He heard voices — not the disruptive kind. Talking. Regular people conversing with each other.
He also heard Max's distinct, childish voice.
"More meat is ready if anyone's hungry."
Astel's stomach growled.
'Meat?'
He jumped up into a sitting position, his body screaming in pain.
Max turned to him and smiled warmly, a slightly surprised expression on his face, tears forming in his eyes.
"Astel! You're awake."
He remembered the slice of meat in his hand and clumsily handed it to Astel.
"Are you hungry? You must be, right?" He paused for a moment. "What am I saying, of course you are."
Noticing that Astel wasn't even looking at him but was instead eyeing the meat, he set it down on what looked like a wooden plate.
Without hesitation, Astel grabbed the piece of meat and took a large bite.
He gulped it down like an animal, almost choking himself.
Thankfully, Max had already grabbed some water made by melting down snow.
The still-cold liquid washed down all the meat, allowing Astel to continue eating.
Watching Astel eat, Max couldn't help but ask Sev, "Will he really be alright? His skin still looks damaged, and he's eating like he hasn't seen food in months."
Sev shook his head. "I'm sure he's survived worse."
Max's lips curled into a slight frown. "Was it really necessary to send him alone into the mountains? We both know how dangerous they are."
Sev petted him on the head. "He still has a lot to learn… Although I do admit that might've been a bit harsh of me."
Max stared at Sev. "Promise me you're not going to let him die like the others."
Stunned, Sev answered, "Wasn't my fault that they were weak."
Max's expression turned angry as he slapped Sev's hand off his head.
"Weak? Why does it matter if they're weak? Look around you… think about the sanctuary, about why we do this."
He took a deep breath. "It's to save as many people as possible, not send them to their deaths."
Sev turned to look at him. "I need—We need strong people."
Without hesitation, Max answered in an annoyed voice, "It's always strong people this, strong people that. Why? Sure, we probably won't ever get to see our homes in that world, but this place is our home."
He paused, showing a pleading face. "We've worked so hard to build what we did… what more do you need?"
A tear formed in his eye. "Do you even care?"
Sev sat quietly, his eyes turning back to Astel, who was still eating by the fireplace.
"Fine, whatever. Keep to yourself."
Max stood up and began walking back to Astel.
"I do care."
A quiet voice reached Max's ears, making him stop — the corners of his lips curling into a smile.
"Then act like it," Max said with his back turned as he continued walking.
Before he could even approach Astel, he was already asked, "How long did I sleep?"
Stunned by Astel's pragmatism, Max coughed a few times. "Two days."
He paused awkwardly. "Shorter than last time."
Astel turned to him, his expression both serious and oddly carefree. "Do we have enough hide to cover everyone?"
Max nodded.
"Then what are we waiting for? Shouldn't we get going?"
Max was almost dumbfounded by how casual Astel was being about this.
"Did something happen out there?"
Astel frowned. "Not necessarily. Why?"
Max let out a shallow breath. "You feel different, is all."
Astel froze for a second. "I don't feel different." He let out a dry laugh.
Max shrugged slightly. "I must be imagining things. Sorry."
He paused, turning to look at the lost souls behind him, catching a glimpse of Sev sitting calmly.
"It's been a while since the last time the journey was this tough."
Astel nodded, his thoughts all over the place before he remembered he was still trying to pretend he was the original Astel.
With a cough, he answered, "Do you journey often?"
Max looked at him with a confused expression. "Are you sure you're okay? Didn't you already ask me this back in the desert?"
'Did I?' Astel thought to himself.
"Oh yeah, sorry. My head's still a bit weird from the frost."
Max sighed. "We try to journey as often as possible, but since it's not exactly easy, we usually only go about once or twice a year."
Astel nodded, not exactly caring about the logistics. "Is the path to the sanctuary always this dangerous? With the weather and all?"
Max thought for a moment. "The most difficult part is before and after the cave. It only gets easier from there."
Astel remembered seeing Sev petting Max. Without thinking about it too much, he extended his hand toward Max's head and stroked it.
Surprised, Max looked at Astel, who had a serious expression — and laughed.
"What's so funny?" Astel asked, removing his hand from his head.
Max wiped away tears, laughing as he did. "Nothing… It's just that serious look on your face reminded me of the first time Sev petted my head."
Astel's expression didn't change. "I see."
Coming to his senses, he tried laughing, but it felt fake.