After dealing with one Ice Spider, Thorfinn and Merek didn't pause to celebrate and continued their frantic escape. The situation was too critical; the spider's shriek might have alerted the other two. Neither man, both experienced in wilderness survival, would make the rookie mistake of staying put.
As they ran, they scanned the unfamiliar environment, relying on instinct to find a safe route. This pristine, untamed land, unexplored and undeveloped by man, had no roads. Thorfinn and Merek had to hack their own way through the brush and forest.
Thorfinn now noticed the changes in his body. He didn't have time to worry about the external changes, but the internal alterations were subtle yet profound. The most immediate feeling was that he was no longer cold. A unique magic continually seeped from the Cold God's Mark, slowly penetrating and reforming every part of his body.
Instinctively, Thorfinn used his innate magic to resist the transformation. He had a premonition that once this change was complete, he would no longer be himself; he would likely lose his autonomy forever, immersed in service to the Cold God and becoming his loyal servant.
The invasion of the magic was resistible, but the assimilation of the will was the hardest to stop. How could a sense of self built over a few decades stand against the centuries-old will of a god? The final result would surely be a shattered worldview and a remade personality. How terrifying it would be to no longer be you.
The thought alone was terrifying. Could he possibly manage the consequences of this? Thorfinn understood: He had truly made a mess of things this time.
Compared to this gnawing anxiety, the chance to learn ice magic was a paltry consolation. Thorfinn already regretted it. Had he known this opportunity came with such a price, he would have refused it, but now he had no choice.
Merek finally found the presence of mind to ask, "Thorfinn, what in the Seven Hells did you do? Why are those Others so frantic, sending out even the Ice Spiders?"
Thorfinn explained, "I participated in the Others' ritual in some form. The child you saw has become an Other. Perhaps the Others only began doing this after waking up in the Lands of Always Winter, or perhaps... this ritual has been going on for thousands of years."
Merek, running alongside him, stumbled, almost falling, completely shocked by the news. What did this mean? It meant they had not seen the true power of the Others. If they had been accumulating strength for thousands of years, the end of the world for men was truly upon them.
"Are you certain, Thorfinn?" Merek asked, disbelievingly.
Thorfinn sighed helplessly. He only knew so much. The altar had existed for thousands of years, that much was certain, but he couldn't possibly know the Others' long-term strategy. "I said perhaps. We can only hope it's not what we fear..."
Merek fell silent, only muttering, "I hope not. If it's true..." He didn't finish, but Thorfinn knew what he meant. The worst of it was that Thorfinn was now forcibly placed on the side of death.
As they ran, Thorfinn suddenly stopped. He had found something... Merek, confused, stopped with him.
Thorfinn's clear eyes were wide with disbelief.
The scene before him was exactly where he had been in his dream when he was an Ice Spider. He vaguely remembered basking in the sun here as the spider, and that large tree where he had woven a web during a hunt. The mark he'd mindlessly scratched on the tree's curve with a spider leg was still there.
Thorfinn stepped forward, reaching out to touch the trunk. The mottled tree, wide enough for two men to embrace, was much thicker than in his memory, but Thorfinn recognized it instantly. As if unable to believe it, Thorfinn excitedly searched the base of the tree, ignoring Merek's calls, seeming utterly mesmerized.
"Hahaha, I knew it! I found it, I found the mark I left! Hahaha! Those dreams were real, they were all real!"
Merek asked worriedly, "What's wrong with you, Thorfinn?"
Thorfinn laughed happily, "I've been here before! This is the mark I left!"
Merek's eyes widened in shock. "How is that possible? Is this not your first time in the Lands of Always Winter?"
"I mean, in a dream..."
Merek was utterly speechless. They were still being chased; why did he care about something that happened in a dream? What did an X-mark prove, anyway? It could just be a coincidence!
"Come with me. If I remember correctly, there's a cave over there..." Merek was about to grab the seemingly deranged Thorfinn and flee, but Thorfinn beat him to it, pulling Merek in a different direction.
Soon after they left, the two remaining Ice Spiders reached the tree. They didn't linger, quickly picking up the scent and continuing the chase.
After several twists and turns, Thorfinn led Merek to the mouth of a cave. The dark, deep tunnel was like a giant abyssal maw ready to swallow them whole.
The inexplicable happened right before their eyes. How did Thorfinn know this cave was here? Merek looked at Thorfinn suspiciously. "Thorfinn, don't lie to me. Have you really never been to the Lands of Always Winter before?"
Thorfinn had completely relaxed. He chuckled. "I really haven't. But that doesn't stop me from making a friend here, does it?"
Merek was stunned. "Are you sure you're not talking crazy? Look... you've been acting strangely since you woke up. Is your head alright?"
Thorfinn didn't explain. Instead, he shouted toward the cave, "I'm—here! I've come to find you! Come out!!" The sound echoed through the cave, as if about to wake a sleeping giant beast. In fact, that was exactly what was about to happen.
Merek was completely floored by Thorfinn's outrageous move. What is this? You have a friend here? You can't be this foolish, can you? What if you summon something even more terrifying? Where is the usually shrewd Thorfinn? He must be possessed by a demon, Merek thought, and the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. He looked at Thorfinn with caution and wariness.
Thorfinn was unaware of Merek's thoughts, but he knew his guess was right. He had already sensed, through the unique connection between a Skinchanger and their animal companion, that his affectionate friend had responded. It's coming. That's all that matters...
A rustling sound came from behind them—spider legs crunching on ice and snow. The two Ice Spiders had caught up. Thorfinn and Merek spun around to face them.
Impenetrable exoskeleton, razor-sharp fangs, potent venom, and legs as sharp as spears—they were cold, living killing machines. Facing two at once was a daunting challenge, considering how much effort they'd put into killing just one.
Merek was on high alert, but Thorfinn seemed surprisingly relaxed, though he kept a wary eye on the two Ice Spiders. A moment was all they needed to escape the danger.
Merek urgently asked, "What do we do, Thorfinn?"
Thorfinn said mysteriously, "We wait."
"Wait for what?"
"For a bigger one."
Merek was speechless. At this point, Merek was sure Thorfinn was cursed or had lost his mind. How was he going to explain this to the family when they returned? The thought gave him a headache. Looking at the two killing machines before them, he made a face like a sour lemon. Would they even get back? Teaming up with the current Thorfinn did not seem like a safe bet.
Sensing the increasingly clear and close presence, Thorfinn chuckled softly, "It's here."
The moment the words left his mouth, a louder sound came from the cave behind them. Merek stared dumbfounded at the behemoth that emerged, and a sense of despair finally settled in his heart. They were finished.
Out of the cave lumbered an Ice Spider the size of a warhorse. It was much more majestic, and a sharp snarl from it immediately sent the two smaller spiders backing off. It only glanced at Merek, lingering on Thorfinn for a moment before positioning itself protectively behind the two men.
Merek finally realized that Thorfinn actually did have a friend in the Lands of Always Winter, and that friend was an Ice Spider! It was too terrifying to comprehend. However, it was a good thing; at least Thorfinn's mind was still functioning normally. Remembering his earlier malicious suspicions, he felt utterly mortified.
Thorfinn's face held a playful smile. "Now that my Ice Spider is here, let's see if you two little ones have the guts to kill me."
With a powerful protector on their side, Merek naturally calmed down. The endless series of bizarre events had numbed him somewhat. He didn't blame himself; coming here with Thorfinn had certainly broadened his horizons. Some things had to be experienced to be believed. The world was just too strange, no wonder the Lands Beyond the Wall had so many legendary tales—though they were mostly dismissed as bedtime stories.
The massive Ice Spider barely paid attention to the two smaller ones. The giant creature was dismissive yet highly vigilant of the two small spiders, a habit formed through a long life of hunting.
The two small spiders were not afraid, perhaps due to youthful recklessness or the pressure to complete their task. They launched the first attack. The one on the left charged head-on, while the one on the right circled to the flank, attacking their much larger kin simultaneously from front and back.
Unfortunately, the sheer size of the larger spider provided absolute dominance in both speed and power. Popsicle, as Thorfinn called him, was unhurried. The one on the flank was caught in a stream of webbing and wrapped into a ball. The one in front fared worse; as soon as it got close, the large spider skewered it to the ground with a giant limb. Its grotesque mouth descended, biting off the small spider's head and ripping it away.
The lethal threat to Thorfinn and Merek was eliminated with ease. Even Thorfinn was shaken by the terrifying display, left questioning reality. Was the Ice Spider truly a flawless killing machine?
Popsicle shook the smaller spider from its limb and turned to look at the one struggling to tear free of the webbing. The little spider instantly froze. A swift, deadly thrust pierced its brain, ending its life.
Only then did Popsicle turn back to examine Thorfinn. Merek felt his legs grow weak, but Thorfinn was joyful. This meeting was completely unexpected, which only made him happier. Thorfinn tentatively stepped forward, reaching out a hand toward the spider's head. Popsicle seemed unsure of Thorfinn's meaning and shyly drew its head back. After a moment's hesitation, however, it accepted Thorfinn's touch. The icy coldness on his palm, combined with a feeling of deep, heartfelt emotion, brought tears to Thorfinn's eyes.
Popsicle also savored the warmth of Thorfinn's hand, shaking its massive head and rubbing against him blissfully. From this moment on, it accepted its new friend, or rather, its old friend.
Merek stared blankly at the scene, feeling a bit awkward. He couldn't imagine how Thorfinn had managed to subdue this giant. He was envious; having such a magical creature as an animal companion was like upgrading from a pitchfork to a finely wrought sword for a Skinchanger. Who wouldn't want that?
The wonder of this world was truly incredible. Stroking the menacing yet beautiful Ice Spider, Thorfinn let his mind wander. With this creature's attack power and speed, it would be a veritable Grim Reaper on the battlefield. This Ice Spider was worthy of its fearsome reputation. As for the two smaller ones, having met his old friend, Thorfinn no longer cared about them. This was the beast of legend the Others rode into battle. Tales said the Others rode them to war, leaving nothing but corpses in their wake, though some rumors claimed they were only the size of hounds. Now, it seemed all the legends were true.
Thorfinn could sense that this great creature was quite intelligent, certainly smarter than the two smaller ones. The fact that he could establish a friendship with it was a dream come true.
Popsicle—that was the name Thorfinn had given it through countless days and nights in his dreams. The lonely soul of a stranger in this new world, and the solitary hunter of the ice plain—two isolated souls who found kinship and eventually became friends. At that time, the Ice Spider was not this large, hatching from its egg the size of a man's palm, growing up alone until it became the behemoth before Thorfinn's eyes.
Popsicle made a sound to Thorfinn, then turned and crawled into the cave. Seeing the huge creature move away, Merek finally found the courage to speak.
"What do we do now?"
Thorfinn smiled at Merek. "What else? We've been running all day, and night is coming. There are still Others in the woods. We need rest. And besides, it invited us in, didn't it? Let's go. At least it's safe here." With that, Thorfinn walked into the cave.
Safe? That giant thing looked like the most dangerous thing around. Merek looked like he wanted to protest. He was genuinely terrified of the enormous Ice Spider, but since it was Thorfinn's friend, it probably wouldn't attack him. Gritting his teeth, he quickly followed Thorfinn.
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