?In the middle of a vast meadow, a huge ice mountain was standing proudly. Atop that mountain, Kyle was lying with a peaceful expression. From his even breathing, it was evident he had been resting for a while.
However, if one looked closely, they would notice that the mountain was actually made up of hundreds of frozen insects stacked on top of each other. The alive insects crawling in the grass were attempting to climb, but because of the uneven edges of the mountain, they were failing miserably.
A frustrating cry echoed in the distance, and Kyle lifted his head to look, but it was too far away. That's why he opted to close his eyes again.
In the past two weeks, he has pretty much figured out everything about this place. First, the field was vast and had no boundaries. Second, after every few hours, some new individuals would arrive in this place just like him. And third, the mechanical voice never told anyone what they had to do in this place.
Kyle let out a sigh. He did consider helping the new arrivals, but he was just too exhausted. Besides, it wasn't his responsibility to save everyone. After all, he was stuck in this place too.
Yet, he couldn't help but think deeply when the loud cry sounded again.
'Why do I feel like I have heard this voice before?'
'No, it's not Jian... So, who is it?'
After thinking for a few seconds, Kyle threw the matter at the back of his head.
'Whoever it is, that person is not alone. So, I will check after a while.'
Far away from Kyle's location, two young elves were trying their best to calm the frustrated brown-haired youth.
In the end, the girl in the team reached out to grab the youth from behind with a sigh.
"Nine, calm down you are attracting more insects!"
Nine froze in his actions, he gazed at the beautiful pair of hands and blinked. Amidst the hundreds of insects surrounding them from all directions, Nine leaned into the hug with a sheepish smile.
"Okay, my dear Elli I will follow your command."
The person standing beside them hissed with anger and immediately grabbed Elli's hand to separate them from each other.
Nine glared at the green-haired elf before rubbing his fingers on Elli's wrist with a sulking expression.
"Elli, why did you bring him with you? You know I hate third wheels..."
Elli giggled and slowly slapped his hand away.
"Rowan is my old friend. Don't say anything bad about him."
A vein bulged out in Rowan's forehead. He couldn't believe the duo was flirting in the midst of hundreds of insects. Suddenly, a crawling insect jumped at Nine and Rowan slashed it with his weapon.
"You two stop it, let's find an exit, or else I don't think we can survive in this place."
Nine looked at Rowan with a sigh and refocused on the insects. It's been a while since he found the two elves. At first, after recovering he only wanted to find Elli and spend some time with her but she was not alone. That's why he had to bring along the third wheel, Rowan.
The trio killed and slowly moved around the vast field but even after an hour they found nothing. Suddenly, with uneven breath, Elli pointed his finger at the distance with a surprise gasp.
"What's that?"
Nine and Rowan both narrowed their eyes toward the place she was pointing and mumbled simultaneously.
"A small mountain?"
Nine cursed when another insect pounced at him from the left side. He kicked it away and started walking toward the mountain.
"Whatever it is, let's go and check."
After ten minutes, the trio arrived below an ice mountain. The land all around the mountain was frozen into ice. Moreover, the mountain top was hidden in a layer of white smoke.
Still, the trio did not dare to get near because thousands of insects were crawling around the mountain. Nine shuddered and rubbed his arms when cold air brushed passed his skin.
"What with this place? The temperature in the field is normal. So, what's an ice mountain doing here?"
With narrow eyes, Rowan suddenly killed an insect and bent down to grab one of many frozen uneven-shaped rocks lying in the grass.
"This!"
His eyes widened instantly. Nine grabbed the rock from his hand and inspected it. A shocked expression appeared on his face.
"OMG, it's the insect!? How did it freeze to death?"
Simultaneously, the trio snapped their heads to look at the mountain. It was clearly made of many similar rocks!
An ominous feeling surged inside Rowan's heart as he looked at the duo.
"Guys let's leave. I think this place is dangerous."
Nine and Elli both immediately agreed. Fighting with insects was thousands of times better than being frozen to death. Slowly, the trio turned around to leave.
However, at that exact moment, a loud voice echoed in the air.
"You think after stepping in my territory you can leave?"
The trio froze in their spots and chills ran down their spines. With sweat trickling down his forehead, Nine grabbed his sword and mumbled to Elli and Rowan.
"Run!"
Yet, they did not even budge from their spots. No way, they were going to leave him behind. Due to the tense atmosphere, Nine failed to notice the fact that the voice was very familiar and quiet young as well.
Nine grabbed his sword and was ready to fight a life-and-death battle but then the voice sounded again. Moreover, there was a hint of amusement in the voice.
"Well, that's it, now that you have stepped inside my territory. It would be bad if I let you go. How about having some tea with me?"
Nine eyes widened when he finally sensed the familiarity in the voice behind him. He instantly turned back and gasped.
"Wow... Kyle, is it you?"
Kyle grabbed the corner of his hair with a thoughtful look.
"Yes, if you could just ignore my hair and eye color. It's me."
Nine laughed out and jumped at him for a hug. How could he fail to recognize him? After all, he had already seen those silver hair.
