Maxwell woke up feeling refreshed.
That alone felt wrong.
After falling unconscious in this frozen hell, he had fully expected to wake up shivering—or not wake up at all. Catching a cold would have been the best outcome. Surviving was already a miracle, and he knew it.
He sat up slowly and stretched.
His joints didn't ache.
His muscles didn't protest.
In fact, his body felt… perfect.
Maxwell blinked and flexed his fingers, then rolled his shoulders. No stiffness. No lingering fatigue. Even the biting cold that had plagued him since entering this place felt muted, like it had lost its teeth.
"What the…?"
Did my body finally adapt to the extreme conditions here?
The thought made him chuckle quietly. The idea sounded ridiculous—and yet, it wasn't entirely impossible. Still, if something like that had happened, he doubted it was natural.
Has to be nova, he thought.
Maxwell sat back down as hunger resurfaced. He hadn't finished eating before losing consciousness the previous night, and his body was quick to remind him of that fact.
He ate in silence.
Each bite tasted better than it should have.
That was when the unease crept in.
It wasn't sudden.
It wasn't loud.
Just a subtle pressure at the back of his mind—like a missing sound he couldn't quite name.
Something felt off.
Maxwell slowed, scanning the cave as if expecting the walls themselves to shift.
"Something isn't right," he muttered.
The cave was empty. Too empty.
Then—
It hit him.
Maxwell shot to his feet and rushed outside, boots crunching against the snow. His gaze swept the surrounding terrain, sharp and frantic, heart pounding harder with each second that passed.
"What am I doing…?"
He froze mid-step.
A breath escaped him, half annoyed, half embarrassed.
He had more than one way to search—and only now did he remember it.
Closing his eyes, Maxwell focused.
The world shifted.
***
Nova woke up.
The first thing she saw was Maxwell, still asleep across from her. His breathing was steady, calm. Snowy—the Snow Hawk King, or simply Snowy, as Maxwell insisted on calling it—was curled against his chest like an oversized feathered blanket.
She watched them for a while becoming bored.
Being sealed had almost broken her.
Time lost all meaning when you were trapped with nothing but your own thoughts. Hours blurred together until even memories began to feel distant. That kind of isolation could destroy even the strongest minds.
She had survived only because she refused to stay conscious.
Using her skill, she had forced herself into a deep stasis—freezing herself the same way she froze the white bull.
The difference was control.
She had left herself a narrow margin, a weakness in the technique that would shatter at the slightest disturbance.
Maxwell had been that disturbance.
She exhaled slowly.
If she were home right now, she'd probably be sitting in her room, sipping tea… or fishing by the river.
Her gaze drifted to Snowy.
An idea surfaced.
She gently nudged it awake and simply stared.
…This is awkward.
Luckily Snowy shifted, then struggled free from Maxwell's embrace. It stood up, gesturing first at Maxwell, then toward the cave entrance.
Nova nodded.
She raised her hand and formed a barrier around the cave mouth.
It wasn't meant to trap or repel.
It was subtle—designed to suppress Maxwell's presence and seal off sound. Just enough to keep him from waking prematurely.
Once it was done, Snowy followed her out to a distant hill.
As they moved, Nova found herself nodding in quiet approval.
Snow Hawk King, indeed.
Even its intelligence alone was impressive.
They stopped several meters apart and faced each other.
The air tightened.
Snowy lunged.
Its talons descended with startling speed.
Nova didn't flinch.
She blocked with her forearm and countered, striking down with her other hand in a clean, controlled motion.
Snowy retreated instantly, refusing to meet the blow head-on.
They exchanged attacks like that—fast, sharp, deliberate.
Nova smiled.
This sparring was enough to gauge Snowy's capabilities. In truth, its combat instincts were solid. Dangerous, even.
But there was room for growth.
Then—
Snowy lagged.
Just for a fraction of a second.
It corrected itself immediately, resuming the fight without hesitation.
But Nova felt it.
A chill crawled up her spine.
A pressure—foreign and heavy—pressed against her senses.
She slowly turned her head.
Her smile faded.
Someone was watching.