Nova froze.
The sickening sensation of being watched clung tightly to her, refusing to fade.
Is it the white bull? Is it back?
No—no… that couldn't be right.
She shook her head sharply.
The white bull should have completely lost their scent. There was no way it could have tracked them again—unless it had stumbled upon them by sheer coincidence, which was extremely unlikely. Nova had been careful. Very careful. She had deliberately led them into the territory of another neovano, one that was on hostile terms with the white bull.
Whatever it was that had caused Snowy to lag for that split second…
Whatever it was that had instilled such dread in her heart—
It couldn't possibly be something ordinary.
Nova relaxed her posture, but her muscles remained coiled tight beneath her skin, ready to react at the slightest disturbance.
Snowy seemed to notice the change.
The snow hawk king halted mid-movement and stared at her. Then, with deliberate motions, it gestured toward the cave… and then tapped near its own eye.
Nova blinked—then visibly eased.
She understood immediately.
"Master's Eye, huh…" Nova muttered, then smiled faintly.
"Not bad at all, Snowy."
Lucky bastard.
She stepped closer, bent down slightly, and looked Snowy directly in the eye.
"No need to panic," she said calmly. "We were just sparring."
Her voice carried clearly.
It was meant for someone else.
***
Maxwell had been worried sick.
Waking up and not finding Snowy had nearly driven him insane. His mind had immediately spiraled into every possible nightmare scenario—betrayal, ambush, blood, death.
And when he saw them fighting?
All hell broke loose.
His thoughts churned violently as panic seized him whole.
It wasn't until he heard Nova's voice that the tension finally snapped.
His shoulders slumped.
A shaky breath escaped his lips.
Then he laughed—rolling onto the ground, relief written plainly across his face.
"Why would you scare me like that, you maniacs?" he said, half-laughing, half-breathless.
He stood slowly, legs trembling.
Not from fear.
But from overwhelming relief.
Snowy was safe.
Nova hadn't betrayed them.
If anything, she looked like she was… helping.
Maxwell was naïve like that.
He closed his eyes once more.
The world shifted.
***
The moment Nova finished speaking, she returned to her original position.
Snowy took to the sky, circling lazily above.
What is that idiot up to now? she thought.
He's not going to come, is he...
She shook her head, already knowing the answer.
Sure enough, only a few minutes after Snowy landed, Maxwell came running.
Panting.
He scooped Snowy into a tight embrace.
Then he looked at Nova.
She expected anger.
Reproach.
Cold, sharp eyes demanding explanations.
Instead—
There was only warmth.
And relief.
Relief that they were both unharmed.
Because to Maxwell, Nova was already a teammate.
She just didn't need to know that yet.
"Why did you come here?" Nova asked.
"Because I was worried sick," Maxwell replied hesitantly. "I thought one of you attacked the other."
"But I told you we were just sparring."
"I was only—"
Nova shot him a dark glare.
A shiver ran straight down his spine.
That glare… just like Uncle Kim's!.
"Alright, alright!" Maxwell surrendered instantly. "I was just bored, okay?"
Nova snorted.
"Then watch us spar," she commanded. "Maybe you'll learn something."
She smiled faintly.
"If you're lucky."
From Nova's perspective, someone like Maxwell was already doomed in this frozen hell. She had no idea how he'd survived this long—let alone how he'd even been chosen as a challenger.
Watching their sparring meant nothing.
There was no way he could understand anything meaningful from it.
But—
She was wrong.
Very wrong.
Maxwell hadn't studied formal combat techniques.
He hadn't practiced battle arts.
But his foundation?—
His memory.
His perception
.
They were abnormal.
Years ago, Uncle Kim had forced him to memorize countless battle arts while forbidding him from practicing even one. At the time, it had felt cruel.
Now?
Maxwell realized why.
As he watched Nova and Snowy move, something felt… off.
Not wrong.
But different.
And for the first time since arriving in this world—
Maxwell felt like he was standing at the edge of understanding something important.