I drag my frozen body forward, one step after another, the snow biting into my skin like countless tiny needles. My breath turns into white mist in front of me, proof that I am still alive… at least for now. The pearl necklace swings lightly in my trembling hand, its coldness strangely comforting, as if it is responding to my heartbeat.
"EG…" I murmur softly, my lips pale and numb. "Who are you…?"
The wind suddenly howls louder, swirling the snow into the air. My vision blurs, and for a moment I think I see shadows moving beneath the white ground—long, distorted figures stretching and shrinking like living scars on the snowfield. My heart pounds violently. I rub my eyes, convincing myself it is only exhaustion.
But then… I hear it.
A voice.
Low, distant, almost buried beneath the wind.
"Do not sleep."
I stiffen. My whole body freezes, not from the cold, but from fear. I turn my head around sharply, scanning the endless white horizon. There is no one. No footprints. No shelter. Just me and the snow.
"Who's there?" I shout, my voice cracking.
No answer.
I laugh weakly, hugging myself. "I'm hallucinating… yes, that must be it."
As I take another step, the pearl suddenly grows warm in my palm. I gasp and nearly drop it. The dragon totems glow faintly, golden light seeping through the gaps between my fingers. The etched letters EG shimmer clearly now, no longer vague.
A sudden memory flashes through my mind—
Neon lights.
Rain.
A shadow standing unnaturally still beneath a streetlamp.
And eyes… watching me.
My head throbs violently. I scream and fall to my knees, clutching the necklace against my chest. The snow beneath me begins to tremble.
Crack—
A thin fracture spreads across the ground, glowing faintly with the same golden light as the necklace. I crawl backward in terror as the crack widens, revealing something beneath the snow—dark, mirror-like, just like the mercury surface I touched before.
"No… no no no…" I whisper.
The ground opens silently, and from it rises a reflection of myself.
But it is not me.
Her eyes are completely black, her lips curved into a faint smile that I cannot return.
"You finally came," she says, her voice identical to mine.
I shake my head violently. "You're not real… You're not!"
She steps closer, her feet hovering above the snow. "This world exists because of you. The rain, the mirror, the man, the pearl—none of them are accidents."
"Then tell me!" I cry. "Why am I here?! I just want to go home!"
Her smile fades slightly. She looks at the necklace in my hand.
"Home…" she repeats softly. "Once you pass the mirror, there is no simple way back. Especially when he has already marked you."
My heart sinks. "He…? The man?"
The reflection slowly nods.
"The one who took you in from the rain," she whispers. "The one whose shadow never left you."
Suddenly, the snowstorm intensifies, swallowing her figure piece by piece until she dissolves into white dust. The crack in the ground seals itself, leaving no trace behind.
I am alone again.
Except now, I understand one thing clearly—
The rain that night was not coincidence.
The mirror was not an escape.
And the man… is not just a stranger.
I clutch the pearl necklace tightly, its warmth spreading through my chest like a silent promise—or a curse.
Whatever this world is…
Shadow Rain has only just begun.