The wind howled like a hungry beast, slipping through the ruins of what was once a vibrant city. The buildings, now mere ghosts of concrete and steel, stood as remnants of a forgotten era, covered in thick layers of frost and snow. Every shattered window, every collapsed wall, bore witness to the relentless advance of the storm that had plunged the world into eternal winter. Humans no longer ruled this new age—now it belonged to ice-bound creatures, as terrifying as death itself. Beings adapted to the cold’s hostility, the true masters of this frozen echo of a once-glorious metropolis.

  Amid those frozen ruins, a small group of figures trudged forward with slow but determined steps. Every movement was a battle against the cold that bit at their skin through multiple layers of ice-hardened clothing. Leading them was Luna Starfire, one of the few survivors still breathing in that glacial hell. Her thermal suit—black with red accents—blinked intermittently, indicating that its power source was on the brink of failure.

  She knew she had, at best, twenty minutes before succumbing to the deadly embrace of the ice. And her group fared no better: energy reserves were depleted, and only a fragile hope of a miracle kept them moving toward what seemed like certain death.

  But Luna wasn’t wandering aimlessly. In her numb hands, she tightly gripped a small device: a heat detector. On its screen, a faint flicker indicated that somewhere nearby, something still retained warmth. Perhaps a power source, maybe a still-active generator. In a world where hope had frozen long ago, any trace of heat was a miracle—a flicker of possibility in the dark.

  They moved down a snow-covered avenue, where abandoned cars had become icy tombs. Silence reigned, broken only by the crunch of frost beneath their boots and the distant wail of the blizzard. Every step brought them closer to the heat source—but also closer to the limits of their endurance.

  Eventually, the detector led them to an almost unrecognizable structure: an old university. The entrance was half-buried under an avalanche of snow, but Luna didn’t hesitate. She ordered her team to dig, clawing through the ice with raw desperation. When they finally cleared a path, they entered the darkened corridors. Cautiously, with the dim light of their flashlights, they moved forward. One of them spotted a glow in the distance and, fearing it might be a hostile creature’s lair, they approached with care. The path led them to what had once been an indoor park within the university—a place that must have been a haven of beauty in better times. Now, only columns of ice and heaps of snow remained, swept by winds as sharp as blades.

  The detector vibrated more intensely. Something was there. Something they, in their desperation, believed might be their salvation.

  Luna’s face shifted from hope to horror. Her companions saw it too: lying in the snow was a young man, alive but on the verge of death. His breathing was faint, each exhale a whisper of life nearly gone.

  "A man? That’s what we found in this damned place?" The voice of Elian Xanthe, second in command, was rough and filled with frustration. He, a tall man with dark skin and sharp features, voiced what the others felt: after days of fruitless searching, their hopes had crumbled.

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  "What are we supposed to do, Luna?" Elian continued in desperation. "We can’t carry an unconscious man. We barely have enough energy for ourselves. What the hell do we do?"

  Luna could only stare in astonishment and fear. This wasn’t what they were looking for—this was just another burden. But what truly disturbed her was the state in which they had found the man. The others, blinded by frustration, hadn’t noticed—but she had: beneath his body, instead of snow, there was vegetation. Grass and small flowers bloomed beneath him.

  "That’s impossible," she thought. "There’s no life here. There can’t be flowers in this frozen hell."

  A blood-curdling scream shattered her thoughts. Everyone turned, eyes wide. Luna and the others watched in horror as one of their comrades was brutally torn apart. Half of his lower torso lay on the snow, entrails quickly freezing, while the other half dangled from the jaws of a monstrous creature—an abomination between a dog and a porcupine. Over three meters tall, with legs like sharpened stakes and dark blue eyes dripping with death. A Jotun. Lethal, territorial creatures that showed no mercy to intruders.

  Luna knew it well: they stood no chance against the beast—not in their current state, with morale shattered and energy reserves nearly gone. To survive, someone had to hold it off while the others escaped. But where to? With what reactor power? “Getting out of here would be a miracle—then what?” Doubt struck her for a fleeting moment. There was no time for questions. Only action.

  With a firm, clear voice, she ordered Elian and the others to cover her, and to escape with the unconscious man when they had the chance. Even if they died, they had to reach the colony. He was the real find of their expedition.

  Without hesitation, she drew her sword. Its design resembled a katana, though it was thicker and more robust. With a twist of the hilt, the blade ignited in flames. She charged at the monster, striking with precision. Each fiery slash melted its frozen flesh, drawing howls of agony. The creature thrashed, its focus turning to her and away from the group. Just what Luna wanted. Meanwhile, her teammates fired incendiary rounds, which barely pierced the Jotun’s heart of icy thorns.

  But the beast quickly reacted. Seeing the others trying to flee, it arched its back and unleashed a volley of massive ice spikes. Several fell instantly, impaled, life escaping in a frozen breath. Only a few narrowly avoided the attack by pure luck. The Jotun watched them with its vast blue eyes, delivering a clear message: no one would leave alive.

  Elian, face darkened, let go of the unconscious man and, with chilling calm, gave the order:

  "Attack! We fight with Luna. It’s our duty."

  The battle cry echoed through the icy air as the survivors charged the creature. But Luna knew it was a losing fight. Her strength was waning, and she didn’t have the power to protect them all. All she could do was defend herself and witness the massacre of her friends, torn apart and frozen in seconds.

  Then, something changed.

  In the midst of despair, Luna and the others watched in awe as the mysterious man stood, facing the Jotun. The beast lunged at him in fury—but before it could strike, he raised his hand. A torrent of fire burst from his palm, engulfing the monster in an instant. The Jotun howled in pain as its body melted into a steaming puddle.

  The group stood frozen, stunned by the sight. That man, wreathed in flames, stood tall over the Jotun’s corpse, the fire’s glow dancing across his features. In a cruel, frozen world, where life vanished as swiftly as a breath of air, that blazing figure became a symbol of hope—and rebirth.

  But would he be their salvation... or their doom?