The Beginning Of The End

Five Thousand Years Later

Autumn, on the cusp of winter.

The outskirts of Astralya.

Amid the icy ruins of a long-forgotten city, three figures moved cautiously, their breaths visible in the frigid air.

They appeared to be searching for something, though what it was remained unclear.

"Teacher..." The lone woman among them finally broke the silence, her voice hesitant but laced with exasperation.

"Hm? What is it?" replied the tallest of the group, a man wrapped in layers of bandages, his towering figure casting a long shadow over the frost-covered ground.

"Out of all the commissions we could've taken, why did you have to pick this one? It's troublesome, it doesn't pay much, and it's cold as hell here," she complained, her tone heavy with unmistakable resentment.

The man let out a hearty laugh, adjusting the eyepatch that obscured one of his eyes. "Hah! You wouldn't understand. Money is fleeting, but I have a feeling—no, a premonition—that this job will reward us with riches far beyond mere coin!"

"Yeah, right," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You're probably just picking these ridiculous jobs because you wear that damn blindfold all the time and can't see what you're doing."

"Ugh!? How dare you! That's absolutely—"

"And," interrupted the third member, a quiet man who had until now been listening in silence, "you're also wrapped up head-to-toe in bandages. Your movements are clumsy, your vision's terrible, and you probably picked this job by sheer accident. Let's face it, you're just making excuses."

The "teacher" froze, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled for a retort, utterly defeated by the blunt observation.

"Hey! I—" He tried to defend himself, but the woman cut him off with a firm pat on his back and a weary sigh.

"We understand, Teacher..." she muttered, her tone softening slightly. "Even if you're... well, you, we know you're trying. Just don't drag us into some crazy mess, okay?"

"..." He stood in stunned silence, utterly speechless. Resigned, he decided to abandon any attempt at correcting his two students.

After all, this wasn't the first time their banter had derailed the conversation, nor was it likely to be the last.

Some time later, as they continued combing through the frozen ruins, the teacher suddenly exclaimed, "Oh? Look what I've found!"

His voice carried a hint of excitement, which immediately drew skeptical looks from his students.

"What do you think it is?" the female student asked, turning to her companion with a wry grin. "I'm guessing it's the perfect stone for skipping across water. He said the same thing last time, remember?"

The male student chuckled, nodding in agreement. "My bet's on a long, perfectly straight stick."

"Yeah, that sounds about right. Very on-brand for him," she replied, laughing softly as the two exchanged knowing glances.

"Hey, stop joking around! Get over here!" The teacher's voice, now serious, cut through their playful banter.

"Yes, yes, we're coming," the female student muttered, rolling her eyes before quickening her pace.

Once they reached their teacher's side, the playful expressions on their faces vanished almost instantly, replaced by a brief flicker of shock.

That shock quickly morphed into confusion, as they took in the sight before them.

"Huh? How is there someone inside this block of ice?" The female student gasped, her voice tinged with disbelief.

"How should I know?" The male student shrugged, equally perplexed by the discovery.

Without a word, they both turned their gazes toward their teacher, silently asking for an explanation.

"Don't look at me. I don't know either. But I can tell he's still alive—he's not a corpse." The teacher waved his hand dismissively, though his voice carried a certain calmness that contrasted with the strange discovery before them.

He stepped closer, his breath visible in the cold air, and his eyes narrowed as he studied the figure encased in ice.

His fingers lightly brushed against his bandages, adjusting them absentmindedly as he pondered.

"Huh? Are you serious? He looks like he's been frozen for ages." The female student squinted at the frozen figure, tilting her head slightly to get a better view.

Her fingers instinctively curled around the strap of her bag as she nervously shifted from foot to foot, her boots crunching in the frozen snow beneath them.

"Yes, absolutely certain," the teacher replied with a slight nod, his voice unwavering.

His eyes flickered back to the block of ice, a faint glow of concern passing across his face as he placed his hand over his mouth in thought.

The male student crossed his arms, tapping his foot against the ice-covered ground in agitation.

"Well… what should we do? Should we try to get him out of there? Or should we just leave him be? I have a feeling this could turn into a real hassle," he muttered, running a hand through his messy hair, his fingers catching on the strands.

He leaned down to scrape a bit of snow from the ground, his eyes flitting back and forth between the frozen figure and his teacher.

The female student let out a deep sigh, shifting her weight from one leg to the other, her boots leaving faint impressions in the snow.

She rubbed the back of her neck, clearly uncomfortable. "I mean, it's not like we've got any reason to help him, right? He's just… stuck there in ice."

The teacher, still deep in thought, glanced back at them, the faintest crease forming on his brow.

"I suppose we'll have to decide that together." He took a step forward, his hand hovering near the ice as if considering how best to proceed.

The next moment, the teacher suddenly swept his leg out in a swift, decisive motion.

With a loud crack, he kicked the ice block with such force that it shattered into a thousand pieces, sending a flurry of icy dust into the air.

"Woah, what are you doing?!" the female student cried out in shock, stumbling back slightly as she shielded her face from the icy shards that rained down around them.

"Hey, something's coming!" The male student, his expression suddenly turning serious, stepped forward, his hand quickly placing itself in front of the female student, blocking her from moving toward the now-shattered ice.

"Huh? What's coming?" she asked, confusion evident in her voice, her eyes darting around.

The male student's gaze was fixed on the mist rising from the broken ice, his brow furrowing. "Look, in that mist—his eyes are glowing, just like the teacher's. Remember? The teacher said anyone with glowing eyes like that is a monster."

"What? No way, do you mean we just freed a monster?" The female student's voice dropped into a whisper, the tension in the air thickening.

Without a word, the two students instinctively took a step back, their movements synchronized as they widened the distance between them and the broken ice.

The teacher, his expression unreadable, stepped back slightly, his arms folding across his chest as he studied the shimmering mist with quiet intensity.

"Sigh... get ready. If my physical skills aren't enough to handle this, it'll be up to you two. Though, to be honest, if I can't take care of it with my body, I'm not sure you two stand a chance."

The male student grimaced, his knuckles tightening around the hilt of his weapon, though his eyes darted nervously to the mist.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough. But if you can't handle it, I don't know if we'll be able to do much either."

The mist grew thicker, swirling in the air with a malevolent presence, the faint glow from the figure's eyes casting an eerie light as the situation quickly escalated.