​A violent shockwave of pain surged up Yuki’s foot, causing him to collapse onto the frozen ground, clutching his leg in agony.

​"Son of a— ARGH!" he cried out, writhing on the ice. "I definitely broke several bones!"

​Yuki took a deep breath, forced himself to concentrate, and actively channeled his essence to begin regenerating his shattered foot. The process took only a few seconds, but the raw, unmitigated pain was agonizing.

​Once his foot was fully mended, Yuki pushed himself up and walked back over to Lily’s collapsed body to assess the damage. She lay out cold on the frozen stone floor, her forehead bleeding profusely.

​...Wait, ghosts can bleed? Ah, who gives a shit... what do I even do now? Yuki thought, staring down at her. Do I save her...? How do I even do that? Ah hell, who am I kidding? I can’t save her. I don’t have any way to do that.

​Yuki sat down beside the dying girl and waited. After a minute, her deep-sea blue hair slowly shifted back to its pristine white, and her ice armor dissipated into faint frost.

​"Hey..." she whispered softly, her breath trembling. "Sorry about that... I couldn’t control her."

​Yuki turned to her but offered no reply. He simply watched in silence as the bleeding from her head gradually slowed to a stop. His shoulders slumped, and he let out a heavy, frustrated sigh.

​"Don’t be so sad," she said, offering him a weak, gentle smile. "I’m not in any pain... despite my circumstances. All I remember is talking to you, and then waking up on the floor. Looking at your torn clothing, the fatigue on your face... plus the fact that the entire arena is frozen... it’s a safe bet that you and my other half fought. And she lost."

​Yuki stayed silent.

​"It’s alright. You did well... thank you," she said, a single tear slipping down her cheek. "I’m running out of essence. I’m going to fade away very soon... so, thank you."

​"Please don’t thank me for killing you," Yuki murmured, rubbing his face. "It feels weird."

​"...Why?" she asked quietly.

​"I don’t feel anything for your other half," Yuki admitted, looking away. "I just... I don’t feel right watching you die. I’m sorry that you had to go through this."

​"Don’t be," she chuckled softly, her voice growing fainter. "I’m fine." She paused, letting out a calm, shuddering breath. "Is it okay if I ask you to do something for me?"

​"Sure... What is it?"

​"I always wanted to see the sea... but..." She closed her eyes, her smile lingering. "Could you take what’s left of me to the sea? If there’s anything left of me at all?"

​"I will," Yuki promised.

​"Thank you..." she whispered.

​Her skin began to emit a soft, ethereal glow as thin cracks of light spread across her frame. Yuki sat beside Lily, keeping her company as she spoke in hushed tones about the life she once had, staying by her side until she drew her final breath and withered away into the wind.

​Yuki looked up, watching the last remnants of her spirit float into the night sky like glowing fireflies before slowly fading into nothingness.

​DING!

​[Mission Complete!]

​[+2 Points awarded to all Inquisitors who assisted in the elimination of ’The Forgotten Soul, Lily’.]

​[A special reward will be distributed to the top contributor.]

​DING!

​[You were the primary contributor for this mission. Highest tier reward dispatched!]

​[Reward Received: Skill - Frost Walker]

​Description: Allows the user to freeze the top layer of any liquid surface, creating solid ice capable of supporting their weight. Active creation consumes Mana/Essence.

​Yuki stared blankly at the glowing system interface, his face tight with a mixture of shame and regret.

​DING!

​[Please return to the nearest Snow Kingdom settlement.]

​"...Ha," Yuki chuckled bitterly, looking at his empty hands. "Not even a trinket left behind. She’s just... gone."

​DING!

​[Please return to the nearest Snow Kingdom settlement.]

​"Tch! Fine!" Yuki snapped at the screen. "Where is the damn settlement?!"

​[Pulling up required navigation data and mapping schematics...]

​[Current Distance to Nearest Settlement (Winterfell Citadel): 58.4 Kilometers]

​[WARNING: You are currently located inside an Uncharted Calamity Zone. Local NPC support is non-existent.]

​[CAUTION: Extremely high concentration of high-ranked monsters and magical anomalies detected in this region. Please proceed with care.]

​"What do you mean ’proceed with care’?! You sent me here!" Yuki yelled at the sky. "What did you expect?! You spawned me over eighty kilometers away from the nearest civilization!"

​DING!

​[Please return to the nearest Snow Kingdom settlement immediately.]

​Yuki rolled his eyes, turning his back on the empty performance hall and stepping out into the cold night air, his mood thoroughly ruined.

​He had picked up Lily’s frost blade—the only tangible thing left behind. Everything else she had created had melted away into thin air, even the battered jellyfish.

​Following the glowing golden nav-markers, Yuki resumed his lonely trek through the freezing wilderness. After traveling all night, he finally reached the edge of the biome—only to freeze in his tracks at the sight waiting for him.

​"The sea...?" Yuki stared out at the infinite expanse of black water, his jaw dropping. "Huuu... fucking hell, man."

​Yuki made his way down to the shore. Just out of reach of the crashing tide, he dug a small grave for Lily, driving the frost blade deep into the ground as a headstone.

​He stood there staring out at the waves as the morning sun slowly broke over the horizon.

​"I have to cross the sea to reach the settlement... Sigh, this is ridiculous. I’m starving, and I’m exhausted. Man, if I actually manage to cross this, I’m definitely not going to be in my right mind... I need blood, but there isn’t a single living creature out here!" Yuki vented his frustration aloud to the crashing waves.

​He began walking along the shoreline, searching for a stretch where the water was frozen over. Once he found a solid ice sheet, he took off in a full sprint, doing his best not to slip.

​Yuki ran and ran until his physical stamina completely ran out. When he couldn’t take another step, he simply belly-flopped onto the smooth ice, letting his momentum slide him forward across the frozen surface while he gasped for air. The moment his stamina recovered enough, he scrambled back to his feet and resumed sprinting.

​With no food in his stomach, his essence reserves were actively draining just to keep his body functioning.

​After trudging 12 agonizing kilometers across the frozen sea, Yuki finally dragged himself onto the distant shore and collapsed onto his back, utterly spent.

​[Distance Remaining to Winterfell Citadel: 46.4 Kilometers]

​Yuki lay there in the snow, hyperventilating from the non-stop travel. There was nothing out here except the biting wind and the relentless, annoying DING! of the map telling him to hurry up.

​"It’s only been a single day inside this trial..." Yuki groaned to the empty sky, staring at the purple clouds. "And all I’ve done is walk, walk, watch someone die by my hands, and walk some more... When does this end?"

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