"What am I going to do now?" Luna whispered, staring at the figures standing at the border of darkness.
They were cloaked, their forms obscured—one on the left clutching a long sword, the other barehanded.
With a sigh, she stepped back behind the wall, thoughts racing. "There's no way I can move forward without being noticed."
A chilling, icy aura suddenly engulfed her. Unaware, she instinctively straightened her back.
"Or... am I going to make a run for it?" she continued thinking, uncertain.
something from the corner of her eye, she caught something floating.
Startled, she sharply turned her head.
Her breath hitched.
Eyes wide, she stumbled backward, heart racing, and fell hard onto her butt, a small yelp caught in her throat.
Clutching the spot where pain throbbed at her scalp, Luna winced, her fingers gently rubbing the sore bump.
"Ow-ow-ow..." she whispered under her breath, blinking away the sting in her eyes. Then, squinting at the strange floating creature before her, she murmured, "Who... who are you?"
The small figure didn't answer. Instead, it slowly raised one paw and pointed at itself.
Luna tilted her head. "You're the only one here," she said, narrowing her eyes.
At her words, it flinched—subtly, like something unaccustomed to being acknowledged. Then, almost sheepishly, it moved again, this time pointing a paw toward her forehead.
Frowning, Luna reached up and touched the spot where the strange cold sensation had been moments ago. Her eyes widened slightly.
"Huh?" she breathed. "It doesn't hurt anymore…"
The realization settled over her like a blanket of snow. "Oh… you're that icy spirit," she whispered, voice low with awe.
It nodded once—deliberate, almost solemn. Then, with a low, unnatural voice that seemed too deep for its small frame, it spoke "Need a hand?"
Luna's mouth parted slightly. She stared for a few seconds, words stuck in her throat. She hadn't expected it to speak, much less offer help.
"Um..." she blinked rapidly, mind racing. "Y-Yeah. I guess I do."
The spirit tilted its head. Its glowing eyes seemed to soften—if only slightly.
"What's your name?" Luna asked, still wary, but growing more curious by the second.
It shrugged, its fluffy shoulders rising and falling in a way that looked more human than animal.
"Don't have one," it said plainly. "Name me."
Luna hesitated, taken off guard by the simplicity of the request. "I... alright. But now's not really the time," she replied, glancing over her shoulder. Her voice dropped to a whisper again. "Could you help me with those two over there?"
She pointed toward the distant corner, where the two cloaked men were still arguing—too focused on each other to notice her yet.
The fox-spirit turned and floated forward, hovering just above the ground like mist on ice. It glided to the edge of the wall, peering carefully at the two figures. Then, after a few moments of observation, it turned back to her and gave a small nod.
"All right."
It drifted back to Luna, extending a frosty paw. "Here. Stand up."
For a moment, Luna just stared at it. The paw looked delicate and cold—yet somehow warm with intent. Slowly, she reached out, her fingers brushing against its icy fur as she grasped it. It was freezing, but not painful. Not anymore.
With a soft tug, she was back on her feet.
"Trust me," the spirit said. "Walk with me—forward."
Luna's eyes flicked between the spirit and the path ahead.
Forward… toward those men?
Her heartbeat quickened. Everything in her screamed to stay hidden. But then she looked at the fox again—calm, collected, completely unfazed.
She swallowed hard, took a shaky breath, and nodded.
"Okay," she said softly. "I'll trust you."
And together, they stepped forward.
STEP. STEP.
The cloaked figures turned at the sound. One of them shouted, "YOU! WHO ARE YOU, STO—"
His voice cut short.
In that instant, both figures stopped moving. Silence fell, thick and unnatural. Then—
Crack.
Their bodies began to fracture. Long, jagged lines split through their cloaks, skin, and bones.
With a sharp, echoing shatter, they broke apart—
not falling like men, but like glass.
Thousands of crystalline shards rained down onto the cold floor, glinting like frozen stars.
Sweat beaded on Luna's forehead. Her breath caught.
"Wow… What was that?"
"As I said," the fox replied, glancing at her with something like a smile, "trust me. That's all you have to do."
"Are they dead?" Luna asked.
The icy spirit fox slowly turned its head toward her. "Excuse me? … Isn't it obvious?"
"Ah… sorry. I'm not used to seeing people die."
"I feel like the way they died was too fast," Luna added, shrugging her shoulders. "It felt unnatural in many ways."
"Well, ice is strong," the spirit said with a smirk.
Luna gave him a locked, dead stare.
"What?" the spirit asked.
Luna shook her head from side to side, saying nothing.
"Anyways, about your name," Luna said, quickly changing the subject.
"Choose whatever you like."
Luna placed a hand on her chin, thinking aloud. "Mmmmm… Soft. Snow. Fox. Icy?"
"Ah, I get it," she said, hitting her fist into her open palm. Turning toward the fox, a smile spread across her face, her eyes glimmering. "Niva!"
"..."
Niva stared at Luna intensely, as if drilling into her soul.
"Wh—..." Niva opened its snout—only to close it again.
"Perfect," Niva said, forming a glowing thumbs-up from the aura around her.
"Pfff—" Luna chuckled, barely able to hold it in.
"What?" Niva asked, confused.
"Nothing—" Luna said, still chuckling. "Nothing at all."
…
Back to Arena
"What is this incompetence?!" Nyx growled, rubbing his forehead, jaw tight, eyes flashing with frustration.
He pointed sharply toward the lifeless replica slumped in the chair — a fake corpse of Luna.
"You call this proper security?"
"Young Master, please, calm down," the Head Guard said carefully, slowly extending his hands in a placating gesture, his posture hunched forward.
"Calm down? My sister is missing, and you're standing here doing nothing about it!"
"All right, all right," the Head Guard replied quickly, his hands moving up and down in an attempt to pacify him. "We'll go right into it. So… please, calm down."
Nyx dropped into a nearby chair, burying his face in his palms.
"Then do it!" he shouted, voice raw.
From somewhere across the room, a quiet, almost muffled voice could be heard.
"...Ready... Go... Now..."
It was the Head Guard's voice — barely audible.
"I've really done it now," Nyx muttered under his breath.
He sat in silence, still rubbing his face into his palms.
"Luna… forgive me…"