Dispute on the Snowfield

The wind gave a dull, low roar beneath the heavy leaden clouds. The sky was so gloomy that even the snow blanketing the world could not brighten it.

Everything here was desolate. In the distance, ranges of mountains covered in pristine white snow stood upon the earth, their silence steeped in deathly stillness. On the nearby wilderness, only a few withered trees remained. The biting wind, sharp as blades, swept freely across the plain, seeming determined to extinguish every trace of life between heaven and earth.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Suddenly, amid the eternal howl of the wind came the unhurried yet steady sound of footsteps crushing snow. The unusual sound brought a touch of life to the lonely world. Beneath the hollow of a dead tree on the hillside, a paw as white as snow pushed aside the drift sealing the entrance. Ruby-like eyes pressed close to the snow hole, peering curiously outside.

A rabbit.

Amosta paused and glanced at the tree hollow. With a soft chuckle, he stepped onto the crest of the gentle slope.

Looking back along the road he had taken, the town where he had rested for a day and night had become a faint, nearly invisible black speck. The cottony flakes drifting down from the sky had already covered his tracks, leaving only the nearby footprints clearly visible.

"I've come quite a long way."

Amosta laughed at himself. Then his smile faded as he looked ahead, toward the black tower standing at the edge of a cliff, enduring the loneliness of being forgotten by the world.

The towers rose in dense ranks, and through the imposing castle, one could vaguely glimpse its former pride.

"Nurmengard..."

Amosta smiled again, his laughter full of reflection. He pulled his hand from his coat pocket and breathed several puffs