The biting cold wind swept up flurries of snow across the white expanse of land.
It made the layered silhouettes of distant mountains even hazier.
At the far north stood a massive volcano, endlessly belching thick Black Mist into the sky.
This added even more darkness and oppression to the already dreary, gray clouds and sky.
Snow, smoke, clouds, and endless mountain ranges filled the entire world.
It looked like a breathtaking masterpiece of landscape painting.
Yet if one looked at it for too long, an inexplicable sadness would rise in their heart.
[Caw! Caw! Caw!]
Four slender figures braved the oncoming wind and snow, walking in a single line through the steep snowy mountains.
When several strange birdcalls mixed with the howl of the bone-chilling wind, someone in the previously silent group finally spoke.
"Crows?"
The second figure in line asked doubtfully, "Strange. Why would there be crows in Alphonse?"
The leading figure walked at the very front, every step leaving a footprint in the smooth snow.
Hearing the voice behind her, she casually replied without much concern, "Perhaps a new species capable of adapting to the cold has appeared."
"Enough. Stay focused. The target is halfway up this mountain. Although it's just a discarded, useless stray left behind after the Northern War seven years ago, don't let your guard down."
"Then... may I ask something? We haven't received a request from anyone, so why are we here in this uninhabited northern region to hunt an Awakened One?"
Perhaps because the atmosphere had relaxed somewhat, or perhaps because she wanted to fit in, the last figure nervously asked the question.
Compared to the lightly dressed three in front of her, she wore an additional thick cloak that covered her entire body.
Her short hair was also the most unusual