"Crunch, crunch..."
Richard trudged through the ever-thickening snow until he reached the second white house. With a creak, he pushed open the door.
As the door opened, a rush of scorching air blew out and struck him before spreading across the surrounding snowfield. The air was so hot that the snow immediately began to melt.
Richard paid it little mind and looked inside.
The scene beyond the door was much like the one in the first house: a plaza, and at the far end of it, the palace where he had lived. The only difference was that the palace was now burning, while soldiers were hunting down and killing people in both the palace and the plaza.
Among them was a girl with bright eyes, cautiously hiding behind a fountain in the plaza. She was neither particularly beautiful nor particularly ugly, but the sort whose looks grew more appealing the longer one looked at her. She alertly watched her surroundings, carefully concealing herself. Once she confirmed that no one in the chaos had noticed her, she rose, hunched over, and quickly ran to one side, preparing to flee.
The faster and farther the girl ran, the more her ponytail bounced behind her head. Then, with a whoosh, a crossbow bolt flew toward her.
Pfft!
The bolt struck the girl's back, its tip piercing out through her chest.
For an instant, the girl felt no pain and did not realize she had been wounded. Carried by momentum, she ran several more steps before her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground with a thud.
In the distance, a Black Armor Soldier silently lowered the repeating crossbow in his hand. Once he confirmed that the girl had no chance of surviving, he stopped paying attention to her. He coldly drew