The orange cat ran at full speed.
It charged toward the ice and snow covering the ground.
A gentle voice hurriedly called out:
"Careful, don't come any closer!"
The orange cat answered with a fierce "Mrowr—"
It didn't care about anything else.
If you wouldn't give it light, then it would eat your energy.
With all that snow-white energy crystallized across the ground, did you think you could hide it from the cat?
The orange cat stopped at the edge of the ice and snow and took a hearty bite.
Ice.
Cold.
...And a little refreshing, with something else mixed in.
What was that something else?
The orange cat savored it for only an instant, then gave it no further thought.
Who cared? It was edible!
The orange cat devoured it without even lifting its head.
The monsters were stunned.
The gentle voice fell silent for a moment.
Time passed slowly.
The more the orange cat ate, the happier it became. Before long, it had eaten a little circle into the snow.
"You... are you all right?"
The gentle voice was filled with disbelief.
The orange cat stood upright, braced itself on its hind paws, and launched straight into a tap dance.
When it finished, it lowered its head and went back to eating the ice and snow.
Now the surroundings were even quieter. You could have heard a pin drop.
A little while later,
a ripple gradually stirred in the withered forest.
A soft glow rose among the trees, drawing all the ice and snow toward it as if by some invisible force.
Thick drifts of snow lifted into the air, gathering around the glowing orb.
At the same time, all manner of scenes of destruction flashed through the void, appearing one after another at a dizzying pace.
The