An ice bear.
A gigantic ice bear, like a moving mountain, slowly emerged from the passage. On all fours, its shoulders already stood over fifteen meters high. Thick silver-white fur covered its entire body, gleaming faintly beneath the thin sunlight. Every step it took sent a dull tremor through the ice plains.
The giant bear strode straight through the beast horde and into the inner circle. Facing Snow Empress, it made a movement utterly at odds with its enormous size. It slowly sprawled down, pressed its forelimbs to the ground, and knelt. Its massive bear head nearly buried itself in the snow as it swayed gently, letting out whimpers like a cub. There was not a trace of savagery in that sound—only the attachment and reverence of a puppy seeing its owner.
At the sight of it, a faint smile finally softened Snow Empress's icy face. She raised a hand and gave the slightest wave.
Overjoyed, the giant bear suddenly lifted its head and let out a cheerful roar that shook the ice plains, then charged impatiently toward Snow Empress.
A thousand meters was no more than a dozen breaths for it. Yet when it reached fifty meters from Snow Empress, it stopped, slowly approached, and carefully nudged its enormous head—over two meters in diameter—before her.
Snow Empress extended her hand and lightly laid it over its cold nose. The giant bear immediately let out a satisfied rumble, its enormous body completely relaxing.
At that moment, all beasts prostrated themselves, and the ice plains fell silent. Only the wind still blew.
Snow Empress lowered her eyes and smiled faintly. Against her jade-white skin, that smile seemed light and fragile. There was none of an emperor's pressure left, only the tranquility unique to creatures of ice and snow. "Little White, you're