In the vast expanse of ice and snow, only the biting wind and the picturesque white mountain in the distance kept him company.
Dressed in a blood-red robe, Mo Xie trudged forward one step at a time, his back bent and his arm raised to shield his eyes. The bitter wind sent his robe snapping around him.
His destination was the towering mountain ahead. Someone was waiting for him at its summit.
The mountain was larger and taller than he had imagined, yet Mo Xie seemed incapable of feeling tired. All he could think about was reaching the top.
He did not even know who was up there, but his body made the decision before his mind could, carrying him onward.
After climbing into the wind and snow for an unknown length of time, he finally reached the summit and met the people he had wanted to see.
Two graceful figures, one in white and the other in green, stood on either side of the snowy peak, their heads turned slightly to look behind them.
Mo Xie tried to make out their faces, but the swirling snow obscured his vision.
He wanted to get closer, yet after just a few steps, the two figures grew even more indistinct, as though they were about to vanish into the storm.
"No... don't... don't go..."
Mo Xie kept murmuring, trying to run forward and catch them. Suddenly, the ground disappeared beneath his feet, and he plunged into a bottomless abyss...
"Ah!"
Mo Xie cried out and opened his eyes. Only then did he realize he was not buried in a blizzard, but lying on a soft bed, a faint fragrance lingering around his nose.
He breathed a little heavily. Without his noticing, cold sweat had soaked his clothes, probably because of the dream.