In the season of heavy snow, the morning light lay hidden, leaving the ground dark beneath a sky thick with clouds. Threads of white snow linked heaven and earth. Phoenix-Tail Snow fluttered down, swifter than raindrops, faster than flying sand. Gusts surged and streamed, sweeping it into white-curtained whirlwinds, like thin clouds veiling the moon. Everything wore a mantle of silver and white; gleaming snow covered the peaks and swallowed the rivers.
In a forest patterned in black and white, a man sat cross-legged on an old, withered tree that had fallen, unable to withstand winter's arrival.
From behind, there was no visible rise or fall of his body as he breathed. Dressed only in thin autumn clothes, he remained utterly still.
Had anyone passed by and seen that seated figure from behind, they would surely have mistaken him for some unfortunate soul who had frozen to death.
Yet amid all that ice and snow, he looked so much like an ice sculpture that he was difficult to spot. Falling and accumulated snow had formed a thick cloak over his shoulders, head, and back. Even if someone passed by, they would have needed eyes as keen as a snow eagle's to notice him from a distance.
Far away, the smooth snow suddenly sank. Alternating footfalls left a trail of catlike paw prints. Amid the densely falling flakes, a snow leopard had spotted him and was silently creeping closer.
The snow leopard bore unusual markings, and its coat had a pale crimson tint. Had Kanni, an experienced hunter, been there, he would certainly have been surprised and excited. This was no ordinary snow leopard, but a common-grade Elemental Beast containing fire elemental power. Judging by the height of its ears, it was a dangerous common-grade second-tier Elemental Beast.
For ordinary people,