The Light Over The Horizon [Arknights]

Prologue

"Bleh. Bitter and disgusting."

Breathing out and spitting on the ground, he furrowed his brows at the bitter taste.

"Chocolate must've expired. That must mean I haven't touched this chocolate bar in a long time if it's able to expire..." He scrunched his face up as he looked at the chocolate bar in his hands and tossed it away.

He breathes out as he shudders lightly at the freezing temperature hitting his exposed face. The cold is affecting him slightly, something that he doesn't wish to admit. At night with the sun gone, the temperature drops drastically. The snow falls endlessly without any sign of stopping.

He looked around the snow plains, trying to search for a place to set up camp for the night. It's difficult to tell with the weather and his glasses fog up from the cold weather alongside the vapor of his breath.

"..." He closed his eyes calmly as he began to think of what to do. Walking aimlessly around Ursus is one thing, but he has no idea where to go exactly. He's lost with no idea where anything is. Is he walking further from civilization or is he getting closer? A shaky breath exits from him as he buries his face into his scarf. His eyes reopened and he held a neutral expression.

"?" In the distance he sees something on the ground. Either his vision is playing with him because he has a hard time telling with the fog, or because of his fatigue that is causing him to hallucinate and he sees a person lying on the ground.

He walked towards the body with his cane sluggishly. As he got closer he realized that he was not hallucinating at all. What he saw was an actual body. He saw the person wearing a white winter cloak tainted with dirt and dry blood with a hood on. They were unresponsive as they lay unconscious.

Kneeling next to the body, he went ahead and moved the faced-down person over. He then removed the hood to get a closer inspection. A young girl, although he doesn't know her exact age, appearance-wise she looks to be a teenager. He frowned as he checked for a pulse. He felt nothing as the tips of his fingers were on her neck. He continued keeping his fingers in place and his worry eased ever so slightly as soon as a faint pulse was felt.

He strapped his cane on his back and picked up the body with his arms as he had one arm around her back and the other behind her knees. The girl lays limp and her arm draped down lifelessly as he begins walking while holding her close to his chest.

He walked stiffly and sluggishly as he winced at the pain he felt in his leg.

There's still hope. There's always hope.

-~-

The cackling fire which should've died out emits in the cold environment. He looks on at the fire he set up as he then looks at the water that he's boiling to heat up. The sound of the kettle whistling fills the silence.

The unconscious girl he carried lies on the snow while his coat is on her followed by his scarf. He only has his cloak now which is less warmer than his coat. His hood was over his head as he slouched while sitting on a tree log. He can only thank himself for always coming prepared.

His bag lays by him as he went ahead and unzipped it. He laid out the items he pulled out by his side and scratched the back of his head. "Rescuing someone is not what I had on my agenda today. Especially out here." He smiled. "Let's make this a warm welcome, shall we?" If he wasn't here at the right time, then he wouldn't have been able to save this girl from the verge of death.

He tapped his foot repeatedly on the snow while twiddling his cane. For now, his journey will have to be postponed until he's able to make sure that the girl he's taking care of recovers well. He remained calm as he gazed directly at the kettle and waited for the water to be ready.