The White Wolf of Winterfell

Chapter 8: Sand and Memories

Albedo just stood there, looking lost and highly dazzled about what happened. She felt like something was ripped from her moment and the next. She was standing there in a lost land filled with white sand and lifeless whispers of nothingness. It felt like she had no body or soul anymore, but she knew this wasn't true. Albedo was still herself; she was not dead. She couldn't be dead. She was a Guardian of Nazarick, created by the Supreme Ones, perfect in everything and powerful enough to destroy whoever dared to insult her creators. Death was a state of being where one would cease to exist; there was no such thing that would encapsulate Albedo.

She looked around at the empty desert. A dry wind brushed her face, and the sun was hot and so intense that one could say that it could burn the skin out of your body. Yet, Albedo felt not such a thing.

"So this is hell." Albedo said out loud without thinking; then she realized what she had done and covered her mouth in horror. "No! No, I'm not dead. This isn't my end! My love needs me! My lady!"

Albedo cried, holding her crying face, anxious and completely lost.

It wasn't normal for Albedo to lose her mind in such a fashion. But, it was true. Albedo recalled the last memory of Nazarick. The view of her lady, crying as she disappeared. It broke Albedo's heart and brought to her such pain and fear. She did not leave us too! I refuse to believe she left us! Albedo thought in dismay.

Still, Albedo then punched herself in the face. Hard and loud was the sound, but it made her concentrate. It made her stop that nonsense.

"Relax, think, Albedo, think," she muttered slowly, taking deep breaths. Albedo needed to think first. Where was she? And how did she end up there? Those were the first things Albedo thought. The Succubus looked around and noticed nothing but endless dunes of sands. Thinking about what was happening was challenging and maddening, but she needed to remain calm and collected.

Albedo tried to look at her inventory and realized that she could access it without problems. She also noticed that on her hands, one of Nazarick's most precious items was with her. [Gunnungagap] was a World Item capable of devastating large areas. An item Albedo knew she had to keep with her at all times.

"First, I need to find where I am and if there's any danger."

Albedo whispered, noticing a few birds, eagles, or vaulters flying above her, believing she was an innocent human. Albedo scoffed but stared at what was in front of her.

Albedo walked forward, following the faint traces of a road that stretched before her in the distance. The path itself disappeared into the endless stretch of sand, but her feet followed its course. She took deep breaths through her nose and kept walking. The Succubus had no idea how long it would take for her to find her way back home, but she didn't let that worry her. All she had to do was to focus on surviving.

That was more than enough to give her a sense of purpose.

The Succubus walked for hours, moving at a quick paste, yet she refused to slow down. Finally, she came across a small rock formation, a hill in the middle of nowhere that seemed to have been sculpted by the wind. Albedo stopped, looked at the strange object, and felt something odd coming from the stones.

"What is this?" Albedo asked herself, curious and afraid of what could be behind the rocks. Albedo approached them and looked through them.

A village, the Succubus thought and smiled. A human village?

Albedo saw what was inside and felt her heart leap in joy. There were people, lowly insects. A few dozen souls huddled together near a big tent, protected from the scorching sun. They were all naked and covered in white ash, which gave the impression they were ghosts or spirits. Some of them were women, some men, all very thin and weak. Many of the villagers were sick and looked like they might die soon.