Avatar of the Frozen Behemoth: Volume 1

Chapter 21: Unseen Threats

Yukio was just starting to enjoy the moment, feeling the joy of playing with his little sister Amara. The snowstorm simulator hummed softly, the cool air brushing against his face as he watched her spin around, catching snowflakes on her tongue. Everything seemed perfect-until he noticed something unusual.

At first, it was just a flicker in the corner of his eye, something he could easily dismiss as a trick of the light. But then, it happened again. Blue eyes-cold, piercing-began to form in the swirling snow.

Yukio blinked, trying to shake the image from his mind. It's just the simulator playing tricks on me. I'm exhausted... I've seen enough visions to last a lifetime. He tried to convince himself it was nothing.

But the eyes didn't go away. Every time he blinked, more of them appeared, randomly scattered throughout the snowstorm. They stared back at him, unblinking, as if they were watching his every move.

A cold shiver ran down his spine, and Yukio's heartbeat quickened. This can't be real... it's not real, it's just another hallucination, he thought, but doubt was beginning to creep in. He glanced at Amara, still blissfully unaware, laughing as she tried to catch more snowflakes.

The snowstorm around them intensified. The soft flurries turned into a swirling vortex, obscuring everything from view. The world began to blur, the edges of his vision darkening as if the storm was consuming them both. His heart began to race. "Amara..." he called out, his voice wavering slightly.

But before he could react, the snowstorm seemed to intensify, swirling faster and faster until it enveloped everything, including Amara. For a moment, all he could see was white, then, suddenly, he wasn't in Amara's room anymore.

The world shifted, and Yukio found himself standing in that alternate reality once again-the mysterious snowy landscape with crystalline trees, the blue moon, and the bright ethereal star hanging in the sky. His breathing quickened as panic set in.

Yukio's chest tightened as he began to hyperventilate, his breath coming in short, sharp gasps. "Why is this happening now? he thought frantically. It's been so long since the last vision... Why now?"

He spun around, trying to make sense of his surroundings. Far in the distance, he saw the same black building, and those same people surrounding it, their chaotic symbols glowing ominously. His pulse quickened, his fear growing as the scene unfolded before him. He felt trapped in this icy world that seemed to be closing in on him.

"Stop it!" Yukio shouted, his voice echoing in the cold air. Please, whoever or whatever you are... stop this!" he wanted to scream, but the words caught in his throat.

Then, he saw Amara. She was standing still in the distance, her small figure stark against the snowy landscape. But something was wrong-terribly wrong.

Her irises, normally so warm and full of life, were glowing a bright, unnatural blue with a nonchalant expression. Yukio's breath hitched. Amara? he thought, fear gripping his heart. What's happening to you?

Before he could move, before he could do anything, Amara began to fade away. Slowly, like snow melting under the sun, her body dissolved into the air, disappearing before his eyes. The black building and the figures surrounding it also began to crumble, cracks spidering out across the dimension like glass shattering under pressure.

"No! No, no, no!" Yukio shouted, his voice raw with desperation, but it was useless. The world around him shattered completely, everything dissolving into a blinding white light.

When the light finally faded, Yukio found himself back in reality, standing in Amara's room. The snowstorm simulator had stopped, the room silent except for the pounding of his heart. He felt disoriented, like he had just been dragged out of a deep, dark pit.