Avatar of the Frozen Behemoth: Volume 1

Chapter 43: Buried

Yukio's body jerked violently as the avalanche thrust him forward, carrying him away from Spadia with an unforgiving force. The cold air slashed into his lungs like knives, each breath more desperate than the last. Snow filled his vision, blurring everything into a haze of white and shadow.

He clawed at the snow around him, pushing with everything he had, trying to reach the surface, but the avalanche was merciless.

He screamed through gritted teeth, "Come on! I can't... I can't let this take me!" His voice was hoarse, barely audible above the roar of the avalanche. His hands scrabbled against the snow and debris, fingers burning with cold as they scraped uselessly against hard surfaces.

The freezing particles stung his eyes, blinding him as he choked on the ice filling his mouth and nose. "No, no, no!" His voice cracked, panic rising as he felt his strength waning.

A flash of dark wood caught his eye through the blur—an old, broken window ledge. He lunged for it, grasping tight, the splinters biting into his hands. "Got it!" he gasped, holding on with all his might, the ledge his only lifeline.

His arms shook with the effort, the force of the avalanche pulling at him like a beast trying to tear him away. "I won't let go!" he yelled, through the snow and the wind swallowed his voice.

But the ledge cracked. The wood splintered under the pressure of the snow and his weight. "No, no, no! Hold together, damn it!" Yukio's heart pounded, his breath coming in short, desperate gasps. But the avalanche's power was too great. The ledge snapped, and Yukio was hurled back into the freezing torrent, his body thrown like a ragdoll.

"Damn it!" he cursed, the words torn from him as he collided with a tree branch, pain exploding through his shoulder. He let out a guttural scream, the impact numbing his arm. The snow carried him relentlessly forward, slamming him into another branch before tossing him through the air. For a brief, terrifying second, he was airborne, his body spinning, his vision filled with the sight of Spadia—his home, his life, crumbling beneath the monstrous wave of snow and ice.

Time slowed. Spadia, the once-beautiful snow city, was nothing but a blur of destruction. The buildings collapsed under the weight of the avalanche, their snowy rooftops disappearing into the raging torrent.

His heart sank, a hollow, gut-wrenching feeling spreading through his chest as he watched everything he loved being buried alive. "No..." The word came out in a broken whisper as he felt himself falling.

The memories eventually started to flood back in a slow, torturous cascade, time itself seeming to stretch and bend. I grew up here....He could see himself running through the streets as a child, his best friend Rome laughing beside him during their snowball tournaments. We were invincible back then, weren't we? He could almost hear Rome's voice, teasing him at the library, both of them roasting each other to help ease the awkwardness of Rome's crush.

He thought of Rome—how they'd spent hours playing in the snowball tournaments, laughing until their sides ached. How they'd tease each other relentlessly, even in the quiet corners of the library, scheming about Rome's crush, making each other laugh until they were kicked out.

The Senroco event—the princess, her voice like an angel's as she sang, surrounded by the ethereal glow of the snow. He had admired her from afar, her beauty and grace captivating him. Now, the thought of her lifeless body in the snow broke him. Is she... gone too? A tear slid down his cheek, freezing almost instantly in the bitter wind.

The snow below rushed up to meet him, cushioning his fall with cold brutality. He hit hard, the force jarring his bones, but the avalanche kept carrying him, pushing him down a steep slope into the deep forests. His body was slowing, the cold leaching into his muscles, making every movement sluggish.