White. Nothing but pure whiteness waited for me at the other side of the portal, a world of snow, lying on the ground, blown around with the wind, covering my entire view.

“Cold!” Narva called out as she appeared next to me.

Releasing a few fireflies, I stretched them outwards, heating up our surroundings, but even then the snow showed no signs of melting even slightly.

“Thank you.” Narva said as a fire circled around her. “While we draconoids may be far more resistant to coldness than lesser variants this is far too cold for any living being.”

As expected of a world uninhabitable for life. As we stood here more and more stepped through the portal, appearing somewhere around us. “Let us go before we are swept up in the mass.”

“Okay.”

We started to walk, but in this world without any landmarks we had no idea where we walked to. Quickly after we started however, we noticed people following us from behind, walking close enough to stay within range of my fire.

Seeing me look back Narva spoke. “They only want to want some warmth to survive in this world.”

“They will need more than a source of heat if they want to survive.”

She smiled at me, turning forward to walk one more. Following behind her we continued treading through the snow, only the light changes in height giving us a sign that we continued onwards. The world around us was unforgiving as it continued to blow snow towards us while showing us nothing else.

After we walked for about an hour or so we finally chanced upon something, but the sight wasn’t hopeful at all. Corpses of all kind were strewn in the snow, dying it red before their blood froze, ripped apart by sharp claws, impaled by icicles.

“They didn’t even see them coming.” A few corpses had most of their wounds on the back, giving them a quick end at least. Others however seemed to have crawled towards the living, their blood staining the path they have taken before their blood loss took their lives. Whatever attacked them didn’t just hunt them. It played with them until it was satisfied.

Glancing over towards Narva I saw her shaking, her scales seemingly getting paler as she looked at the remains in front of us. And only now I noticed the oddity.

I am calm. I am far too calm. Any normal person should’ve been shocked when coming across this and I’m just analyzing their remains. Looking at the dark flames soaring from me I couldn’t help but think. As expected of the devil, huh.

“We should go.” I said towards Narva, but she just stood still. Stepping near her I laid my hand on her shoulder.

She shot around, her eyes wide open in fear, but as she realized it was me, she stopped. Still shaking with her whole body, she spoke, her voice weak and frightful. “Sorry, I knew what was waiting for me in here, but seeing it with my own eyes…”

“It’s okay.” Putting my hand on her back I gently pushed her away from the corpses. “We should leave, there’s no knowing if whatever did this isn’t coming back.”

She just nodded weakly. Taking a glance back I remembered the words my anger said towards me. Seems like we really belong on the battlefield.

And as we left the field of corpses a scream resounded behind us, as those who followed us came across it.

Every now and then we encountered another group which didn’t make it. Opposed to the first however these mostly died through the cold, unable to bare its frozen bite or counter it, their bodies pale. One group however was wholly encased in ice, warriors wielding their blade, trying to protect those behind them, only to fail, without any wounds soever, trapped in a icy cage.

Even now we didn’t came across any monster while those behind us got quieter each time we came across new bodies, getting closer to us with each encounter in fear of sharing their fate, even ignoring my words of not helping them from before as they were plainly visible now.

Eventually, as we treaded through the snow, a light in the distance appeared, barely visible. But as soon as we saw it it disappeared. Stepping in front of Narva I sent a firefly towards the disappearing light, only for it to be snuffed out when something shot through the snow. I created a barrier but when the adversary stepped out of the snow, we both stopped in our tracks.

“You.”

Out of the white stepped a kitsune, radiating lightly as she shrouded herself with heat, still keeping her claws up in anticipation of a fight. I, however, had no such interest and turned sideways to walk away. But as I began to walk once more a scream rang out from where she came from, making her shoot around and sprint back where she came from.

Turning towards the direction of the scream I spoke. “Let’s go. We should try to see what these monsters are like.”

She hesitated at first but as I began to run she quickly followed after me. Quickly we reached the fight that broke out between those that were with Homura and the monsters. She shone brightly, trying her best as she swept from one monster towards the next, her claws tearing through them as she defended herself with her tails, using them to fling them away.

I couldn’t watch for long though as the monsters noticed us two, standing away from the groups of survivors. Thinking that we were the easier prey the shot towards us.

A beast, with a body just as white as the snow sprang towards me, brandishing claws made from sharp ice to rip apart anything in its way. Releasing a blast of fire towards it its body melted just like the snow surrounding it but opposed to dying its body quivered as the snow surrounding it gathered towards it.

Another blast melted the rest of its body before another pair came near. I strengthened my fire, destroying these two in one hit. Seeing this those behind them stopped, staring at me wary as the tried to circle around us.

“You really think I’d let you?” Fire split off my body, forming dozens of orbs which crashed into these snow beasts. While they weren’t enough to kill them in one shot their numbers were enough to crush them.

Those before us however didn’t have such an easy fight. There were only so much Homura, having noticed their peculiarities, could dispatch on her own and while there were a few other which could use fire spells most could only use their weapons and bodies, trying their best to keep them at bay as they were left without a way to defeat them completely.

Guess I should pay her back for letting me stay with them for a few days.

“Stay near me.” I spoke towards Narva as I ran towards them. They were weary of me, as I suddenly appeared out of the snowstorm, but as my fire circled around them to crash into the monsters their fear soon disappeared.

Noticing the worsening of their situation the surviving monsters turned around to melt into the snow, leaving us alone with the survivors. Most were still weary of us as one could never know who the enemy could be, given that only one group could win in the end. Some stepped near, trying to thank us for helping, only to stop when they noticed tension in the air.

Homura stared at me warily, still ready to fight if necessary, though she didn’t keep her claws up anymore.

“There are some more survivors following us from behind, maybe you can take them with you, it will help you both.” Saying this I turned to leave, before a leonid stepped in front of me.

“Devil, wait up, how about…” Charr began to speak, but I cut him short.

“She is right to be wary about me.” Stepping past him I walked towards the blank white once more. “Stay alive, I don’t want one of my few acquaintances to die.”