The bitter snowflakes swirled around.
A cold wind blew right into William’s face, almost making him fall from the sheer force. The razor sharp winds were deadly here in the tundra.
William took a deep breath, which turned into ice particles that dispersed into the snowy, white landscape. He found a clear foothold to rest and rubbed his hands together. They were cold. Like everything else here. It was pointless to warm them up. They would get cold again once he started climbing. The only way to find real warmth was to get to the top, and he knew that very well.
“I can’t give up yet; I’m so close to success.” He reminded himself, trying to calm down. “Yes, I need to focus. One misstep can lead to death.”
The young man pulled himself together and left the safe spot, continuing to climb. The two knives in his hands used for climbing were curved. Ordinary knives would easily slip out of the ice, so having them specially made by a blacksmith was vital for successful climbing. But even if you prepare the best you can, accidents are doomed to happen. Some things in life really are inevitable.
"Swoosh!"
Just as William was about to stick one of his knives into the ice and climb further up the wall of ice, a cold gust hit him.
Hard.
The young man held onto the knife with every ounce of strength he possessed. Unfortunately, It wasn’t enough. And as the cold wind passed, so did the knife of his free hand. The blade plunged down into the bottomless pit below Slowly but surely, it disappeared out of view in the darkness, hitting the sides of the crevice as it fell. Dammit! Of all times, why now?! He knew what it meant to lose one of these knives.
And now one of them was gone.
The young man looked up at the mist concealed mountaintop above. Twenty minutes of climbing, at least. Dammit, if only I were more careful, this wouldn’t have happened. Suddenly, to his left side, a light flickered in the darkness. It was a cave. The cave was over a meter away. He'd have to jump if he wanted to get there. A jump in the frozen tundra, that's more than a jump. That's a risk. A risk of death.
Was he willing to take that risk?
Did he have the courage to look death into the eyes?
William never considered himself brave. It’s the exact opposite.There was not a single time he dared to stand up to the bullies of his childhood. He always blamed his lack of strength. But was that really the problem? William dreamt about adventures, exploring the world with friends. Adventurers are heroic individuals who gain the fame of men, and the hearts of women. He yearned to be one such adventurer.
And although the main reason was to discover the world and satisfy his curiosity, a little bit of fame didn’t hurt. Yet, with the innate weakness of being unable to practice the art of the scrolls, that became but a fleeting, distant dream. Years later, as William heard about the Frost Dragon here in the frozen tundra, his feelings were set in motion. The dragon race holds incredible knowledge about cultivation, and might even be able to solve his problems.
So at that moment, in the toughest time of his life, when he saw nothing but darkness, this glimmer of hope brought him hope again.
With almost non-existent hesitation, the young man packed his belongings and began his travels to find the Frost dragon. Now he was here, months later, climbing the thousand meter mountain with only two daggers, one of them being lost.
Should he give up here, making the whole journey in vain?
He shook his head. “No.”
There’s no way I can do that. I haven’t come this whole way just to turn back.I won’t let my dreams be just dreams.
This one time, I won’t surrender to fear.
The young man’s eyes were filled with determination. He smiled and jumped.
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