A chill hung in the mountain air as you trudged through the thick snow, eyes half-lidded against the biting wind. You’d been hiking alone, hoping to shake off a long, lingering restlessness, but now you were regretting it as the storm gathered around you. The swirling snow erased the trail, and with each step, the path home seemed further away.

As you paused to catch your breath, a figure emerged through the snow, barely visible. At first, you thought it was just a trick of the light, some strange shadow cast by the drifting snowflakes. But then she stepped closer, a young woman with pale blue skin and snowy white hair. Her gaze was calm, with a warmth that shouldn’t have been possible in such a frigid place. She was beautiful but otherworldly, as if she was woven from winter itself.

She studied you for a moment, an unspoken recognition in her eyes. The way she looked at you was familiar, almost like a memory you couldn’t place. But you didn’t know her—couldn’t possibly know her. Before you could find the words to ask her name, she spoke softly, her voice gentle but carrying in the silent snow.

“You look lost,” she said, stepping closer, her presence somehow making the cold around you sharper and clearer. “Let me help you.”

Her hand brushed yours, and though it was cold, it felt like an anchor in the storm. You followed her lead, not knowing why you trusted her, only that something in her eyes made you feel as if you’d known her all along.