“Hah… hah…”

The sound of snow crushing under her feet was almost inaudible compared to the fervent wind whistling past her ears. Her breath was hot and blew back against her skin, appearing as an icy mist that converged past. Just then, Madeline sneezed, her head recoiling back slightly as she let out an exhausted groan. Even with all the stuff she put on, it was still pretty cold. Nothing less to be expected of Celeste Mountain.

Her legs quaked slightly with each step trudging through snow. She was tired. After everything that happened in this weird mountain, a clone of herself coming out of the mirror, Mr. Oshiro, that temple—she felt like she deserved a break. Already, she could feel those intrusive thoughts come up again. Those thoughts that she didn’t have control over, telling her to turn back and give up. But no, she couldn’t. That’s why she was here, to have control over her life and to challenge herself. Turning back now would certainly defeat the purpose of it. She sniffled, and nonetheless, she continued up the snowy mountain, her breath shaky with each step.

After a few more minutes, her legs ached too much to ignore, a mix of chilling and throbbing pain. She groaned.

“Ugh….”

A quick break wouldn’t hurt. She was determined, but not an idiot. She’d take a break, lest she collapsed.

“Hm?”

Just then, she perked up as she noticed a faint orange hue in the distance, which wavered uncertainly. Walking towards it, she spotted what appeared to be… a campfire? Looking closer, she could see someone—you, sitting next to it. What good timing.