“Some shadows you carry with you—others, you leave behind. But in the cold, they all look the same.”
The spectral wolf led them through the narrow, winding passage, its ethereal form barely visible in the dim light. The snow beneath Aria’s boots crunched with every step, the sound eerily muffled by the thick silence of the hidden path. Each breath she took formed a cloud that lingered in the freezing air, vanishing almost as quickly as it appeared.
Mario walked beside her, his expression tense as he scanned their surroundings. The passage was lined with frost-covered rocks, twisted into unnatural shapes by centuries of wind and snow. The air itself seemed to grow colder the deeper they ventured, and Aria shivered, pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders.
“It’s too quiet,” Mario murmured, glancing at the spectral wolf as it padded ahead. “I don’t like it.”
Aria nodded, her fingers brushing against the compass tucked safely in her pocket. The warmth it had once emitted was gone, replaced by a faint, unsteady glow that barely cut through the darkness. “Keep your guard up,” she replied. “I have a feeling we’re not alone out here.”
As they walked, the shadows began to shift, twisting into strange, flickering shapes that danced across the snow-covered ground. Aria blinked, trying to clear her vision, but the shapes only grew more distinct—phantoms moving at the edge of her sight, slipping between the trees and rocks like memories given form.
She stumbled, her breath catching as a figure materialized in the snow before her. It was a man, his face lined with age, his eyes sharp and familiar. Her heart twisted painfully in her chest.
“Dad?” Aria whispered, her voice cracking. The vision of her father looked at her with a piercing gaze, his expression hard and unreadable. He stood with his arms crossed, the way he used to when she’d done something wrong as a child. But there was no warmth in his eyes—only disappointment, deep and unyielding.
“You left everything behind, Aria,” the vision said, his voice low and cold. “You abandoned your dreams. You abandoned your family. And for what? A fool’s errand?”
Aria’s throat tightened, the words cutting deeper than any blade. “No... I didn’t...” she stammered, taking a step back. “I’m trying to find my way. I’m trying to make things right.”
But the vision only shook his head, his face contorted with disapproval. “You’ve always been too reckless, too stubborn to know when to let go.” He took a step closer, his presence looming over her like a storm. “You’ll never be enough, Aria. Not for me, not for yourself.”
Aria’s chest tightened, her breath coming in short, panicked bursts. She felt the cold seep into her bones, and for a moment, she believed him—believed that every step she’d taken was leading her further away from the person she was supposed to be.
Mario’s hand reached out, steadying her before she could collapse under the weight of the vision. He looked around, his own eyes haunted by something she couldn’t see. “You’re seeing it too, aren’t you?” he asked, his voice strained. “The ghosts in the snow?”
Aria nodded, her throat tight with emotion. “I saw my father,” she admitted, her voice barely a whisper. “He... he told me I’d never be good enough. That I’d never live up to his expectations.”
Mario’s jaw clenched, and he looked away, his face shadowed by the flickering light. “I saw my brother,” he said finally, his voice thick with old pain. “He said I was wasting my life, chasing dreams that would never come true. That I’d always be the one who failed.”
They walked in silence for a few moments, the visions swirling around them like snowflakes caught in a gust of wind. Aria could see the pain in Mario’s eyes, the same pain that clawed at her heart. It made her feel small, fragile, as though the weight of the past was something she could never truly escape.
But as they walked, the shadows began to soften, losing their sharp edges. The spectral wolf paused, turning its head back toward them as if to remind them that they were not alone. Its gaze was unreadable, but there was a strange, ancient wisdom in its eyes, as though it understood the burdens they carried.
Aria glanced at Mario, taking a shaky breath. “You know, when we were kids, I always thought you were fearless,” she said softly, her voice breaking through the darkness. “You had all these big dreams, and you never let anything stop you. I envied that.”
Mario let out a dry, humorless laugh, though there was a hint of warmth in it. “Fearless? Me? If only you knew how scared I was, Aria. I never thought I was good enough, not really. I just kept going because I didn’t know how to stop.”
Aria met his gaze, seeing the vulnerability in his eyes, and for the first time in a long while, she felt a flicker of the bond they had shared when they were younger. “We’ve both changed, haven’t we?” she murmured. “But I think... maybe that’s okay. Maybe we’re stronger than we were before.”
Mario’s expression softened, and he nodded slowly. “You’re stronger than you know, Aria. You’ve always been. Don’t let those shadows tell you otherwise.”
Aria swallowed hard, feeling the tightness in her chest begin to ease. “Thanks, Mario,” she whispered, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “I guess we both needed that.”
The spectral wolf watched them in silence, and as the snow continued to fall, the visions around them began to fade, their edges blurring like mist. The air grew warmer, the weight of the shadows lifting as if their quiet conversation had somehow dispelled the worst of the storm’s magic. But just as hope began to bloom in Aria’s chest, the ground beneath their feet trembled, a deep rumble vibrating through the rocks. She froze, her eyes widening as she heard the sound—the ominous rumble of something massive shifting in the distance.
“Did you hear that?” Mario asked, his voice tight with alarm.
Aria nodded, gripping the compass tightly. Its glow had returned, pulsing with a frantic urgency, as if it was trying to warn them. “An avalanche,” she realized, her heart leaping into her throat. “The magic... it’s destabilizing the mountain.”
The spectral wolf let out a low growl, its eyes narrowing as it turned toward the path ahead. Aria could see the urgency in its movements, a silent command that they had to move.
“Come on, we have to get out of here!” Aria shouted, grabbing Mario’s arm as they sprinted forward, their boots crunching through the snow. The rumbling grew louder, drowning out the sound of their footsteps, and Aria’s breath came in ragged gasps as they pushed through the darkness.
Just as they neared the end of the hidden passage, the spectral wolf vanished into the shadows, leaving them with one last, lingering glance. Aria and Mario skidded to a halt at the exit, their lungs burning from the cold air, as they looked back to see the snow shifting and sliding down the mountain, a white wall of destruction barreling toward them.
“We’re not going to make it!” Mario shouted, his voice barely audible over the roar of the avalanche.
Aria’s mind raced, the compass’s light blurring in her vision. “We have to try!” she yelled back, reaching for his hand. “Run, Mario—run!”