Ak walked alone through the endless white wilderness, his boots sinking deep into the snow with every slow step forward. The freezing wind howled through the mountains like the cry of some ancient creature, striking against his face and making it difficult even to breathe properly. The world around him felt completely empty, covered in endless sheets of white snow beneath a dark grey sky. Yet despite the dangerous weather and the uncertainty ahead, Ak continued walking toward the massive mountain standing far in the distance. Deep inside his heart, something kept pulling him toward that place. The mysterious red gem, the wandering trader's words, the strange diary, and his desire to grow stronger had all merged together into one unshakable determination.
As he continued through the snowy path, he suddenly heard someone shouting his name from behind. The voice echoed faintly through the cold wind. Ak immediately stopped and turned around cautiously. To his surprise, he saw Mike running toward him through the thick snow, struggling to catch up. Snow scattered beneath Mike's feet as he moved desperately across the icy ground. By the time he finally reached Ak, he was breathing heavily and trying to recover his breath.
Ak looked at him with clear surprise and immediately asked why he had come there. Mike straightened himself slowly before replying in a serious tone that he could not leave someone close to him alone, especially when the road ahead was obviously dangerous. He admitted honestly that he might not be very useful and could even become a burden at times, but he still wanted to come. Mike promised that if Ak ever needed help, he would stand beside him no matter what happened. Hearing those words, Ak remained silent for several moments. In truth, part of him wanted to refuse because he feared losing another person the same way he had lost Max. However, another part of him felt comforted knowing someone still cared enough to follow him into danger. Eventually, Ak gave a small nod and allowed Mike to continue alongside him.
Together, the two continued their journey toward the giant mountain that towered over the land like an ancient sleeping god. Far away from them, inside Mike's kingdom, May remained deeply confused by the strange events that had unfolded earlier. Ever since Ak had disappeared, an uneasy feeling had remained in her heart. She felt strangely certain that she had seen someone named Ak before long ago, but the memory itself remained blurry and distant, like fragments of a forgotten dream. The more she tried to remember, the more unsettled she became. Hoping to clear her thoughts, she decided to visit a friend's house and distract herself from the strange emotions haunting her mind.
Meanwhile, Ak and Mike finally reached the foot of the enormous mountain. Both of them stopped silently while staring upward at the gigantic snow-covered peak that disappeared into the clouds far above. The mountain looked less like part of the natural world and more like a forbidden place untouched by humanity. Freezing winds crashed against them violently, making their clothes and hair whip through the air. Ak looked toward Mike and warned him that there was still time to turn back if he wanted. The path ahead was clearly dangerous, and Ak did not want Mike risking his life unnecessarily. However, Mike shook his head firmly and declared that he would climb alongside him no matter what happened.
As they began ascending the mountain, the environment quickly became far harsher than expected. The snow deepened, the winds became violent, and the temperature dropped so low that even breathing felt painful. Their bodies slowly began freezing despite their efforts to continue moving. Eventually, the harsh cold became almost unbearable. At that moment, Mike suddenly raised his hand and cast a strange magical spell. A glowing light surrounded both of them, and within seconds, space itself seemed to twist around their bodies. Instantly, they were transported much farther up the mountain.
Ak stared at Mike in complete shock. He had never expected Mike to possess such advanced magical abilities, especially at only eighteen years old. Mike awkwardly avoided eye contact and explained that knights within certain kingdoms were trained in basic magic alongside combat techniques. Although he rarely used those abilities openly, he had still learned them during his training years. Ak remained amazed but decided not to question him further as they carefully continued climbing through the icy terrain.
Soon, however, a thick unnatural fog suddenly spread across the mountain. Within moments, visibility completely disappeared. Ak could barely even see his own hands in front of him. He called out Mike's name several times, but the fog swallowed his voice entirely. Then suddenly, Ak lost his footing on the icy slope beneath him. His body slipped violently downward through the snow-covered mountain. He tried grabbing onto something to stop himself, but the ground beneath him collapsed completely. After tumbling uncontrollably for several seconds, Ak crashed into a deep snowdrift below.
Dazed and covered in snow, Ak slowly pushed himself upward. Surprisingly, he seemed mostly unharmed. As he looked around carefully, confusion spread across his face. Somehow, he had fallen into a hidden abandoned village buried deep inside the mountain itself. The place looked ancient and forgotten by time. Broken houses stood half-buried beneath layers of snow while silence covered the entire area. Yet strangely, despite being surrounded by snow and ice, the temperature there felt much warmer than outside. The warmth itself felt unnatural, almost unsettling.
Cautiously, Ak began walking through the abandoned village. Every step echoed softly across the empty surroundings. The ruined houses looked lifeless, their windows shattered and doors hanging loose from old hinges. Eventually, Ak noticed a gigantic ancient tree standing at the very center of the village. Its enormous branches stretched across the hollow space like the arms of some ancient guardian. Near the tree stood a large damaged house in terrible condition. Its entrance was locked tightly, but after forcing the weakened door open, Ak carefully entered the dark interior.
Dust filled the air inside the house. The wooden floor creaked beneath his footsteps as he searched through the abandoned rooms. Then suddenly, he froze. Sitting against the wall in one corner of the house was a skeletal body. Its empty eye sockets stared lifelessly toward the ground while its bony fingers tightly clutched an old handwritten diary. The sight immediately filled the room with an eerie atmosphere.
Ak carefully approached the skeleton and slowly took the diary from its hands. The pages were yellowed with age, stained with dirt, and marked with dried blood. Outside, the sound of the wind moving through the forest mixed with the distant flow of a river nearby. Swallowing his unease, Ak opened the diary and began reading the faded words written inside.
The message explained that the writer did not know who would eventually read those words, but believed he had little life left. He begged whoever found the diary to help stop a disaster. According to the message, something called the Doom Gate had opened, releasing entities capable of destroying everything. The writer pleaded for someone to help a great mage named Magi and someone called Marg before the world itself fell into ruin. The final lines instructed the reader to follow the river before the message ended abruptly, as if the writer had been interrupted before finishing.
Ak slowly lowered the diary, deeply disturbed by what he had just read. He looked toward the skeletal remains once more and wondered how much fear and pain that person must have suffered before dying completely alone in such an isolated place. The shaky handwriting and bloodstains near the final lines made the warning feel horrifyingly real. Suddenly, the once peaceful silence around the village no longer felt calm. Instead, the entire place now seemed dark, cursed, and threatening.
As Ak prepared to leave the house, he noticed a river flowing through the hollow area deeper within the mountain. Near the riverbank rested a small wooden boat, old but still usable. Tightening his grip on the diary, Ak realized that whatever had been unleashed through the Doom Gate might already be spreading across the world. A strange sense of responsibility slowly formed inside him. Even if he did not fully understand everything yet, he could not simply ignore the warning left behind.
At that moment, Ak suddenly sensed faint magical energy flowing through the abandoned village. The feeling was weak but unmistakable, almost as if something hidden within the mountain was still alive. Curious and cautious, Ak carefully entered the small boat and allowed the river's current to carry him deeper into the mountain valley.
Tall cliffs surrounded him on both sides while thick mist drifted across the dark water. The atmosphere felt unnaturally quiet, broken only by the sound of the river flowing beneath the boat. Time seemed frozen inside the valley. After traveling for a long while, Ak suddenly noticed movement ahead along the riverbank. To his surprise, he saw Mike running desperately through the snow while several wolves chased closely behind him.
Ak immediately stood up inside the boat and waved toward Mike while steering the boat closer to shore. The moment the boat reached the riverbank, Mike jumped aboard in panic while struggling to catch his breath. Ak looked at his exhausted condition before asking what he had been doing all night. Mike glanced nervously back toward the mountain and admitted that he had spent the entire time running from wild animals. However, he also confessed something strange. Throughout the night, he constantly felt as though someone—or something—had been following him through the mountain fog.
Ak tried calming him down by suggesting that fear and exhaustion were probably affecting his imagination. Mike nodded slowly, though uncertainty still remained visible on his face. After calming down slightly, Mike asked Ak what had happened after they became separated.
Ak then explained everything in detail: the hidden village inside the mountain, the unnatural warmth, the skeletal body, the mysterious diary, the mention of the Doom Gate, and the magical energy surrounding the area. Mike listened carefully without interrupting. When Ak finally finished speaking, both of them stared silently toward the flowing river ahead. After several moments of silence, Mike quietly spoke.
"If the diary mentioned the river," he said seriously, "then that means we need to follow it now."
And as the small boat continued drifting deeper into the unknown darkness hidden within the mountain, neither of them realized that their journey was slowly leading them toward something far greater and far more terrifying than they could possibly imagine.