The Prince of Winter

Stepping beyond the boundary, it felt as if he broke through an invisible wall. The crushing pressure released, and he staggered forwards, gasping as the heaviness lifted, vanishing as if it had never even existed. The air of the plains rushed into his lungs, sharp and crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth and pristine grass. His skin prickled, a lingering ghost of the pressure still clinging to him, but the resistance was gone.

The world on this side of the boundary felt different. The sky overhead remained the same, the three moons casting their silver glow, but the very space around him seemed thicker, deeper, as though he had stepped into a place where reality itself was heavier.

Reaching up, Kaelus swiped at his nose and eyes, wiping the blood from his face. My body has healed… He noticed his internal injuries brought upon by the pressure of the boundary had all healed. I even feel stronger than before. He thought, clenching his fist, feeling the power coursing through his veins.

It was a truly mysterious phenomenon, almost as if the boundary was testing him to see if he was worthy of crossing it, and when he did, it healed his injuries and rewarded him for completing its task.

"Lunafreya, are you okay?" He questioned the owl, noticing she was rather quiet and still. "Alright," she whispered, her tone low, sounding almost afraid. "Careful."

Looking ahead, Kaelus studied the great plains, the vast expanse stretching endlessly before him. The wind rolled across the land in steady waves, bending the grass in rippling currents of white and silver beneath the three moons' glow. Each blade of grass swayed with a quiet swish.

Kaelus inhaled, feeling the weight of the moment settle in his chest. Beyond the plains, the imposing, colossal forest loomed. A cold shiver ran down his spine. He glanced back at the path he had left behind. It looked the same. Empty. Devoid of life. He was tempted to turn back, yet something told him that if he turned back now, he would never return.

No turning back now. Kaelus took a slow step forward, his foot pressing into the brittle grass. The sound it made was unnatural—dry, almost like paper crumbling. The soil beneath felt firm, yet something about it seemed… wrong. As if it wasn't supposed to be walked upon.

Looking down, Kaelus watched on in shock as the grass he stood upon wilted and withered, decomposing before scattering with the wind. What the… He was snapped out of his thoughts when from the blackened soil, white blades of grass extended, slowly weaving their way towards him.

He stumbled back as the pale blades coiled around his exposed feet, slithering like living tendrils. He yanked his foot free, but the moment he stepped back, more blades emerged from the ground as the grass withered.

"Run!" Lunafreya's voice rang sharply in his mind. Not hesitating, he ran forward, barely avoiding the grass blades as they lashed out from wherever he stood. They did not stop. He continued running, leaving a trail of withered footsteps in his place. Forcing his beating heart to calm, he tried to think rationally.

The grass blades come from the earth, and I wasn't attacked when I was still in the remnants of the stone path. By that logic I should be alright if I'm not on the grass. Kaelus scanned his surroundings, searching for any surface that wasn't the white grass.

Swish

Meanwhile, the grass continued its assault; they attacked faster, striking at his legs like vipers. Each step only worsened the storm—wherever he ran, new bladed stalks emerged, hungrier than before. One tendril coiled around his ankle. He twisted, yanking his foot free just before another slashed at his face.

Shit… Kaelus went low, trying to duck below the grass blade but stumbled as numerous tendrils weaved around his legs, causing him to fall to the ground. He tried to free his legs, pulling with all his strength, but more grass kept sprouting from the earth below, wrapping around his torso and arms, locking him to the ground.

"Lunafreya!" He shouted as she moved, slashing with her talons; she tried freeing him from the trap but was struggling as more and more grass emerged. Luckily, it was enough. Tearing his arms free, he reached down and freed his legs and swiftly returned to his feet.

"Fly up high and find somewhere safe!" Heading his command, Lunafreya flew high, leaving Kaelus to fend for himself again. I need to minimise my movements. The more I move, the more white grass spawns. Taking a deep breath, Kaelus focused on his surroundings, watching as the grass emerged from the earth and lunged towards him.

As the first set of white tendrils emerged, time seemed to still, moving in slow motion in his eyes. Without taking a step, he shifted his body slightly, the movement fluid and graceful, allowing the grass to pass effortlessly before him and swiped down with his hand, watching as the cut grass turned to ash.

Swish! Swish!

More came, this time from two directions. Left first, then behind me. His body bent back as he narrowly ducked below the first assault, his arm slashing towards the tendrils. Simultaneously his body twisted left, carried by the momentum of his slashing arm, he managed to avoid most of the grass blades but wasn't left unscathed as cuts appeared on his side.

Doesn't hurt that bad, but the blood loss will build up if I'm not more careful. Assessing his surroundings, Kaelus noticed he was surrounded, a storm of white coming at him from all directions. Shit, Lunafreya! He called in his kind, the reality that he had no way to survive this onslaught for much longer.

Screech

Hearing the deafening screech from his right, Kaelus looked up. Just above the storm of white, he could see Lunafreya. "Here!" He pushed off the ground, running as fast as he could towards the wall of grass, and raised his hands. He slashed out, cutting at the storm of white, whilst receiving the attacks head-on; it seemed endless as he cut and slashed at every tendril in sight.

The attack continued to pile up as cuts began to appear all over his body, blood dripping to the ground, dyeing the white grass and blackened soil a deep, crimson shade. Fuck! How is there so much grass! After surviving for what felt like an eternity, he finally broke through the storm and continued running without turning back.

Lunafreya wasn't far, just a hundred metres away, her golden eyes locked onto his own, shining like the sun and guiding him to the safe point. Barely visible in the moonlight, a jagged piece of stone jutted from the ground. Please be right. If his theory was right, the grass only attacked when he stepped on it, and he was really hoping that his theory was correct.

As he neared the rock, from the ground beneath his feet, countless blades erupted from the soil, so many he couldn't even begin to count them all. They attempted to cool around his legs and trap him in place, but he was moving just fast enough to miss them with each step. Finally reaching the stone, with one last desperate leap, hurled his body into the higher ground, rolling to safety.

Silence.

The moment his feet left the withering grass behind, the ground trembled, and white tendrils shot up where he had just been. Panting, Kaelus scrambled to his feet. Behind him the field of living grass shuddered, the blades of grass twisting before slowly sinking back into the earth.

I was right. He thought, happy that his theory was right and relieved that he was safe for now.

He turned his gaze towards the forest beyond the plains to the towering trees that stood like an unbroken wall. As he got closer, the sheer size of the trees truly became apparent. Before their hulking forms, he was nothing but an ant.

Kaelus exhaled slowly, the plains were dangerous, but it was survivable. If he just ran in a straight line, the grass wouldn't be able to catch him. But that was not viable as he couldn't just run forever, and since they seemed to multiply the more grass he stood on, they might become so numerous that he would eventually be caught.

However, if the grass still attacked him even when leaving the plains and entering the forest, he would be in serious danger. Navigating the dark forest floor where the moonlight barely peered through the dense canopy whilst being chased by the white grass and avoiding the unknown dangers that lurked within, it was almost guaranteed he wouldn't survive.

Maybe if I climb the trees and navigate the forest through the branches, but getting that high up won't be easy… well, I still have quite a long distance clear before I get to the forest anyway, I'll think about it more as I go. For now I really need some food and some rest.

After all that running and the loss of blood from the continuous assault from the blades of grass, he was tired. Finding a flatter spot on the rock, he lay down and spoke to the owl.

"Lunafreya, I'm going to rest for a bit. Are you tired?"

"No."

"Okay, wake me up if anything happens."

"Yes. Goodnight."

He barely registered her voice in his mind as he began to wander into the realm of dreams, vision darkening, he whispered back to her.

"Goodnight…"