Under the setting sun, on top of a towering ice mound, a man dragged a long shadow behind him. Holding a telescope in his hand, he gazed into the distance. Motionless, he seemed to blend with the ice and snow.
After a while, he suddenly came to life, twisted his neck, shook off the snow, and put down the telescope, descending from the ice mound. The sun quickly dropped below the horizon, turning the warm yellow ice field into icy blue. The chill crept into his bones from all directions, like ghosts.
The man began to dig a snow cave, a good camping spot close to the ice clusters. After busy work, he entered the snow cave with the backpack from the sled. He ignited the camping stove and, when the temperature was right, removed his cold mask, revealing a somewhat intimidating face at first glance.
There was a faintly visible scar on his face, mostly hidden in the thick sideburns, but it extended to his eye corner, resembling a snake about to strike. Fortunately, he had a gentle and naturally smiling expression. His nose was straight, his jaw strong. All in all, he could be considered a handsome young man.
His name was Reno.
Reno cooked a pot of canned meat with hollow noodles. He ate it heartily, warming up his body. After getting dressed, he emerged from the snow shelter.
A crescent moon floated on the horizon, resembling a boat in a fairyland.
The blue-black sky was spanned by the Milky Way, with stars sparkling from north to south.
Whenever he saw such a starry sky, he would gaze at it for a long time. It would evoke boundless reveries and complex emotions in him-feelings of insignificance, magnificence, infinity, life, and death.
But not tonight.
He took out his instruments, located the North Star, measured the data, and returned to the snow shelter. He pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket with great care. His gaze was fixed on the line written on it: "Brother, it's crucial. Please try again for me."
Why did his sister now only speak in fragments?
But soon, his attention shifted to the symbols, letters, and figures behind the writing. They had appeared on the back of his sister's letters first, probably something she learned at the theology school. He found it interesting and absentmindedly drew a few strokes alongside his response. Unexpectedly, his sister quickly wrote back, asking how he knew the answers to the puzzles.
Reno said, "Isn't it obvious?"
Under his sister's persistent questioning, Reno still couldn't come up with a proper explanation. So, his sister had no choice but to send him more puzzles to solve.
At first, they were simple, and he immediately had the answers. But they became increasingly difficult as time went on.
Fortunately, he found a pattern and could solve them, albeit taking some time.
Recently, his sister sent him another puzzle, but it was odd, seemingly without a definite answer.
Yet his sister asked for his help once again. Reno felt gratified that his sister still relied on him. But he also felt a bit melancholic-his sister seemed to care more about the puzzles now.
In his eyes, however, the puzzles were stories.
For example, this one was a story of a knight rescuing a princess.
A giant dragon had captured the princess in an ice castle. Various ice crevices and cliffs were scattered around the castle, forming a treacherous maze. And time was running out. How could the princess be saved?
It didn't seem difficult, but he couldn't find the way into the castle.
Did I overlook something?
Reno searched again and again, until his eyelids grew heavy. Before closing his eyes, he reminded himself to just squint a bit and not fall asleep. His sister was still waiting for the answers.
In a daze, he transformed into the knight from the puzzle.
Wearing silver armor, he rode a tall white horse.
The castle stood before him, and the beautiful princess stood by the window, while the dragon roared above, and the timer ticked.
But he still couldn't find the way. Everywhere he turned, there were towering ice crevices, clusters of ice, forming a perilous and immense maze.
He got trapped and couldn't see the overall picture, blocked by one ice wall after another. He failed time and time again, but hope always ignited within him. Yet he would end up in a dead end.
Gradually, a sense of frustration coiled around him like growing vines, entangling him bit by bit.
What should I do? Why is the heavens so cruel to me?
He grew more and more agitated, wanting to shout, to curse, but that damn road still didn't appear.
Fuck it, I'm done.
He threw the long sword in his hand toward the castle as if discarding all the worldly restraints and troubles.
But as soonas he let go, regret washed over him.
What will happen to the princess if I give up?
He reached out his hand, wanting to retrieve the sword, but could only stare, helplessly. A sudden wave of melancholy surged within him, as if he had lost something incredibly precious.
The sword spun in the air like a boomerang, suddenly bursting into a dazzling red light, transforming into a massive fireball that crashed down at the castle gate.
Ah! Reno woke up in a startle.
He quickly got up and extinguished the burning paper near the campfire.
The paper was already half burned, leaving behind a curved black scorch mark.
Suddenly, a lightning bolt flashed through Reno's mind. Could it be like this?
ČTEŠ
Crossing Souls
Fantasy"Crossed Souls" is a gripping post-apocalyptic novel that tells the story of two contrasting characters, the treasure hunter Reno and the princess Selena, and how their paths intersect in the pursuit of their respective goals, leading them to a forg...
