Chapter 18: Chapter 18 : The Last Winter III
"We've arrived," Daniel glanced ahead of them. They were almost there.
Within a few seconds, the group reached the base of the mountain. Daniel grabbed the wooden stick he had found while exploring the area around the cave. He stood up from the stone, holding it firmly.
The other two exchanged a glance and stood up as well. The fear was still evident in their eyes, but at this point, they had no choice but to follow Daniel if they wanted to survive.
Minutes passed as they walked in silence, an eerie stillness enveloping the space around them. Daniel scanned the surroundings as though searching for something.
The blazing sun was slowly disappearing, and sunset was near.
"What exactly are we doing?" one of them finally broke the silence. Hunger gnawed at him as much as curiosity.
It wasn't just him. The other man was also hungry. They hadn't eaten anything since morning. The terror and stress had numbed their appetites earlier, but now that they were safe, the hunger had returned.
Daniel didn't answer, causing the questioner to feel a bit embarrassed.
"Here," Daniel pointed ahead. It was a frozen lake.
"Here? What do we need here?"
"This will be the monster's grave."
"What?" Both of them stared at Daniel with wide, horrified eyes. They had been on the brink of death because of the monster, and now this lunatic wanted to lure it back here?
Daniel ignored their reactions and adjusted the bandage on his injured hand. He didn't discard the blood-soaked cloth but instead tucked it into his pocket.
"We're all hungry, and from what I've seen, we have a long way to go to escape this mountain. Night is also approaching. At night, this entire mountain becomes the monster's domain. If you don't want to die, we must kill it."
Silence returned. Daniel's words made sense again. Though they didn't want to take such a risk, they had no other choice if they wanted to survive.
Seeing that they seemed to agree, Daniel began explaining his plan. They needed to set a trap to kill the monster.
The two men went to gather the items Daniel instructed, while he went in search of some supplies and food.
It took almost an hour for everyone to regroup by the lake.
"Good, it's time to build the trap." Daniel and the two others worked on the trap, which took another hour to complete.
Afterward, Daniel lit a fire and prepared food for them.
"Ah, come to think of it, I don't think we know each other's names yet. Haha. Anyway, my name is Victor," said Victor, a young man with short brown hair and glasses, as he introduced himself.
"My name is Jamal. Nice to meet both of you," said Jamal as he rotated the mushrooms over the fire.
Then both of them turned to Daniel.
"Zephyr."
"Nice to meet you, Daniel."
"By the way, why were you tied up in front of the cave?" Daniel suddenly asked, catching them off guard.
"Well, I'm from a village near this mountain. In my village, people believe in something called the Mountain God. Every year, they offer someone as a sacrifice to the Mountain God to keep the village safe from calamities," Victor explained as he adjusted his glasses.
"I'm also from a nearby village. My people also believe in the Mountain God and sacrifice someone every year," Jamal added.
"What were your professions?" Daniel glanced at the sky. The time was nearing.
Both of them frowned slightly and exchanged looks.
"Well, I was a hunter. You could say I was somewhat responsible for gathering food for my village," Jamal replied.
"I was a teacher, responsible for educating the children in my village," Victor said.
Before speaking, Daniel popped a mushroom into his mouth. Seeing that their mushrooms and potatoes were thoroughly cooked, Jamal and Victor removed them from the fire and began eating.
"So, your villages sacrifice important and well-regarded individuals? Is there a specific tradition for it?" Daniel asked, picking up a nearby fruit resembling a coconut and drinking its juice.
This fruit wasn't a coconut; it was called Bayanus. Its juice had the property of altering a person's body odor, making it a valuable tool for hunters. However, Jamal seemed unfamiliar with it; otherwise, he would have begged Daniel for some of its juice.
In their current situation, this fruit's juice was like a life-saving elixir.
"Well, haha, yes, that's correct. According to our village's ancient tradition, the sacrifice must be someone cherished by others," Victor quickly answered.
"Why is my head spinning? Huh?" Jamal suddenly frowned, stood up, and began vomiting violently.
Victor, alarmed, rushed to check on him, but then he, too, started coughing up blood.
"What's going on here?" They weren't fools. Their eyes turned to Daniel, who was calmly enjoying his meal with apparent satisfaction.
"Rest in peace, for this will be the last time you can sleep."
"You bastard!" Jamal growled and tried to attack him but collapsed to the ground, coughing blood before losing consciousness.
"How...?" Victor didn't resist. Blood dripped from his mouth as he fell unconscious, fear flickering in his eyes.
"It's time to begin" Daniel muttered as bloodlust gleamed in his eyes.
Between the trial of "Nightmare" and the trial of "Dream," there is one crucial difference.