The wind howled through the frozen cliffs like the mournful wails of the dead, wrapping around Manav and Priya as they pressed forward. Their breath came in ragged gasps, their aged bodies barely able to endure the torment of the mountain's brutal ascent. The snow beneath their feet crunched ominously, each step feeling like a defiance against nature itself.
They had no time to rest.
A deep, guttural growl rumbled behind them, cutting through the blizzard. Priya stopped dead in her tracks, her fingers tightening around the crude dagger she had fashioned from a shattered icicle. Manav's hands, though frail and shaking from the cold, curled into fists.
The beast had returned.
It was larger than before. Its mangled body, still scarred from Manav's previous assault, was now surrounded by others—its kin. Their glowing yellow eyes pierced through the storm, their massive bodies hidden beneath the cloak of falling snow. There were at least ten of them, their grotesque forms shifting in the shadows.
Manav's mind raced. They were too old. Too weak. Fighting even one of these creatures had nearly cost them their lives. Now, facing an entire army?
"We run," he rasped, barely able to hear his own voice over the wind.
Priya hesitated for only a moment before nodding. They turned and bolted, their aching limbs protesting with every step. The creatures roared in unison, a monstrous chorus that sent tremors through the ice.
The chase was on.
Snow whipped at their faces as they sprinted forward, their feet barely finding purchase on the treacherous ground. Behind them, the sound of claws tearing through ice and flesh echoed through the storm. The beasts were closing in.
Up ahead, the path split. To the left, a narrow ridge barely wide enough for a person to pass. To the right, a steep incline of jagged rocks and ice. Both were deadly.
"No choice!" Priya gasped, taking the ridge. Manav followed, forcing his shaking legs to move faster.
The first of the creatures lunged, its massive form crashing down just inches behind them. The impact sent shockwaves through the ice, shaking the ridge violently. Priya stumbled, her frail body swaying dangerously over the edge.
Manav reached out, grabbing her wrist just in time.
"Move!" he shouted, pulling her forward as another beast attempted to swipe at them. Its claws raked against the stone, sending shards flying in all directions.
Then, as if the mountain itself was answering their desperation, the ground beneath the creatures cracked. The ridge trembled. Before the beasts could react, the ice collapsed beneath them, swallowing half of the monstrous army into the abyss below.
Silence.
The few remaining creatures snarled but hesitated.
Manav and Priya didn't.
They sprinted forward until they reached a massive stone archway buried in the snow. The howling storm seemed to quiet as they stepped beneath its shelter, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, they stopped running.
Then, they saw it.
The carvings.
Etched deep into the frozen walls, ancient symbols spiraled across the stone, forming haunting figures of twisted beings. Some were kneeling, their faces contorted in agony. Others had no faces at all.
And beneath them, a single line of text, written in an unfamiliar but eerily comprehensible script:
**"The price of eternity is the death of the soul."**
Priya traced the words with trembling fingers.
"What… what does this mean?" she whispered.
Manav's gaze darkened. He exhaled slowly, his breath turning to mist.
"It means," he muttered, "that we're already too far in to turn back."
And behind them, in the storm, the beasts were still watching.