Warmth was something Riley needed desperately. The cold had seeped deep into his bones, and the fact that he was still soaked made everything worse. He didn't even know how long he'd been lying there. Snow surrounded him on all sides, though strangely, the small area where he stood was clear, as if something had swept the snow away.
He glanced around, trying to orient himself. He stood at the edge of a cliff that overlooked a vast mountain range. Below, clouds blanketed the valleys, obscuring everything beneath them. Maybe something to check out in the morning, Riley thought.
Behind him rose a cliff face that climbed even higher into the sky. At its base, on the same ledge Riley now occupied, was a narrow crack in the rock wall, a tunnel leading deep into the mountainside.
The voice in his ear crackled to life. "If I were you, I'd try figuring out where we are. Maybe the clouds will part soon. Might give us a better view."
Riley rolled his eyes, shuffling forward through the ankle-deep snow, arms wrapped tightly around himself. "I'm too cold to care," he muttered.
The cold made everything harder—especially walking. The crack in the cliff was only twenty meters away, but it felt like a marathon. As he drew closer, he saw it was barely tall enough for him to duck through, narrow, but not impassable.
"Hey, kid, stop ignoring me. We really should figure out where we are, shouldn't we?"
Riley didn't respond. He wasn't being rude; he was just laser-focused on one thing: warmth.
"Fine then," the voice said, sounding mildly offended.
Riley hunched to avoid hitting his head and shuffled into the opening. The passage wasn't too tight and gradually widened as he moved forward, though the incline forced him uphill. Each step wore on his body. His muscles burned with exertion, but he knew if he stopped now, he might not have the strength to get moving again.
The slope steepened as he climbed, and though the cold still clung to him, the movement brought a faint warmth—a thin layer of heat that dulled the edge of the chill, if only slightly.
Eventually, the path began to level out, and with it, a soft blue glow appeared ahead, gentle and unearthly. It pulsed in the distance like a beckoning star. Whether he was hallucinating or not, he did not care. The sight stirred something in him. His pace quickened, despite the ache in his limbs and the heaviness in his chest.
The closer he got, the less the cold seemed to bite.
Finally, after what felt like an hour of slow ascent, the tunnel opened up, and Riley stepped into a vast, circular cavern nearly a hundred meters wide. The perimeter was dotted with low shrubs, clusters of small trees, and tangled bushes, all clinging to patches of earth along the rocky walls. A serene lake stretched across the centre, perfectly still, its surface like black glass under moonlight.
A small island blanketed in snow sat in the middle of the lake. Above it, a gap in the cavern ceiling let moonlight pour through, silver and steady, casting the whole scene in an eerie, breathtaking calm.
It truly was breathtaking, but Riley barely noticed.
He went straight for a clear patch of ground, shrugged off his soaked jacket, and was surprised to find his backpack still on him.
"Oh man, this is awesome," he mumbled, opening it up like it was a treasure chest.
Inside: five cans of beans, a bag of rice, chocolate bars, a knife, a sleeping bag, a small tent, and a lighter tucked into a side pocket.
He immediately began gathering twigs and dry leaves. Within minutes, he had a small fire going. He stripped off his wet clothes and laid them out to dry, then crawled into his sleeping bag with a chocolate bar in hand. As warmth spread through his body, a shiver overtook him—not from the cold, but from relief.
His earpiece buzzed.
"Goodnight, you lucky guy," the voice whispered.
Riley awoke to sunlight streaming through the crack in the cavern ceiling. He climbed out of his sleeping bag and checked his clothes—still a bit damp, but wearable. Naked and alone, he shrugged. Who cares?
The fire had gone out during the night, but his supplies had held up. After dressing and packing up his sleeping bag, he gave the cave another proper look.
The sight stunned him. The snow on the island had melted in the sunlight, revealing a single, flickering white flame.
What is that?
"That, my friend, is a will-o'-the-wisp. A very rare one, at that," the voice chimed in.
Riley flinched. "Oh shoot! You! Why are you talking to me?"
A pause. "Can't really say. Maybe I'm here to help you out of your pickle?"
He stared at the flame. "And what pickle would that be?"
"One where you don't know where you are—and I do."
Riley frowned. "How do you even know where I am? My phone's dead."
"Exactly. And yet we're still talking. While you wear those earbuds, we can share senses. I can see and hear what you do. No smell or taste though."
"So you saw me naked, then?"
"Closed my eyes for that part. Promise. Now, about that wisp—don't go near it."
Riley glanced toward the flickering flame. "What is it exactly?"
"Cunning. Mischievous. They lead you to things. Sometimes they lead things to you. Whether for your benefit or theirs is up to the wisp. And the white ones? Much rarer. Much riskier."
The flame pulsed, beautiful and inviting.
"So what makes it rare?"
A burst of static preceded the answer. "...Great misfortune. They guide travellers or fishermen, sometimes entire expeditions. But the scale of what they bring—fortune or ruin—is immense. That one might be the only white wisp we ever see. Let's hope so."
Riley hesitated. "Alright, I'll avoid it."
The earbud crackled. "I'll have to leave for now. Keep one earbud in. I'll always be available if you need to talk."
"What should I call you?"
The voice then replied, "You can call me Proxy. It was a pleasure meeting you, Riley."
The line then went silent.
How does he know my name? Riley thought.
He made another fire, warmed a can of beans, and cracked it open with a rock. "Should've brought something tastier," he muttered, eating with a stick.
After breakfast, Riley slung on his backpack and began exploring the cavern for another exit. The way he came in had been long and cold, and he wasn't eager to retrace his steps back to a cliff.
As he walked along the lake's edge, he kept glancing at the white flame. He wasn't going to approach it. But he couldn't deny it had his attention.
Eventually, he spotted a hidden path tucked into the rock wall. It was nearly invisible unless viewed from the right angle.
He climbed the narrow trail without hesitation as it curved along the cavern's edge. A breeze brushed against his neck as he neared the top.
Then, around the final bend, the world opened up before him.