Morning rose over a village numbed by cold and unease. The disappearance of Old Gribou''s goat was on everyone''s lips, yet the elders continued to downplay the incident.


    A makeshift gathering had formed in the central square, where the villagers huddled together, wrapped in thick woolen coats. The air was heavy with silent tension, and every face betrayed a certain uneasiness.


    Yahiko and Mata, standing slightly apart, observed the discussion as it took a predictable turn.


    — "It''s probably a mountain eagle," an old man declared confidently. "This time of year, they come down from the cliffs in search of food. With the cold, hunting becomes harder for them, so they get bolder."


    — "An eagle?" a middle-aged woman retorted, arms crossed. "An eagle that takes a fully grown goat without leaving a single trace? Without making a sound?"


    The gathering fell silent for a moment.


    A man in his thirties furrowed his brows.


    — "An eagle couldn''t lift a goat that size."


    Another silence followed. A few uneasy glances were exchanged within the crowd.


    A hesitant young man spoke up.


    — "Maybe we should keep watch tonight…"


    An old man raised an amused eyebrow.


    — "Keep watch for what? A ghost bird?"


    The young man tensed under the gazes fixed on him. He opened his mouth, then hesitated and said nothing.


    — "What they''re saying… it''s not entirely stupid," a woman murmured under her breath.


    — "You''re not starting with that nonsense too, are you?" an elder grumbled, cutting the conversation short.


    Silence fell once more. The younger villagers lowered their eyes, and the cold air felt even heavier.


    — "But we told you last night!" Mata suddenly exclaimed, his jaw clenched. "It wasn''t an eagle or a wolf. It was… something else."


    His voice was tense, almost accusatory.


    But once again, the elders sighed, visibly exasperated.


    — "Still going on about that?" one of them grumbled, shaking his head.


    — "This isn''t nonsense!" Mata snapped. "What exactly are you waiting for? Another disappearance? For it to start attacking people before you take action?"


    The old man shrugged.— "Well, that''s nature. Beasts hunt. It''s not the first time an animal has disappeared."


    Mata felt his blood boil. He took a step forward, fists clenched, muscles tensed as if he was about to grab the old man by the collar.— "Cut the crap! You''re turning a blind eye, and you know it!" he spat.


    A chilling silence fell over the gathering. The elders stared at him, surprised by his outburst.


    One of the oldest among them, visibly annoyed, stomped his foot in the snow.— "Oh, enough of this! Go back to playing the little warrior with your wooden sword instead of wasting our time with your tales of invisible monsters!"


    Mata opened his mouth, ready to lash out—


    But a hand clamped down on his shoulder.


    A firm, unyielding grip.


    Mata immediately sensed the strength contained in that grasp. If his body hadn''t been so sturdy, Yahiko could have crushed his shoulder with the pressure alone. It was a silent warning.


    He turned his head toward his friend and was struck by the intensity of his gaze. There was no hesitation. Just a cold, controlled anger—one that burned just as fiercely as his own.


    Yahiko didn''t need to say anything for Mata to understand.


    — "Let it go," he murmured, his tone calm but cutting. "Follow me."


    Mata hesitated for a moment, still seething, but in the end, he nodded.


    Behind them, the elder who had mocked them smirked.— "That''s right, boy. Listen to your friend and stay out of things you don''t understand."


    Yahiko stopped dead in his tracks.


    Slowly, he turned toward the old man and locked eyes with him.


    The elder''s confidence vanished in an instant. His smirk faltered. He swallowed hard under the weight of Yahiko''s stare.


    No one spoke.


    Then, without a word, Yahiko turned on his heel and walked away, Mata following close behind.


    A few minutes later, they walked in silence through the snow-covered village, moving away from the group. The only sounds accompanying them were the muffled crunch of their footsteps and their breath in the frigid air.


    They walked around a house used as a storage shed, keeping out of sight. Mata, still fuming, turned to Yahiko.


    — "Why did you want us to leave?! Those old fools are dragging everyone into denial!"


    — "Because they won''t listen to us," Yahiko replied, his gaze unwavering.


    Mata crossed his arms, still frustrated.


    — "So what do we do, then? Just wait for something bad to happen?"


    — "No."


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Yahiko motioned toward the entrance of the storage shed with his chin.


    — "Grab two curved tridents and two hand shovels. We''ll need them to clear the snow and haul the ice block back."


    Mata nodded, but Yahiko quickly added in a lower voice:


    — "Take a sword, too. And keep it hidden until we''re out of the village."


    Mata turned to him abruptly, eyes questioning.


    — "A sword? Why?"


    Yahiko met his gaze, his expression unreadable.


    — "I''ll explain later. We need to hurry."


    Mata hesitated for a split second, but faced with his friend''s determination, he chose not to press the issue and did as he was told.


    Yahiko took a step back.


    — "I have something to take care of on my own. Meet me at the village outskirts in ten minutes."


    Without waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and disappeared between the snow-covered buildings.


    Mata watched him go, then clenched his fists. He cast one last glance at the village behind him, where the elders continued their discussion as if nothing had happened. He exhaled sharply before heading off to gather their supplies.


    A little while later, at the edge of the village, they met as planned. A simple exchange of glances was enough for them to set off without a word.


    The icy wind swept through the mountains, lifting fine whirls of snow that danced around them. Since leaving the village, they had walked in silence, Mata following Yahiko without asking too many questions. But when he noticed that they weren''t taking the usual path leading to the ice block, he frowned.


    — "Alright, are you finally going to tell me what you''re up to?" he asked, casting a wary glance at the steep cliffs lining their route.


    Yahiko slowed his pace slightly, holding a small empty wooden cage.


    — "We''re going to find something useful."


    Mata raised an eyebrow.


    — "Something useful… Meaning?"


    Yahiko took a deep breath before replying.


    — "Last night, near the forest, you felt it too. That presence… it crushed us. We''re too weak against something like that."


    Mata clenched his teeth, the memory still fresh in his mind.


    — "So, what do we do?"


    — "We prepare," Yahiko answered. "We need to give ourselves a chance to survive. And for that…"


    He paused, watching Mata''s reaction before adding:


    — "We''re going to make a poison."


    Mata''s eyebrow arched higher, his expression skeptical.


    — "A poison?"


    — "Not just any poison," Yahiko clarified. "It''s a recipe old Gribou taught me, passed down from his grandfather. He made me swear never to use it… unless we were in extreme danger."


    Mata stared at him, doubtful.


    — "And you really think that would work against this thing?"


    Yahiko nodded.


    — "When mixed with a specific plant, it becomes extremely potent. A single drop can kill a man in seconds. If we coat our weapons with it…"


    He let his words hang before continuing, his voice heavier.


    — "But we''re missing a key ingredient: the venomous sac of a boreal bear. It''s located just above its left lung."


    Mata ran a hand over his face, exasperated.


    — "Wait… You want us to hunt a boreal bear?!"


    Yahiko remained impassive.


    — "I just told you why we need it. But there''s another reason."


    Mata frowned.


    — "What other reason?"


    Yahiko held Mata''s gaze, more determined than ever.


    — "If we manage to kill a boreal bear, the village will have no choice but to take us seriously. We''ll prove to them that we''re real hunters, that we know what we''re doing."


    Mata crossed his arms, thinking. He wasn''t afraid of fighting, nor of hunting. What unsettled him was the sheer audacity of this plan.


    — "This plan is completely insane… but if it works, we''ll be killing two birds with one stone."


    The duo walked for hours, passing one landscape after another. After crossing the largest lake in the region, they instinctively slowed their pace, listening carefully to the crunch of their footsteps on the frozen ground.


    The boreal bears'' territory was well-known among the villagers, and for good reason: no sane hunter ventured there without a damn good reason. It wasn''t just their raw strength or unpredictable nature that made them feared—there was something far worse.


    The venomous sac within their bodies, connected to their bloodstream, released an insidious toxin over the years, gradually driving them into an uncontrollable frenzy. This poison didn''t just make their bites deadly—it ate away at their minds, consuming them in a blind and relentless rage.


    The effects were undeniable. Their territory had become an absolute no man''s land. No predators, no game dared set foot there anymore. Wolves, foxes, even the smallest rodents had vanished, exterminated by the madness that plagued these beasts. Here, only the snow, scarred with deep claw marks, and the heavy silence of a land ruled by monsters remained.


    Reaching the edge of the territory, Yahiko motioned toward a rocky outcrop with a nod. Without a word, they took cover behind it. Yahiko immediately sat down, placing the wooden cage beside him, and gestured for Mata to do the same.


    Without wasting time, Mata crouched and methodically laid out their equipment: shovels, curved tridents, then his sword, which he planted firmly into the snow within arm''s reach. He quickly checked the condition of the blades before looking up at Yahiko.


    — "Alright, now what?"


    — "Now, we dig."


    He explained his plan. Using the shovels, they would dig a hole deep enough to conceal sharpened wooden stakes. They would then cover the trap with branches and a thin layer of snow to make it undetectable.


    The bait would be a captured bird. Yahiko would use his power to materialize a double of the animal and place it above the trap. Unlike a real bird, this one wouldn''t fly away, inevitably catching the attention of a hungry bear. Seeing an unmoving prey, the beast would have no choice but to charge straight at it… and fall right into their trap. Once ensnared, wounded, and entangled in the sharp stakes, all that would be left was to finish it off before it could break free.


    Mata suddenly cut in:


    — Wait, how do you plan to lure it here?


    No sooner had he asked the question than he realized a crucial element was missing from the plan… and he didn''t like it at all. He slowly turned his head toward Yahiko, who gave him a smile. That smile. The one he knew all too well.


    Mata sighed.


    — Let me guess… We need a first bait.


    Yahiko nodded with a simple tilt of his head, his smile widening.


    — Exactly. You''ll be in charge of luring one of the bears here.


    Mata opened his mouth, then closed it again, sensing disaster approaching.


    — You''ll have to run as fast as you can to get out of its line of sight. Then, as soon as you reach our position, you''ll hide in the bushes, right next to me.


    — And then? Mata grumbled, already feeling the adrenaline kicking in.


    — Remember, I can''t move when I use my power, Yahiko explained calmly. The bear will be enraged, and inevitably, it will keep charging… straight into our trap.


    Mata folded his arms and fixed Yahiko with a stare.


    — Yahiko… I hope you''re sure about this.


    His friend simply smirked as he adjusted his equipment.


    — With a little luck, we should be able to pull it off.


    Mata raised an eyebrow and sighed inwardly. Luck... Yeah, they were definitely going to need it.


    They searched the surroundings, and after about twelve minutes, they found the perfect spot: a small clearing about ten square meters wide, covered in freshly fallen snow. Surrounded by trees with dense foliage, it provided excellent natural cover. A narrow path wound between the trunks, leading directly toward the bears'' territory.


    Without wasting any time, they began digging. The snow was thick, concealing frozen ground beneath, making the task harder than expected. But after a long effort, the hole finally took shape.


    Next, they started gathering broken logs and sturdy branches. Using Mata''s sword and Yahiko''s small knife, they sharpened stakes into deadly points, sharp enough to pierce through a beast of that size.


    Hours passed. Then, as the first hues of twilight painted the sky, the trap was finally complete.


    They carefully covered it with branches and a thin layer of snow to camouflage it. The bird had already been captured earlier by Yahiko.


    Now, all that was left was to wait.


    Mata, exhausted but alert, stood with his back to the path leading into bear territory, taking a sip from the water flask Yahiko had handed him earlier. As he drank, he listened to his friend go over, for what felt like the tenth time, the key steps of their ambush.


    Mata sighed, annoyed.


    — Alright, I got it!


    But Yahiko didn''t answer.


    The silence lasted a fraction of a second too long.


    Mata furrowed his brows. He could only hear his own breath and the faint crunch of snow beneath his boots.


    Then, slowly, he turned his gaze toward Yahiko.


    His friend was frozen. Motionless, pale, eyes wide and fixed on something behind him.


    Mata didn''t have time to react.


    A bestial roar shattered the air, rumbling like a clap of thunder in the biting cold.


    A deep, guttural sound that rattled his bones.


    His blood turned to ice. A cold sweat prickled down his spine.


    The bear was there—ready to strike.