The morning air was still and heavy as Unit 9 stood before the gate.
It wasn't just any gate—it pulsed faintly, a veil of red humming in the quiet dawn. It looked like it belonged to another world, and in a way, it did. This gate would take them to the outer zone of Athen, a city buried in cold, forgotten by warmth and seasons.
Ashen stood silently behind the group, staring at the blood-red shimmer. The color wasn't frightening, not in the way one might expect. It didn't scream of danger or rage. Instead, it felt like a door into a place where color itself had been swallowed long ago.
Elira's voice cut through the stillness.
"Everyone ready?"
Kerr rubbed his hands together, his teeth chattering despite the warm military-issued cloak. "As ready as I'll ever be."
Ashen gave a quiet nod. Reynar didn't respond, his eyes locked onto the gate, calculating. Lin shifted from foot to foot, clearly itching to get moving.
One by one, they stepped through.
Light engulfed them—not too bright, not entirely dark. It was that in-between kind of light, like dusk trapped in a snow globe. The air hit them like a slap to the chest.
Cold.
Not the kind of cold that makes you shiver and complain. The kind that settles into your bones, curls around your heart, and gnaws at the back of your eyes. The kind of cold that makes you feel like you've entered a place where time forgot to bring fire.
Ashen pulled his cloak tighter around his neck. The wind howled gently through the empty plain. Snow stretched across the landscape like a sheet of frozen death. No trees. No sound of birds. Just a pale white wasteland.
Beneath his boots, the ground cracked faintly. Frozen soil, hardened so completely that not even weeds could survive it.
Lin let out a breath, her voice fogging the air. "Man, this is so cold."
Kerr nodded furiously. "It's like... like the gods froze their breath and left it here. How do people even live like this?"
Ashen, his eyes scanning the distance, spoke softly. "They don't. Not for long. That's why we're here."
Elira stepped forward and pointed into the distance. "The outer gate to Athen's city sector should be that way. Stay close. We can't afford to be separated in this cold."
They began walking. Each step crunched against snow and ice. The silence around them was strange—not peaceful, but empty. Like something used to live here and left suddenly.
The light above felt dull, filtered through thick, unending gray clouds. There was no sun, just a white glow that didn't offer warmth. The wind whispered softly, brushing past their cheeks like frozen needles.
As they walked, Lin moved closer to Ashen. "Hey, your face is turning blue. You okay?"
He nodded. "Just... thinking."
She giggled softly, her voice nearly lost in the wind. "You always say that. Thinking what?"
Ashen looked ahead. "How empty this place is. It's like the world ended here."
Kerr joined them from the left, rubbing his arms. "I heard no crops grow here anymore. Just snow and more snow. My cousin used to live around this area—said the winters got longer every year until one day, spring just... didn't come."
Lin looked sideways at him. "And now?"
Kerr shrugged, his smile fading. "They evacuated years ago. Guess we're doing the same now for the last ones."
Their conversation ended as Elira raised her hand, halting them.
"There," she said.
In the distance, through a rising fog of frost, a black structure loomed—tall, narrow, and covered in ice. It was the city gate of Athen.
The architecture was brutal. Thick iron, frozen over completely, stood as a barrier between the dead lands and the faint flicker of human survival inside. Runes etched into the metal glowed faintly blue, powered by ancient energy designed to keep out... whatever still wandered these plains.
As they neared, a blur dashed out from the side of the path.
A boy.
Small, wrapped in tattered cloth and frostbitten boots, he ran directly into Ashen with a loud thud.
"Ah—!" the boy stumbled back, fell into the snow, and scrambled to pick up a pouch that had fallen.
Ashen was stunned for a second. His fingers twitched as he watched the child's shaking hands gather a few scattered pieces—bread, a bottle of water, a wooden carving.
The boy looked up briefly. His eyes were hollow. Ashen recognized that look.
He was about to say something, but the boy turned and bolted, disappearing behind a pile of frozen crates stacked near the gate.
Elira moved quickly toward the entrance. The guards at the gate had noticed the commotion. One of them—a thick-bearded man with frost clinging to his armor—glared at the group.
The other simply extended his hand. "Permit?"
Reynar handed over the scroll.
The guard checked it quickly, eyes scanning each name. After a long pause, he nodded and stepped aside.
"You're clear. Welcome to what's left of Athen."
The gate creaked as it opened, letting them in.
Inside, the cold didn't disappear, but the wind was less aggressive. Tall buildings, many of them cracked or partially collapsed, lined the frozen streets. There was no laughter, no voices. Just thin trails of smoke rising from the few homes that still had heat.
They walked in silence. The city was barely alive. Children, wrapped in oversized coats, sat near barrels of fire. Women dragged sleds instead of carts. Men chopped blocks of frozen meat with rusted axes.
It was survival. Nothing more.
Kerr let out a low whistle. "I thought our village was bad... but this?"
Lin nudged him. "Don't say that too loudly. These people have enough problems."
Ashen felt eyes watching them. From windows. From alleyways. Suspicious, cautious.
Elira led them to a central square, where a metal board listed the evacuation zones. A city official, shivering beneath a heavy coat, approached.
"You're from the military?"
Elira nodded. "Unit 9. We're here to start the evacuation."
The official gave a bitter laugh. "About time. The cold's been getting worse. We've already lost a few more last night."
Ashen looked around. Snowflakes were starting to fall again, thick and silent.
Lin leaned toward Ashen, her breath visible. "Do you think it's true? That this place was cursed?"
He didn't answer immediately. He looked at the quiet children, the empty market stalls, the ice-covered signs.
"If it was, I don't think it's a curse that came from gods. It's one we brought ourselves."
Kerr gave a slow nod. "Yeah. Maybe we forgot how to live with the world, and now it's showing us what happens."
Elira turned back to the group. "Rest up. We'll be getting assignments soon. And stay warm. Even a few minutes of exposure out there can kill."
Ashen looked once more at the horizon outside the city wall. Snow falling. Winds crying.
They were here to save what remained.
But he wondered, deep down, if it was already too late.