Eight winters have passed since I was reincarnated.
The old man, who I've started to call Gramps, doesn't talk much. Despite that, I've come to understand the language he speaks.
I've also learned that this definitely isn't Earth. The animal and plant life here is nothing like anything I've seen in my old world.
On top of that, I'm not some special case with the whole lizard-eyes situation. Turns out, I'm what's called an Akyuman. They're basically half-human, half-animal types. I haven't learned everything about them yet, but that's what Gramps told me.
Gramps and I live in an old cabin in the middle of a frozen tundra. Winters here are brutal cold enough that we have to constantly stock the fire just to keep our water from freezing.
Luckily, though, my body regulates temperature extremely well. For me, it just feels like your average winter.
Suddenly, Gramps calls out from the shed.
"Hey Rae, go get the Sorimitaw. The ice froze over again."
Gramps gave me the name Raeric. He also makes me fetch things for him since I don't have to worry about the cold.
A Sorimitaw is what this world calls an ice saw. Gramps is an ice fisher. Fish is like our life blood. If the lake's fish died we would lose our only source of food.
"On my way, gramps!" I yell at the old man.
I walk along the side of the cabin boots crunching into the snow.
That's when I hear it, rustling in the distance.
I stop.
Its faint but clear, just beyond the tree line, however Its past the boundary gramps said to never cross.
"You coming or what?" Gramps calls out again.
Momentarily I forgot about the sound and continued to look for the saw.
There it is again, shifting branches or heavy steps perhaps.
This time I completely forget about the saw and walk towards the noise, not even thinking about the danger.
As I reach the tree line I stop and consider turning around, I'm still not used to the dangers of this world and have not crossed this point before.
Then I hear the rustling again, and something steps out.
It's like a massive sabertooth tiger, only it has thick scales stretched across its back. I'm fascinated for a moment until it bares its teeth, then I'm struck with fear.
My body won't move, my mind is incapable of thought. Every part of me has shut down.
Then the creature lets out a low guttural growl.
I snap out of it, running back towards gramps, screaming for help.
I hear it close behind me stomping through the snow leaving destruction in its path and then, a sound like an explosion.
Its the cabin.
The beast rips through it like a child jumping into a pile of leaves, logs fly past my head landing in the sheet of ice that surrounds the property. I keep running straight towards the ice sheets.
The ice cracks beneath me. I try to stop but I fall and slide along the ice. I look back to see the creature staring at me, too smart to walk on unstable ground. It turns around and walks back to the forest.
I try to stand but then I fall.
Straight through the ice.
The cold hits me, but it's not water.
Its air.
For a second I feel weightless as the air rushes past me.
Then I hit the ground.
Hard.
I groan as I open my eyes expecting to find myself on the floor of a cave. But I'm laying on wood, old, damp, and covered with a thin layer of frost.
I look around realizing I'm not in a cave nor a lake, I'm in a bar.
Or maybe an inn?
Tables line the room, some still upright chairs pushed up against them, others broken.
Then I saw them.
Bodies.
Are they statues? No they're real, the lifeless corpses of real people.
Some are slumped over a table, some are collapsed against a wall, some are still holding mugs as if in the middle of drinking.
Grinning, panicked, locked in laughter. Each having a different expression frozen on their rotting face.
It's like their last moments were caught in time.
Drinking. Celebrating. Dying.
I feel sick, I need to get out of here. I walk to the door of the Inn and try to push it open. It doesn't move.
I see a window and walk up to it, I can see an opening on the other side. I try to open it but it doesn't work.
I look around for something to break it with.
On the ground is an apple, I pick it up and it's frozen solid.
Then I throw it, shattering the window before climbing through.
On the other side of the window is the main street of a small town, frozen in time. There are carriages and wagons with horses, completely frozen in ice.
Where the hell am I?