Winter's eyes flickered open, revealing the whip entwined around him and the cloaked man holding it completely frozen solid. The atmosphere had undergone a drastic transformation, shifting from cold to an unbearable chill, accompanied by a frosty mist enveloping the surroundings.
Turning toward the cloaked woman, Winter calmly instructed, "Sit still." A tiny shard of ice shot from his hand, narrowly evaded by the stunned woman. The shard sliced through multiple spruce trees with effortless precision.
"WHA-?" The woman struggled to find words, astounded by the display of Winter's new found power.
In a desperate attempt to escape, she sprinted away, leaping onto tree branches to evade Winter. However, her efforts proved futile from the start. When she believed she had evaded him, the realization struck—she could no longer move.
"Wha-What!? I was sure he never touched me!?" she cried, staring at her frozen feet on the tree branch.
"Shit! At this rate, he will catch up to me!" she exclaimed, glancing back in heightened panic.
"Hm...?" Winter's voice resonated directly in front of her.
"What....WHAT EVEN ARE YOU!?" she screamed in response.
"Just your former colleague, #31537, Ms. #62941. Oh, and also tell #58062 I said hey," Winter replied with a friendly smile.
"What are you talking ab-?" The woman attempted to speak before her head was frozen shut by Winter's hand.
"It's okay. You'll both be together forever now," Winter calmly stated to the lifeless figure in front of him.
Descending back to the ground, he made his way to the cabin, this time with the intention of relieving himself of another burden.