~Lance~

A dark forest stood frowning on both banks of an ice-bound river. A recent wind had torn the white covering of frost from the trees, and they leaned black and ominous toward one another in the gathering twilight. A profound silence reigned all around. This entire region, devoid of any sign of life or movement, was so desolate and cold that the spirit hovering over it could not even be called the spirit of sorrow. Laughter, but a laughter more terrible than sorrow, was heard here—a joyless laughter, like the smile of a sphinx, a laughter as chilling in its heartlessness as the cold. This eternal wisdom, powerful, exalted above the world, laughed, seeing the futility of life, the futility of struggle. This was the wilderness: the wild, frozen-to-the-heart Northern Wilderness. And yet something alive moved within her and challenged her. A man, his face hidden by a long white scarf, walked through the snow, his boots crunching. The cold tried to penetrate his thick layers of clothing, but he didn't care, as he kept moving and limbs moving. He didn't speak, to conserve his strength. His ushanka hat sat tightly on his head, covering his ears and scalp, and on his face were black glasses that completely obscured his eyes. He walked confidently, never slowing down, clearly defying the harsh winter. The almost tangible silence around him weighed on Lance. It weighed on his mind like water at great depth weighs on a diver's body. It oppressed him with the immensity and immutability of its law. Lance was a daredevil, having poured all his meager strength and audacious purpose into a plan to rival the might of a world as distant, desolate, and alien to him as the vastness of space. But Lance didn't care. He had a rifle slung across his back: a Sumrak or a Kalashnikov, he couldn't tell. But even without a gun, he wouldn't have been afraid. You can't be afraid of the unknown. His goal was to reach his wooden house, about 10 kilometers away. A warm fire in the fireplace, water in a barrel, and a warm dinner he would cook today: an atmosphere of complete peace and tranquility.