I WAS Humanity's HOPE-Chapter 46: Already?

Two hours passed quickly, though Meredith felt every minute trickle by in anxious silence. She stretched slowly, easing the stiffness from her muscles before nudging Richard awake.

His eyes snapped open instantly, irises sharp and focused.

"Already?" Richard murmured, sitting up and rolling his shoulders with a faint grimace.

"Two hours exactly," Meredith said, her tone deliberately cheerful. "No interruptions."

He nodded, standing and brushing ice dust from his cloak. "Good. Ready for some practice?"

Meredith almost snorted, glancing around their makeshift shelter. "Here? Really?"

Richard shrugged, summoning his twin daggers, their obsidian edges glinting softly in the low light.

"Unless you want to go outside... and be under whatever debuff the snow brings down on us," he finished, testing the weight of each blade. "Better to train in here."

She exhaled, summoning her wand and shifting her stance. "Fine. Just don’t wreck the place, we’ve only just gotten here."

"No promises," he replied with a sly grin.

Without further warning, Richard darted forward, swift and silent. Meredith countered instinctively, flicking her wrist upward as arcs of green-tinged lightning crackled around her fingertips.

He twisted aside smoothly, leaving an afterimage that dissolved harmlessly. Meredith spun, tracking his true position, narrowly avoiding a tap from his dagger’s flat side.

"Good," he said approvingly, already circling again. "You’re quicker."

She raised an eyebrow, breathing steady despite the rapid exchange. "Uh-uh."

He lunged again, feinting left, then shifting right at the last second. Meredith anticipated it this time, pivoting gracefully and releasing a precise bolt of force that grazed his shoulder. Richard laughed appreciatively as he regained his footing.

"You’ve learned to anticipate rather than just react," he noted, rubbing his shoulder with mock exaggeration.

"Don’t belittle me, little brother," Meredith retorted playfully. "I was a hunter long before you returned."

Richard chuckled softly, then stilled suddenly, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "Sure, sure. If you say so... I think you’ll need to cast that barrier spell again—the one you switched to in our last battle."

Meredith shook her head, her expression turning serious. She drew a slow breath, tracing the wand in an intricate pattern. A translucent dome shimmered into existence around her, solidifying rapidly.

Richard unleashed his inhuman speed and strength, dashing and striking the barrier with both daggers. The shield crackled and bent slightly but held firm.

"Much better," he murmured appreciatively. "Good job."

She released the barrier with a sigh of relief, a bead of sweat tracing down her temple despite the cold. "It still drains me too quickly if the attack is too strong."

"Then you have to practice more," Richard said gently. "You have the precision down, but not the experience. How you’ve managed to reach the lofty heights of S-Ranks like this, I don’t understand."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mr number one hero... Again?"

"Again," he affirmed, smiling faintly.

—

A month had come and gone, marked only by endless snow, relentless battles, and bitter cold.

Richard stood at the edge of the ornate balcony, his breath misting softly against the frigid air as he watched crystalline snowflakes drift silently toward the distant ground far below. Beside him, Meredith leaned against the intricately carved rail, absentmindedly turning a thin shard of ice between her fingertips.

They had discovered this castle only yesterday, hidden deep within the labyrinthine maze of ice and ruins, yet its pristine condition seemed untouched by the passing of time.

Every polished wall shimmered softly, built from a translucent material that resembled glass more than stone, reflecting faint, rainbow-hued light that seemed to emanate from nowhere. Arched doorways spiralled upward, delicate and soaring, while staircases of crystal spun gracefully between floors, as if crafted from dreams rather than architecture.

Despite the haunting elegance, they found no signs of life—no furniture, no footsteps, not even the slightest indication anyone had ever live there.

"I can’t decide if this place is beautiful or utterly terrifying," Meredith murmured, her voice soft but echoing slightly in the cavernous stillness.

"Why can’t it be both?" Richard asked with a dry smile.

Meredith chuckled, a weary sound that spoke volumes.

They had endured more than their fair share of hardships since arriving in this frozen dungeon: fighting through blizzards fierce enough to blind, dodging avalanches that roared down mountainsides with unstoppable fury, and cutting down creatures whose magic threatened to freeze their very bones.

They’d slain over a hundred S-Rank monsters, each battle pushing them to new limits, each victory earned in blood, sweat, and pain.

Both of their levels had reached ninety-nine, and though Richard had lagged far behind at the start, he’d managed to catch up—a fact he would never let Meredith forget.

"Hey, sis. How do you feel about being the same level?" he teased her gently, eyes twinkling despite the fatigue shadowing his features.

"You just got lucky," she muttered, mock irritation in her voice.

Richard laughed openly at that, and for a brief moment, the castle seemed less daunting, the air a little warmer.

"You know, Mer," he began, his tone thoughtful as he gazed at the crystalline spires rising above, "This place gives me the creeps... Who would build something so beautiful, yet abandon it so completely? Or had they no choice? But where did everyone disappear to, with no traces left behind?"

"Maybe it was never meant to be lived in," Meredith suggested softly, her fingers brushing gently along the smooth, ice-like railing. "Maybe it was built to be admired, or worshipped... a monument, not a home."

Richard tilted his head, considering. "Nah. There’s no way someone built something so grand and great just to keep it untouched and hidden in the middle of nowhere."

Meredith blinked and shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe some bored deity had too much time on their hands and decided to build themselves a palace!"

"Sure," he murmured mockingly. "And perhaps, there’s a curse on it—one that awakens only when newcomers breathe its air."

Meredith’s lips curled into a half-smile, but her eyes remained sharp. "If that’s the case, we’d know by now. Nothing’s bothered us yet."

The siblings fell into a companionable silence again, their eyes drifting back to the mysterious spires and winding towers, each absorbed by their own thoughts.

The past month had changed them, hardened them—but the bond between them had grown stronger too. They had learned to fight as a single entity, their movements synchronised, their spells merging seamlessly.

And though the dungeon had stripped away comforts and certainty, it had revealed truths neither had fully appreciated before.

Richard finally turned from the view, heading back inside the castle. Meredith followed close behind, their footsteps echoing softly as they moved through corridors of glassy crystal. Though each hallway was subtly different, the overwhelming perfection made them indistinguishable, a never-ending pattern of shimmering beauty.

"Doesn’t it feel like we’re trapped in some endless illusion?" Meredith asked, her voice low and tinged with unease.

Richard nodded slowly. "It’s too perfect, too empty. There’s no reason something so flawless should be here, hidden inside a dungeon."

"I almost prefer the ruins," Meredith admitted quietly. "At least they felt honest, you know?"

Richard stopped abruptly, glancing around with narrowed eyes. They stood in an immense, circular chamber that spiralled upward into darkness, its walls carved in meticulous patterns resembling constellations and celestial maps. There were no doors, only seamless walls, smooth as polished obsidian.

"Richard?" Meredith said softly, sensing his sudden tension.

He held up a hand for silence, listening intently, his breath coming slow and steady. Something felt wrong—something deeper than the eerie emptiness. A sensation crept along his spine, cold and razor-edged, sharper even than the bitter winds they’d grown used to.

"Can you feel it?" he whispered.

Meredith closed her eyes. "I sense... something," she murmured. "But it’s distant?"

Richard’s jaw clenched. The feeling grew stronger, a presence that seeped into the very air around them, wrapping the world in a subtle, creeping frost. He could sense it clearly now, like a shadow forming slowly at the edges of his consciousness.

"It’s coming closer," he said, voice tight as he summoned his mirror daggers instinctively.

"What is?" Meredith asked, but her question faltered halfway through, replaced by a soft gasp as she too felt the sudden plunge in temperature. The air seemed to crystallise around them, glittering faintly as ice formed on their breath, in their hair, on the walls themselves.

"Something powerful," Richard said grimly. "Could be the Boss."

Meredith’s wand was already glowing faintly, sparks of lightning dancing along its tip. "We can handle it," she said firmly, though the slight quiver in her voice betrayed a flicker of uncertainty.

After all, they were still S-Ranks, and they knew the master of this place would be above that Rank.

Richard steadied his breathing, senses extended, every muscle coiled. The sensation grew oppressive, pressing in from every direction. It felt ancient, relentless, and deadly.

The castle, already impossibly cold, dropped further in temperature. Walls groaned softly as ice expanded, crystalline patterns crawling rapidly along previously flawless surfaces, fracturing their smooth beauty into jagged, razor-edged shapes.

"Prepare yourself," Richard murmured. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

And then he felt it clearly: a consciousness, massive and frigid, its icy tendrils brushing against his mind with curious, deadly intent.

It was a presence of absolute coldness, a power capable of freezing not only the world, but the feelings and wills of those who dared to enter its domain.