Lilian’s POV

The storm had ended long before we stepped outside. No wind, no falling snow—just a wide, silent white stretching as far as I could see.

I moved with the team across the wide, silent snowfield. Each step pressed a little deeper into the cold, and with every crunch beneath my boots, an old memory resurfaced uninvited. For a brief, fragile moment, I wasn’t here anymore. I was a child again, cupping a small metal flask against my chest, trudging through the snow with my ...