Ellie hovered in and out of consciousness. She could feel pain deep from inside her chest. At times it was dull and persistent, other times it was sharp and threatened to rip her from inside out.

“... E-Ellie!”

A shaky voice filtered through her half-conscious mind and tried to reach her. It sounded warped to Ellie as if she was listening to the voice underwater. She felt herself sink further into the gentle waters. The pain slowly faded away as her soul gradually detached from her body. Darkness embraced her like a protective cocoon— providing a false sense of security. Death was beckoning, its embrace alluring.

Ellie did not think. Rather, she thought nothing. It was simply the workings of nature as old as time itself.

Death had almost embraced its long-awaited child that was lent to Life when it faltered.

Light flashed in the absolute darkness. It pierced through Death’s hold of the child from another world— the dimension leaper. Ellie’s soul rose above the dark waters while enveloped in light. Death released its hold. It could not claim the child as she never belonged to it in the first place. Neither could Life, but it seemed that the world had willed the foreign soul to remain under the care of Life.

Death then understood its role. If Life was to take the foreign soul under its wing, Death’s role was to return the soul to Life’s care whenever she wandered near Death’s realm.

Death sighed as it watched the foreign soul return to Life’s care. What was the will of the world up to this time?

Ellie’s eyes fluttered open. Her vision was blurry. Her eyes felt gritty from the crusted dried tears.

“Ellie!”

Ellie winced at the voice. A small freckled face swam into her view. His silvery blue eyes reflected the dancing flames from behind Ellie.

“What…” Ellie murmured.

“You’re finally awake!” Ralf cried and hugged Ellie. He squeezed her so tightly that she could barely breathe.

“Ralf, you’re hurting Ellie,” Astrid’s gentle voice floated in.

Ralf released Ellie immediately.

“I’m sorry,” he said, eyes downcast.

Ellie sucked in a breath. She could still feel a dull ache from her chest.

“What happened?” she asked aloud, her voice a whisper.

She let her gaze wander. The surroundings were unfamiliar. It seemed that they were not in their house back in the village. “Where are we?”

Astrid looked solemn.

“We’re in a cave in the forest. More importantly, how are you feeling?” Astrid stroked Ellie's head.

Ellie was surprised. In one moment she was in the village, waiting to depart. The next thing she knew, she ended up in the forest. She felt like she jumped into the future.

“Ellie?” Astrid asked again since Ellie was silent.

“I’m okay,” Ellie smiled weakly.

Truthfully, she felt terrible. In addition to the constant dull ache from her chest, her limbs felt like they were squeezed by an unknown pressure. Her insides twisted with every breath she took. However, she could not bear to say the truth when she saw Ralf’s guilt-stricken face. The boy looked like he had cried non-stop for days.

Ellie flinched when she recalled her crushed left hand. She brought it up hurriedly. To her surprise, there was no sign of injury.

“I’ve healed your hand with Life’s blessing. For your body, I…” Astrid frowned. “I gave you this amulet to help with the pain. Are you still hurting? Tell me if it hurts too much, okay?”

A small bronze amulet hung from Ellie’s neck. It was circular with looping patterns engraved on it. A small bluish-green gemstone was set in the middle. It glowed faintly.

“This is…?” Ellie could feel a gentle warmth from the amulet.

“It’s a keepsake from my mother,” Astrid smiled. “It is blessed by Life.”

‘A catalyst!’ Ellie’s eyes widened. ‘Right, Astrid is a Light mage.’ Ellie remembered.

Regular mages, as in mages other than natural mages, need catalysts to conjure magic. There were seven different elements based on nature and two other elements that were blessings and curses from Life and Death. Light mages wield blessings from Life while Dark mages bear curses from Death.

Catalysts were considered the lifelines of mages since they were unable to cast spells without them. To remove it from one’s possession was risky as it denies them the ability to conjure magic.

“I- I can’t keep… it. —keepsake…” Ellie stuttered. It was difficult to speak.

Astrid shook her head, “You need it more than me right now.”

Ellie pursed her lips. Astrid was right. The amulet was keeping her pain bearable.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Where are we? What happened after? Ellie asked as she looked around.

Astrid sighed as she explained.

It had been four days since the accident in the village. While no one was seriously hurt— except for Ellie, but since she was an outsider she was not really counted— the villagers got a big fright at what could have happened. Even though they had limited knowledge about magic, the snot-stained faces of the crying Andor and Frode were enough to cause them alarm and distrust.

The villagers wanted Osmond and company out of the village immediately. Therefore, they had left the village even though Ellie was badly hurt.

“If only they’d let us stay until you got better,” Astrid clenched her fists.

“But won’t they catch us if we stayed behind?” Ellie questioned. Their journey was time-sensitive and each day lost was another day for the hunters to catch up to them.

“Oh, Ellie…” Astrid stroked Ellie’s head.

“Where’s Osmond?”

“He’s out scouting. Don’t worry about him. You should rest more.”

“But…”

“Don’t worry. We’ll continue when you feel better, okay?”

Ellie pursed her lips. It was obvious that she was holding them back. They could not travel much due to her condition. Ellie would get very sick when they were exposed to the elements while traveling.

However, they could not afford to lose more time. On the other hand, Osmond and Astrid could not bear to leave Ellie behind. Ellie herself did not want to be left behind either. Her survival was tied to them. What could she do? Should she insist on traveling in her condition? Should she risk it?

Ellie took a deep breath and assessed her body. She had an idea of what was happening to her. It was a condition that she had set in her novel during world-building. After reading countless isekai stories on the web, she felt annoyed that the protagonists who transmigrated to other worlds were able to wantonly influence the new world.

She then had a thought, “What if the world had a mechanism that prevented these otherworlders from perverting the balance of the world?”

The product of such thought was the concept of Dimension Leapers in her novel. Whenever an otherworlder somehow ended up summoned to the new world, they would suffer from the clashing of different energies within their bodies. These energies will slowly rip the Dimension Leapers apart from the inside out.

This was the cause of Ellie’s current misery.

Ellie smiled bitterly. It was her own idea that came to bite her in the back. The current condition was unfavorable, but it was not a death sentence either. As long as there was time, Ellie was sure that she could find a way to fix it. This was the world of her own creation after all.

Ellie tried to make herself comfortable while waiting for Osmond to return. The pain was somewhat bearable when she settled down. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing to cope with the discomfort.

It was working well for some time but Ellie eventually felt someone’s gaze on her. She tried to ignore the unsettling feeling to no avail. Frowning, she snapped her eyes open only to meet the gaze of a surprised Ralf.

The boy flinched and averted his gaze; pretending nothing had happened.

“Ralf…” Ellie had wanted to say more but she was feeling really tired.

Ralf turned his face slowly, stole a glance at Ellie, and then looked at the ground.

“...” Ellie sighed. What was the boy up to this time? She did not have the energy to deal with it.

“Ellie, I…” Ralf fumbled with the hem of this shirt. “I’m sorry!”

“Huh?” Ellie was confused.

“It-it’s my fault… if only I… I didn’t…”

‘What's the fault now?’ Ellie thought.

“... then you wouldn’t get hurt.” Ralf burst into tears right after finishing his sentence.

“Wha—” Ellie was dumbfounded. She understood what he was trying to say but felt that Ralf blaming himself was absurd. Still, it was within his character pre-disaster. Ralf was a kind and sensitive child.

Ellie sighed the umpteenth time since she woke up. What other choice did she have but to console the crying protagonist despite feeling like crap? Her heart could not take it seeing him crying so pitifully.

“Come here,” Ellie pulled Ralf into a big hug. She felt his sobs against her body.

“Shh… it’s not your fault. You were only trying to protect me.”

“B-but… you… got… very… hurt… ” Ralf said between sobs.

“That’s not it,” Ellie paused. She thought of the best explanation to comfort Ralf.

“I…” Ellie closed her eyes. Perhaps the truth was the best way to relieve the guilt from Ralf’s heart.

“This is something that’s bound to happen.”

“What do you mean?” Ralf pushed himself from Ellie. His whole face was red and puffy. Tears and snot covered his face.

Ellie looked straight into the child’s eyes. “This is supposed to happen even if you didn’t use your magic.”

It was the truth. The clashing of energies in her body was bound to happen even if her body did not experience the magic from Ralf. The longer her exposure to the naturally occurring energies in this world, the more the energies will accumulate in her body. This would then lead to the same situation currently.

“Are you sick?” Ralf questioned.

“No,” Ellie pursed her lips. “It’s just how my body is.”

“Then… how do we fix it?”

“Good question. For now, I’m not sure,” Ellie smiled wryly. She had a rough idea but it would take a lot of work. In addition, it was impossible in her current situation.

Ralf was silent for a moment. Then, he held Ellie’s hands tightly in his. He took a few deep breaths and seemed to have made up his mind about something.

“W-we’ll find a way! Together!

Ellie’s heart melted. Ralf was too cute.

“Aww… Ralf, you’re such a kind boy,” Ellie beamed and ruffled his hair.

“I mean it! We’ll find a cure for your sickness!” Ralf’s cheeks puffed up. “I know… let’s have a pinky promise!” he held his pinky out with fire seemingly lighting up his eyes.

“This…” Ellie hesitated. She wanted to dismiss his suggestion but his determination made it seem pointless.

“No promise?” Ralf’s shoulders drooped.

“Ah! Yes, pinky promise!” Ellie linked her pinky around Ralf’s. Her weakness was indeed Ralf’s puppy eyes.

“It’s a promise, okay? You know what happens if you don’t fulfill it, right?” Ralf seemed excited.

As long as the child was happy, it was all that mattered. Ellie beamed, seeing Ralf’s bright face.

“Yes, it’s a promise.”

‘It’s just a child’s play, right? He won’t remember when he grows up, right?’ Ellie hoped.

Before she had any time to doubt herself further, Astrid, who was watching them silently by the side, gave the two children a big hug.

“Aww, both of you are so sweet,” she smiled happily.

Not long after that, Osmond returned to the cave after checking the surroundings. He came with some unfortunate news—a snowstorm was approaching, judging from the movement of the wind and the clouds.

A few uneventful days passed as they waited for the storm to subside. Ellie did not take a peek at the outside but was told that it was a complete whiteout, according to Ralf. It was too dangerous for them to set out in that condition. Hence, she spent the time recuperating while bonding with Ralf. The boy was happy with his newfound friend. He was cheerful, without a care for their current predicament.

Although the adults did not say anything, Ellie could feel their uneasiness. It was the little things that most people would normally miss out—the slight quiver and hushed tones in their voices, the frown on Astrid’s face that did not fully unravel when she smiled while talking to Ralf, and Osmond’s slight flinching at every sound. All these were telltale signs of their weariness and hope to leave this place as soon as possible towards safety, far away from the hunters. The only consolation that they have is that the hunters would be stranded in the snowstorm as well.

After four days, the snowstorm finally subsided. They were almost completely snowed in. Fortunately, Osmond was an ice mage. With a short incantation and a glow from his catalyst that was a necklace around his neck, he was able to move the ice without problems.

As the snow and ice cleared, the landscape that greeted Ellie’s eyes was pure white. Thick snow blanketed everything as far as she could see. Even the green from the towering pine trees was covered with white. Her eyes followed the top of the trees and she could see the towering peaks of a nearby mountain range.

Ellie was taken aback by the scale of her surroundings. The grandiosity of pine forest and mountains made her feel small in comparison.

Her heart was in awe. Growing up primarily in the suburbs, she rarely had the chance to see such a view in person. The only memory she had of nature was a faint recollection of a camping trip she had with her grandmother when she was fairly young. Even then, the scale of it was not as comparable to what she was experiencing.

There was barely any wind and the air was still. The storm had abated and what was left was a muted landscape. Puffs of steam escaped Ellie's mouth with each breath. It was cold but bearable from the thick bundles of clothes wrapping her. The snow beneath her feet crunched as she stumbled.

“Oh dear,” Astrid quickly steadied Ellie. “Looks like we’ll have to carry you.”

Ellie pursed her lips. She felt embarrassed to be babied in this way. After all, she was mentally an adult.

“It’s okay, I—”

Before Ellie could protest, a strong arm swept her off the ground. She bumped into Osmond’s scruffy beard in the process.

“Don’t worry, girl. Just take it easy,” he laughed. “It’s an adventure!”

Astrid and Ralf giggled.

“To the capital!” Osmond declared and pointed towards the mountains. “Oh wait, that’s not the capital,” he pretended to be confused. “Aha! It’s that way!” He changed direction and pointed towards the forest instead.

Ellie cringed. It seemed that regardless of worlds, dad jokes would always be dad jokes. Ralf giggled. He found it funny, apparently.

"Let's just go…" she could not wait to escape the bitter cold.

They continued their trek through the snowy forest. Ellie was thankful that Osmond carried her on his back as they trekked through rugged terrain. They had to climb over sharp boulders and make their way around obstacles. It was by no means a walk in the park.

During their journey, Ellie was lost in her thoughts. Although she accepted the reality of transmigration, she wondered about her role in the story. Did she possess someone else's body, or did she materialize out of thin air?

Ellie shook her head. There were too many questions and zero answers. She regained her resolve and told herself to focus on the most pressing issue.

'That's right, focus on solving one problem at a time. Then, things should surely work out,' Ellie thought.

The sunlight filtered through the trees. Beyond that, Ellie could see a clearing. She turned back. It was an unfamiliar sight. They had traveled quite a distance.

"That's the Breidr Icefall right?" Astrid panted as she shifted her bag slung over her shoulder.

"Yes, we'll have to cross that to reach the port in Ness. It's the fastest way around the mountains," Osmond frowned.

"Is there a problem?" Ellie asked. The adults looked pensive.

"We have to be careful. Very careful," Osmond emphasized.

Ellie gulped. Surely the name Icefall must mean something.

She searched her memory for such a place in her novel but recalled nothing. It was another instance of the world filling up blank spaces not covered during the world-building process.

They took a short break and settled for some dry rations. Ellie wished that she had a flask of hot chocolate to fight the cold. Alas, they did not light a fire for it was only a short break.

She looked across the bare snowy terrain before her as she nibbled on some jerky. Breidr Icefall looked like a glacier. It was just vast swathes of white and a faint treeline on the other side.

“Let’s go. We should reach the other side by nightfall.” Osmond readjusted his gear and shifted Ellie into a more comfortable position.

Astrid nodded. “Alright, Ralf. Up you go,” she scooped Ralf up into her arms.

They resumed their journey and descended onto the icefall with Osmond in the lead. Ellie remained secured to his back. Their path was riddled with large blocks of ice that jutted out in various angles. One had to climb over with their hands and feet. They also skirted around earth-deep crevasses. Once in a while, when the crevasse was too wide, Osmond made an ice bridge for them to safely cross.

Ellie felt her heart drop when she peered into the bottomless crevasse. She was glad that she did not have to trek over this terrain on her own two feet. The trek was silent, save for the panting of both Osmond and Astrid due to exertion. The process was repetitive and almost meditative.

While Ellie was lost in her thoughts, she heard a sudden bang.

It sounded like an explosive crack of thunder. The sound echoed through the air.

All of them whipped their heads towards the source and froze.

‘No way…’ Ellie thought, doubting herself. She had only heard about them in documentaries.

Before she could process it further, a low rumbling sound followed. The ground started shaking.

Osmond cursed.

“Avalanche!” Astrid screamed and hugged Ralf closer to her chest.

Osmond turned to grab Astrid. Ellie’s mind turned blank. She did not know what to do. Granted, she was strapped to Osmond and could not do anything.

The terror that gripped her heart willed her to break free and run away. But where could she run to? Could they outrun the avalanche? Could they run to the other side, away from the path?

The answer was a simple ‘No’.

They were in the middle of the icefall and surrounded by deep crevasses. There was nowhere to run.

‘Why is this happening? Are we going to die? Am I going to die?’

Ellie thought in disbelief. She wanted to change their fates. Did she make it worse instead?

The rumbling got louder. It grew into the sound of a million thundering hooves. The earth shook harder and the adults stumbled. Ellie could see the wave of snow crashing down the mountain.

“Astrid!” Osmond shouted. The necklace around his neck glowed as he braced himself.

Astrid held onto Osmond. They could now feel the air pushed by the wave of snow above.

Osmond conjured a path made of ice. At the same time, ice formed at the back of his feet—propelling him forwards across the icefall. It was not very quick, but at least it was faster than running.

Osmond grunted and clenched his teeth. The ice was freezing his feet.

The treeline got larger. Ellie saw hope.

‘We’re going to make it!’

If anything, as a novel writer, Ellie should have known better than anyone that premature celebration is a big flag.

The ground under them suddenly rose. It pushed them off their balance and sent them tumbling. The straps around Ellie tore and she was separated from Osmond. Her breath was knocked out of her.

“Ellie!” Ralf screamed, his voice barely audible above the rumbling.

Feeling dazed, Ellie tried to regain her bearings.

She felt ice forming around her and heard a sharp ringing sound. Before she understood what was happening, she felt herself swept up by snow. A yelp could not even escape her mouth as she tumbled down the mountain.

She could only hope for it to stop. Up or down, she had no idea.

Then, it was pitch black. She could not feel anything. She panicked, knowing that she was trapped in the snow and had to get out quickly. However, she could not feel her hands. She felt nothing.

Before she could think if she was dead, pure white flashed before her eyes. She snapped her eyes open and blinked a few times. There was nothing but white stretching to the end of the horizon. Correction, there was no horizon.

Ellie turned around frantically. Front, back; left, right—all white. Even the top and bottom.

‘What…’

Ellie felt a presence behind her. She snapped around.

There stood a bald, dark-skinned man in a suit with a green tie. A pair of shades rested over his eyes as he gestured at their white surroundings. He took a breath and said:

“This… is the Construct.”