A shadowed figure pulls a scarf over their lower face, huddling against the white world around them. They crouch next to a bundle of sticks and branches, carefully arranged in a small pit, and click their fingers. A soft, black flame springs to life, and they yelped as frost crawls across their fingertips in response, despite the layers of furs. A wave of fingers delicately lift the ice from their skin, and a flick of the wrist flings it against a nearby tree, ice blanketing the thick trunk.

  They shiver, gripping the thick cloak across their shoulders, though it is already pulled taut. They lift their hands again, directed at the fire, but hesitate. They ultimately lower them and look around at the nearby, snow-covered trees. Sharp eyes scan the treeline, and hover over a pair of darkened red eyes returning the stare.

  The figure blinks, removing the scarf from their face and holding their hands up placatingly towards the hunched, animalistic creature crouching between the trees. It is as much of a dark stain on the otherwise pristine forest as they are.

  "Please," they speak, trying to ignore the waves of sharpened air rushing to chill them. They lock eyes with the other, and offer a soft, friendly smile towards it. The creature's eyes flick across them, as if deciphering their reasons for being so far north... deciphering if those reasons aligned with its own.

  They choose a new language, one that may have been its own, once. "Please," they repeat. Its wandering eyes snap back to theirs, as if understanding. "Consider a moment, before doing anything rash."

  It stares, curiosity piqued and calculating their motives-- whether they were an ally or a threat. They hold their breath and patiently wait.

  Shouts of others crack through the air, closely followed by the distant ringing of steel-on-steel and the cries of the wounded. Their head snaps toward the sounds, and their guard drops for a split-second. A massive shadow barrels into them, knocking them flat on the ground and a weight on their chest inhibiting their breathing. Powerful jaws clamp around their shoulder and they cry out in pain as fangs tear through flesh and muscle. The arm twists on instinct, tearing at the wounds, but they curl their fingers around the fangs and wrench them apart, forcing the bloody maw open.

  Holding the squirming creature's mouth open, they wrap their free hand around a forepaw the size of their ribcage and an arc of black energy erupts from their fingertips. It sears the fur as it strikes, quickly recoiling and lacing across their own arm as the monster flinches away. They take the brief window to roll out from beneath it, dragging their scarf around their nose again to muddle the stench of scorched fur and flesh.

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  The spring to their feet, black liquid staining the ground and their clothes. They ignore it and takes the change to fall into a proper stance, darkened energy curling and bending around their hands at their command. They stare at the recovering creature as it pulls its hulking body to its feet.

  Its shoulder and theirs are equal in height, dark blood invisible against matted fur but glistening across sharp white fangs. Its flesh is pulled taut against bones and its crimson eyes shine with intelligence as it limps around to circle them. The figure follows its movement and tries to convey their sympathy.

  "Surely Gehenna did not do this to you." It bares its teeth and snarls in response, deep, black blood dripping from its teeth and landing on the crisp white snow. The figure frowns. "Please do not make me kill you."

  It growls and lunges at them, but they are prepared this time and sidesteps the dive, the energy around their hands arcing and blasting the creature directly in the face. It yelps, and they feel another curl of pain shoot across their hands. Looking at the barely damaged fur across the demon's face, they look at the deep burns across their fingers from the recoil.

  Sidestepping another lunge, this time at their legs, violet fire licks from their open palms and connects with the beast's flank. A howl of agony slices the air, and as it takes a moment to recover from the wound, a ribbon of ice dances in the air across their shoulders.

  They turn their attention to weaving around the coil of ice, sweeping their shaking arm through the air as it molds into an unsteady sphere. It churns and bucks, trying to wrest from their control as they thrust their free hand to the side. The ice splinters, a dozen tiny spines held in the air as the figure turns and dances with the chaotic movements, desperate to keep control of the recoil. The demon stares on with a flash of fear as the figure wrangles the violet needles of ice, and fear turned to panic and horror as they thrust their hand forward. The needles cut through air, fur, flesh, and bone in pursuit of the creature's heart and it lets out a tiny yelp before falling to the black-stained snow.

  Taking a moment to catch their breath, they press a hand to their wound and kneels next to the creature. They don't flinch at the pain of cold seeping through their breeches and accented by the hot, sticky blood clinging to them.

  "I am sorry," they murmur to the corpse, "This did not need to come to bloodshed."

  They hang their head, taking a deep breath as their racing heart began to slow. They look at the dark, twisted creature sprawled across the snow in front of them, and feel the sludge sticking to their fingers. Quietly tracing a sigil across the creature's forehead in the black blood, the shade stands back as a charcoal light envelops the body, sweeping it from their world and returning it home.

  "I am sorry this happened," they say to the now-empty space, "I... I understand. But I cannot abandon them."

  The sounds of battle finally register in their mind, and they case a sidelong glance to their sluggishingly bleeding shoulder. Wrapping the injury, they snuff the fire with a wave of their hand and a warmth flares in their chest for an instant. It is quickly replaced with frigid air, and with a sigh, they trek towards the sounds of war, one hand hovering over the short, concealed blade tucked beneath their cloak.