When he had stepped through the shimmering white portal, he had had no idea what he should have expected to find.
It had been immediately cold. Harsh winds cut into his skin, slithering straight through his many layers of clothing. His face, hands, and feet went numb within a few seconds of walking, even holding his arms to protect himself from it.
The ground was slippery beneath his feet. His spiky mountain boots had allowed him some traction at first, but eventually, his feet slipped over the ice anyway. When he paused to look at the bottom of his feet, he found that the spikes were coated in ice, and he realized ice was slowly consuming his feet. He knocked off the ice on a nearby rock, but with a few seconds, he had to do it again.
Chunks of ice were also clinging to his legs, and when he looked at his arms, he noticed there was ice there as well. He brushed the ice off his arms with his numb hands. It did fall off his clothes, but then it immediately formed there again.
He turned back toward the portal, and he ran. Even though he was certain he had only taken a few steps away from the shimmering light, it never came back into view, so he turned to run in a different direction, thinking the wind must have gotten him turning in different directions. Making sure he paused just a few seconds just to brush off the ice crystallizing on his body, he turned in another direction. When that didn’t get him anywhere, he went into a different direction.
Then another and another until he finally realized he was not going to find that portal again.
After knocking off the ice crystals again, he picked a direction, and he went forward.
Either he got used to the wind, or it suddenly less harsh. Somehow it was easier to walk. Ice continued to form all over his body, but his limbs were warmer, like they had been given a break from the terrifying temperatures. When he looked up, he realized he could also see something other than pure white. There was something gray, and as he drew closer, he recognized the shape as that of a human. Behind that person, there was something even bigger and darker, but seeing the human shape brought some excitement into his heart. He found himself moving faster.
The giant, dark shape caught his eye first. It was a gate. Both iron doors were wide open, and in iron letters were the words “Welcome to Nifelheim” above it. Hundreds of people, many of which were mere skeletons, were bracing themselves against the wind as they shuffled through the gates.
He fell to his knees, mumbling the words written above the gates.
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