The wind screamed across the frozen wasteland, a relentless force that bit through Kael's layers of fur and leather. His breath came in shallow bursts, crystallizing in the air before vanishing into the storm. The endless white expanse offered no mercy, no shelter - only the promise of a slow, frozen death. Kael's boots crunched against the snow, each step a battle against the weight of exhaustion.
He had lost track of time days ago. The sun never truly rose here, and the nights were an eternal void. His supplies were nearly gone: a half-empty waterskin, a few strips of jerky, and a flint that refused to spark. Yet, he kept moving. Stopping meant death, and Kael wasn't ready to die. Not yet.
The storm intensified, the snow swirling around him like a living thing. Kael squinted through the blizzard, his sharp blue eyes scanning the void. That's when he saw it - a dark shape jutting out of the ice, a jagged silhouette against the white. Curiosity tugged at him, though his instincts screamed to turn back. He moved closer, his gloved hand resting on the hilt of his dagger.
The shape resolved into a massive ice formation, its surface smooth and glistening. At its base lay a body, half-buried in the snow. Kael crouched beside it, his breath catching in his throat. The corpse was frozen solid, its features obscured by frost. But what drew his attention was the arm--or what remained of it.
The right arm was mechanical, a intricate construct of gears, wires, and glowing veins of light that pulsed faintly, even in death. The hand was claw-like, sharp and menacing, yet undeniably ancient. Kael reached out, his fingers hovering over the metal.
"What are you?" he muttered, his voice barely audible over the wind.
The moment his glove brushed the mechanical hand, the world erupted in light.
A searing pain shot through Kael's arm, as if the metal were tearing him apart from the inside. He stumbled back, clutching his right arm as the mechanical hand detached from the corpse with a sickening crunch. The gears whirred to life, the veins of light blazing brighter as it floated in the air, twisting and reshaping itself. Before Kael could react, it lunged at him.
He screamed as the machine fused with his arm, the metal digging into his flesh, the light searing his veins. Visions flooded his mind flashes of a battlefield, a towering war machine, a civilization reduced to ash. He saw the corpse's face, not frozen in death but alive and screaming, as the machine consumed him.
When the pain subsided, Kael collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. His right arm was no longer his own. The Engine he didn't know how he knew its name, but it was there, in his mind was now a part of him. The mechanical hand flexed, responding to his thoughts, the light within it pulsing in time with his heartbeat.
"What the hell are you?" Kael growled, his voice trembling with anger and fear.
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind. "I am the Engine. And you are my new wielder."
Kael's eyes widened. "You can talk?"
"I am more than a machine. I am a tool, a weapon, and a curse. And now, you are bound to me."
"Bound to you?" Kael snapped, his voice rising. "I didn't ask for this!"
"You touched me. You awakened me. The bond is irreversible."
Kael clenched his fists, the mechanical hand whirring softly. "Then get the hell out of my arm!"
"Impossible. We are one now. Whether you like it or not."
Kael cursed under his breath, his mind racing. He glanced at the corpse, now just a hollow shell. "What happened to him? The last guy you… bonded with?"
"He was weak. He could not control me. In the end, I consumed him."
"Great," Kael muttered. "So I'm just your next meal?"
"That depends on you. Control me, and you will wield unimaginable power. Fail, and you will share his fate."
Kael shook his head, his frustration boiling over. "I don't want your power! I just want to survive!"
"Survival requires power. And I can give you that. But you must learn to trust me."
"Trust you?" Kael barked a bitter laugh. "You're a parasite!"
"I am your only chance of living through the night."
Before Kael could retort, a low, guttural growl echoed through the storm. He froze, his eyes scanning the white void. The growl came again, closer this time, sending a chill down his spine.
"What now?" Kael muttered.
"Turn around," the Engine said, its voice calm but urgent.
Kael turned, his heart pounding. Emerging from the storm was a massive figure, its fur white as the snow, its eyes glowing like embers. It stood on two legs, towering over him, its breath visible in the freezing air. A yeti.
Kael's hand instinctively reached for his dagger, but he knew it was useless against a creature like this. The yeti roared, its voice shaking the ground beneath him.
"I can help you defeat it," the Engine said.
Kael hesitated, his mind racing. "And what's the cost?"
"A small fraction of your life force. A fair trade for survival."
The yeti charged, its massive feet pounding against the snow. Kael clenched his mechanical fist, the Engine's light flaring to life.
"Fine," he growled. "But if you try anything -"
"Focus," the Engine interrupted. "Or we both die."
Kael took a deep breath, his eyes locked on the charging yeti. The Engine's light pulsed, and for the first time, he felt its power coursing through him.
The yeti was almost upon him.