They say he was a myth, riding on the stories that others whispered to each other in fear, warning them of the telltale signs of when he was there.

They knew when the temperature dropped and it suddenly felt a lot colder to the point they couldn’t feel their fingers. They knew when they could see their own clouds of breath as they tried to control the shaking of their arms. They knew when a wind chill surrounded them, enveloping them with frost even though they were inside.

They knew because they did something wrong.

The victims never saw him though; never even had a chance to scream when claws of ice would dig into their bodies piece by piece.

And the only thing he would ever leave in his wake was red staining the stark white snow.

*

*

*

On one of the more chilly nights, Baekhyun found himself swearing up a storm when he realized that he had missed the last bus home. Without any other mode of transportation, he was stuck with no choice but to walk home. Only armed with his flimsy jacket and his uniform from the restaurant he was working at as a waiter, it provided no warmth from the cold that enclosed around him.

Wrapping his arms around himself, Baekhyun started his trek home and thought about the last time he had been out during this time of night. For as long as Baekhyun could remember, he had never walked home ever since the last time he got mugged on the street a few months back and he was simply too afraid to after that.

Baekhyun soon started a light jog when the thought entered his mind and tried to focus on which direction would lead him back home the quickest. His thoughts instantly grew paranoid when he believed he heard a presence near him and the light jog turned into a run as an answer, his breath quickening and his legs aching only after a few minutes. When he no longer felt anyone was around, he finally slowed down.

It was only then, he heard a scream.

*

*

*

Baekhyun turned around to the corner of a building and peered down the alleyway to see a young woman pushed up against the wall by an older man in a hoodie, a knife in his hand and a sneer distorting his face.

“You think you can run away from me?” The man asked, a growl underlining his voice, “You think you can push me away for weeks and think that they aren’t any consequences?”

The woman only whimpered in answer, barely moving and trying her best not to shake under the fear that held her there hostage.

“Don’t forget darling, I’m stronger than you, and I can do whatever the hell I want with you.” The man chuckled, moving the blade over her blouse slowly and with precision he cut a button off; her jacket was already on the ground long forgotten.

Baekhyun stood frightened at the sight and for the young woman, unsure of what to do to help that wouldn’t endanger them both.

He didn’t have to do anything though because in that moment, shivers ran down his spine and he could see in front of his very eyes the myth that everyone whispered about appear before him as if out of nowhere. A cloud of ice following every step he took.

The man didn’t notice what was behind him but neither did the woman, as the man continued to cut off button by button with his knife, the air only filled with the woman’s sobs.

Before him, he could see the cold materialize shards of ice so sharp and it was only a second before the first one stabbed through the heart of the man.

Blood spilled out of the man’s mouth as he glanced down at his chest, seeing the large wedge of ice protruding from him and red blossoming around his wound, almost surprised that it was even there. Another shard followed afterwards until all of them entered his chest, his body jolting with each hit.

When it was done, the man dropped his knife as he stumbled back from the woman, gurgling words that couldn’t be made out before he crumpled to the ground, eyes blankly staring up at the starry night.

The woman all the while, just shakily side stepped away from the body and ran where Baekhyun stood at the corner, never even seeing that he was there as she sped past him.

Baekhyun stumbled back to avoid her but only succeeded in bumping into a trashcan and alerting the myth of his presence.

He turned towards Baekhyun, skin that was white and translucent, but now splattered with blood. His hair was silver and luminous under the moonlight and ice crystallization that spread through his skin like tattoos, marking him and telling Baekhyun exactly who he was.

His eyes, a pale blue flashed as it made eye contact with Baekhyun who gasped.

It was him, it was Frost.

*

*

*

Baekhyun should have ran, just like the woman did but he couldn’t, because it was less than a second that Frost stood right in front of him, the cold he previously felt grew stronger by tenfold.

At that moment, he could see how shorter he was, how small and helpless he was compared to him, his body now cowering away as Frost leaned closer to him.

“How could you see me?” Frost questioned his voice deep and melodious lulling Baekhyun into a false sense of security as the tone wrapped around him till he felt numb all over.

Baekhyun just shook his head, looking away from the eyes that pierced right through him, “I don’t—I don’t know.”

The male who stood before him narrowed his eyes in answer and Baekhyun’s arms, despite being covered with two layers were covered with goose bumps.

Frost grasped his chin, and Baekhyun could feel the veins beneath his skin quiver at the freezing touch as he turned him so he was now staring up at him.

He said nothing for a long while just studying Baekhyun, and the latter tried his best not to shake under the attention. He was frightened, rightly so, because of all the stories that involved Frost and the fact he was real and tangible now and no longer someone people regarded as a myth only meant that the stories others spoke of, turned out to be true.

It was then Baekhyun finally realized he had, just minutes ago, witnessed with his very eyes a murder conducted by the man who stood before him.

It was the distress that propelled him to speak, “Let me go.” Baekhyun whispered, tears gathering in his eyes. If he were to die tonight, no one would know and they would never find out. He would just become another story, told to others to warn them of the dangers of the night and for the life of him, he didn’t want to end up like that.

Maybe it was something he saw in Baekhyun’s eyes that Frost eventually stepped back from the space he had invaded.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, “You have to believe me, I don’t want to hurt you.”

Baekhyun just nodded, the quicker he cooperated with Frost, the quicker he would let him go.

“I’ll help you home,” he continued, “It’s still dangerous around here.”

“No wait—” Baekhyun started but when Frost pressed his fingers against his forehead, he felt his eyes grow heavy and his limbs no longer had any strength to continue holding him up as he collapsed into the male’s arms.

Everything went dark.

*

*

*

When Baekhyun’s eyes open, he breathed a sigh of relief when he took in his surroundings—the light green walls he painted last year in his little apartment, with the large map that he pinned of all the places he would go visit one day. The dresser with his clothes strewn over them and the pile of crumpled drawings in the corner, the familiarity warmed him and he was just happy that it was all a dream.

Sliding from under his covers, Baekhyun walked over his window where he pulled away his curtains and allowed the sun to pour in; however he in a breath when he saw what was on it.

Written on the window with crystal ice were words that made everything that happened last night as real as it could be.

I didn’t mean to scare you. – C.

Baekhyun grasped the curtain and pulled it shut once more, not wanting to look at the words for any longer. He thought about what the male did that night, about his silver hair and his pale eyes, ones that felt as though it bore a hole right through him. He remembered the red against his skin, how his words were gentle almost, and the way his hands held him softly when he fell.

It was almost contradictory of what he saw before his eyes, how the man slaughtered without so much of a pause, yet when he stood before Baekhyun he seemed amazed, surprised even.

He was known as Frost to almost everyone around town, and yet it seemed as though he had another name. He wondered just who “C” was but another thought stopped him from thinking further. How did he know where he lived?

A shiver passed through his body, and Baekhyun shook his head, ridding himself of it.

He couldn’t continue to dwell on him anymore, he couldn’t.

Pushing the memory behind him, he moved on with his life trying his best to forget, for the sake of his sanity.

*

*

*

A week of normalcy passed by before Baekhyun soon noticed the signs.

The whispers of snow that followed his wake, the way the temperature would always be slightly cooler than usual and the odd moments in which Baekhyun could see his own breath.

He couldn’t stop pretending any longer no matter how much he wanted to. 

“Come out.” Baekhyun said, once he was settled in at home, sitting on his couch with a blanket wrapped around him. He held a knife that was hidden beneath his blanket, prepared to fight if he had to, not that it would make much of a difference but it still gave him a sense of protection.

Once the words had uttered, like how he had appeared on that night, he did so the same way with the clouds of ice.

Taking in his appearance once again, Baekhyun could only stare in wonder. Now that he wasn’t covered with blood, he felt almost approachable, less scary but he stayed back, wary and still afraid.

“Why are you here?” Baekhyun asked when it didn’t seem like the other would offer any type of information.

The male opened his mouth, before he closed it, repeating it a couple of times before he finally spoke, “You’re the first to ever see me and I don’t know why.”

It was the confused, almost vulnerable tone in his voice that made Baekhyun loosen the grip from the knife he was holding. His mind went back to the message that he had left on the window as he took in the slouched shoulders and the way his pale eyes were downcast as he ran a hand through his fingers. He seemed so ordinary with his actions and yet he was someone no one ever saw, aside from Baekhyun himself, where he only left a cold mark wherever he went.

“Who are you?”

The male paused as if no one had dared ask him that question before as he tried to mull it over. Had it been months, years even that the man last spoke to someone?

Silence encompassed the two of them before the man finally spoke quietly, "My name is Chanyeol."

*

*

*

After he said his name, Chanyeol sat in the chair opposite of Baekhyun with a sigh so heavy that Baekhyun could almost feel the weight of his burdens riding on his shoulders before he turned his sorrow filled eyes at Baekhyun.

He grew up more fortunate than others, with parents that loved him dearly and an older sister that doted over him, though because of that it made it all the more worse.

Their family lived on the edge of town, closer to the forest that surrounded them than of other houses but it was never a bother to any of them. Nature was a beautiful thing, calming and peaceful, and Chanyeol was someone who always enjoyed going out because it was the one entity that would never give him any heartache. He felt safe in the forest than around others his age because as he learned—they were cruel people out there.

The night that turned him to what he was present day was the night where the stars could not be seen because of a whirlwind blizzard, lashing at everyone who would dare go out. His parents at the time were out of town for the week, to visit some in-laws and while Chanyeol and his sister should have gone also, they were delegated home when his sister expressed her distaste over certain relatives. Chanyeol had the same sentiments as well, and eventually after much discussion the both of them were allowed to stay only if they watched out for each other and were careful of where they went. The siblings readily agreed, and with that their parents left but not before offering hugs and kisses.  

Alone, Chanyeol spent more time in the serenity of the forest during that week since normally his parents would limit the amount, worried for his wellbeing. His sister on the other hand, like a normal young adult, would be on the phone with her friends and it wasn’t long before she invited the boy she had been seeing for a couple weeks over for a visit. Now, Chanyeol didn’t mind visitors but some reason her boyfriend made his spine tingle with hatred. When Chanyeol tried to explain his thoughts however, his sister didn’t even spare him a thought, brushing it off and so in turn he let the thoughts just run past him.

That was his mistake.

As dusk approached, Chanyeol had retreated to his bedroom to retire however when he closed his eyes, he heard his sister scream for his name, a scream that would echo and reside within him forever.

Chanyeol raced towards her room but by the time he reached her, he was simply too late. His sister had laid on her bed, pale and , tears drying on her face and slit, still bleeding onto her body.

Rage was what filled Chanyeol at the sight as he stormed out of their home, his mind focused on catching the killer, the one person he was sure was the one who did it.

The only thing though, despite th