When Astrid awoke, she found herself in her bed, the familiar smell of home mingled with the sterility of bandages and herbs. The sunlight that streamed through the window felt muted, the room more somber than she remembered.

As her eyes adjusted, she realized that everything felt different. The walls seemed closer, and a heavy weight pressed down on her chest. She looked down and saw her leg encased in a cast, immobilized and painful.

Astrid's heart sank as memories flooded back—the cave, the screams, the faces of her siblings. They felt like shadows that hovered just out of reach, haunting her in the silence of her room. She turned her head slowly, finding her parents sitting vigil beside her, their faces etched with worry and sorrow.

"Welcome back, Astrid," her mother said softly, brushing a hand over her hair. But the warmth of her touch did little to ease the chill that had settled in Astrid's heart.

"What happened to them?" she managed to whisper, her voice cracking.

Her father's expression darkened as he shared a look with her mother. "We're still searching for answers, sweetheart," he said gently. "We will find out what happened to your siblings."

The weight of their words hung heavy in the air, an unspoken promise mingled with the harsh reality of their loss. Astrid turned her gaze to the window, where the snow continued to fall, blanketing the world outside in a cold, silent reminder of the pain she now carried.

In that moment, she understood—nothing would ever be the same again. The warmth of childhood joy had been replaced with shadows of grief, and the path ahead would be filled with struggles she could not yet comprehend.