”…A rose?” I blinked for a bit and stared at Veles as if I was waiting for the punch line that never came.

“Yes, a rose! You simply have to ask her for one, and when she gives it to you, show it to me. That is all.”

I stared at him. The fact that I did not know the catch just made me more suspicious. “Okay, if I do get you this rose, you’ll answer all my questions truthfully- and how does this affect training?”

Veles waved his hand in the air. “Yes, yes, I guarantee that I will answer you truthfully, and as for your training, perhaps I can give you a few more blessings to jump-start your career.”

He leaned in to me. “I will say, however, this shall serve as a test as well, how well you can handle being in the court of the divine.”

“W-Well…” I gave a half-hearted shrug. “I’m handling being with you just fine?”

The god of mischief gave a cheshire grin and a little chuckle. “Oh, you certainly are. But she shall be on an entirely different level. Do you think you’re up to it?”

Honestly, the answer was no. That question has essentially been handed to me for the last few hours, and the answer shall always be no. But it was never about whether I’m up to it. The fact is, I have to be up to it, for the sake of myself and others.

“Yeah. As ready as I ever could be.”

“Wonderful! Now then, a few ground rules for this.” Veles walked towards one of the trees in the distance, and as I followed him, I finally began to notice people. Like, actual people, tall, short, some of them Destined Ones, a few of them children, and so on and so forth. All of them wandered around, talked, and even went into little cottages and or mansions in the distance.

“...I nearly forgot this place as the land of the dead,” I muttered under my breath as I watched them all be together in peace.

“And yet they are more alive than ever!” Sang out Veles as he stopped under another willow tree. He reached out with his staff and unhooked some of the branches, causing three to fall down onto a basket he suddenly had.

“You cannot tell her that I sent you. In fact, I already made sure that she can’t read my Magick on you, or tried at least, if she concentrates very well, then you shall be turned into another statue of ice to serve in her court.”

I would have gulped if I could. But I had a feeling he wasn’t done quite yet.

“And you can’t steal a rose either… Not that you can, her whole palace is an extension of her form, and she has a very paranoid mind to her, especially if it’s going to be about you.”

“Me? What did I ever do to her?” When I asked that question, I could visibly remember a look of disgust as I passed along the face of a beautiful, pale-skinned woman sitting on a throne.

He handed me the basket filled with the willow branches, and of course, I grabbed the handle.

“It’s more like what you are to her. You’re the anomaly that rounded up the souls of the damned and began to rampage around the Nawia before shooting across the Jawia and Prawia. Your awakening single-handedly sent forth a chain reaction across the world. The dead have returned, the gods have begun to stir, unease grows like grass as winter…”

Veles stared up at the roots. “Might begin to turn into Spring.” There was a genuine smile on his face when he said that, but I still couldn’t tell if that was an act or not.

“So what’s stopping her from just turning me into a popsicle when I step in?”

He then patted me on the shoulder. “Hope.”

I stared at him, directly in the face as if trying to see if this was one of his bullshittery, but he stared back, not even nodding, as my heart sank.

Hope was all that protected me, huh… Wait, maybe my powers still would? Well, maybe? Because what good is my Magick in the face of a goddess?

“Oh… Okay then. So uh, I walk right in, hope she doesn’t just auto delete me, and then ask her for a rose, hope she doesn’t try to make me into a statue, and then walk right out?”

“Correct! And you have these willow branches, too. They’re a surprise tool to help you later.”

I narrowed my eyes and frowned. “Help me with what? What could they do?”

He patted me on the head again. “You’ll find out later.”

An internal groan echoed within me as I just sighed. “Alright then, as long as they would actually help.”

“Of course! You have my word, and that right there is the most powerful thing you can have. Names are words after all.” He laughed as if he had told some horrible joke before patting my back. “Are you good to go, little Echo?”

“I really have to get myself a better title, don’t I?” I tried to laugh, and he just nodded with me.

“We can workshop it later when you’re done.”

“Well… Guess I’m ready.” I turned towards the castle of ice in the distance before Veles pushed me ahead. I nearly fell down before I caught myself.

“Ugh, what was-“ I turned around and once more, he was completely gone.

“…Figures.” I grumbled before I continued towards the fortress of the goddess who lay in solitude.

After a few more steps towards the mansion, I noticed a few things. First, it was cold. Like, Galfania trekking cold. I felt my body shiver, and the desire to curl up into a ball grew. If this were reality I definitely would have literally been destroyed by the gangrene or frostbite.

The second was the people there, or rather, the statues of people. They were made of ice and scattered around the perimeter of the castle, like warning signs. Upon their faces were expressions of despair, loss, pain, and suffering. Some of them were clutching each other, and some of them were in the middle of running.

I tried to avoid them, but it felt like they were staring at me, watching me, judging me even. The worst part is, was that every time I stepped close to one of them, I could hear their voices. I could feel their memories.

“Go… Run, I’ll hold them off!”

“We have to keep moving forward!”

“Mom… They’re all around us…”

They were in different languages, but my head knew them so well that it was basically translated into my head. I winced, looking around as the memories started to pour in like how it was with the Smorodina.

I was a warrior fighting against legions of golems made of ice. I was a mother holding my dying son in my arms as I began to succumb to the harsh winter. I was a young boy, bleeding from my wounds as I was shot in the back by a soldier.

I managed to hold myself together, striding forth with purpose.

‘I wish we could help them…’

His voice came, speaking to my mind as I stopped in place. “Get out…” I muttered, and silence was what was returned to me.

“Good.”

I sighed before continuing forward, trying to brush my mind of the encounter before suddenly hearing a crunch behind me. I turned and found several ice statues holding curved blades, stalking me from a few paces away.

They stared at me, and I stared back. For a moment, I thought they were about to attack, but they just stood there.

“Must be the security system… Kinda weird since she’s a goddess.” I turned around again, heading straight towards the front of the mansion with no other distractions this time.

It was kind of wondrous, the castle grounds were snowed in, with the trees being completely barren, with only icicles being the leaves on their branches. The walls were somehow ornate as if carved from stone, even though it was literally made of clear and blue ice.

When I made my way to the front entrance, I found what appeared to be one of those draw bridges, complete with chains and an opening in the center that revealed a small garden that had plants made of pure snow.

On both sides of the entrance were massive crystals made of ice that appeared to be appendages and limbs to help them walk upright. I couldn’t see their eyes, but I could feel them staring directly at me, too.

I stepped forward, and yet they didn’t stop me. I took another step, and they didn’t even move. So I began to walk through the open gates without any resistance at all. I even got to the ginormous leaf-shaped double doors that had intricate carvings along the front side.

However, these ones I could make sense of. I saw a woman who was hoisted up by multiple people before being taken in front of a man holding an axe. The man and the woman then do battle with each other.

On the right side of the door, it showed that if the man won, flowers emerged from the body of the woman.

On the right side of the door, it showed that if the woman won, frost would completely encase the body of the man.

It was obviously some kind of ritual, but for what? I was reminded of some old stories in Galfania that they recovered. One that always struck me was how to bring winter to an end; they would have to sacrifice some lady.

I reached out to touch both doors. Suddenly, a surge of power coursed through my body, cold whispers shot down my ears telling me to go forward, and so I did.

I pushed on both of the doors aside with all my might, revealing a grand lobby with an empty fountain in the middle, and a glowing chandelier hanging precariously on top. Around the fountain were two staircases leading up to the second floor. They were curved along the fountains and met at the far end middle of the lobby, creating an archway to a hall.

“Enter… Echo.” A frail yet beautiful voice spoke out, nearly causing me to jump away before I saw it was… Girl? It was a young girl with skin as white as snow and hair as black as tar. She wore a tattered gown streaked with blood and seemed to be floating in the air.

I looked around, and there were several more of these girls, all of them surrounding me, staring straight at my soul.

“L-Like inside?” I pointed towards the lobby as they all nodded along.

“Okay then… I’ll take that as a sign of acceptance, thanks whoever you all are?” They didn’t respond; instead, they floated towards the lobby and up the stairs before stopping to stare at me, as if they were waiting for my presence.

I stepped foot into the lobby, and instantly I felt something overtake me. This feeling of dread, of anxiety, of death itself looming just behind me. It felt as if I turned around, I would find the face of the reaper incarnate, for I already had their breath running down my neck.

I shook my head, trying to remove such thoughts from my mind, but they always stayed. I had to be strong, climbing up the stairs as flashes of drowning and hypothermia began to weigh on my mind. Sometimes when I turned to face the walls, I would find my reflection, dead, as if they were trapped in the ice, frozen forever.

“W-What- I…” I closed my eyes, simply following along with the floating girls down the hallway; they were leading me, while trying to ignore the pressure on my body. I didn't notice or even know what was happening; everything around me was becoming more and more blurry... Until I heard a grandiose and powerful voice speak out to me.

“Damned Angel. Why have you come here?”