CHAPTER 188: ONE SNOWY NIGHT

"Please, spare me the gratitude for hospitalizing you. I did it only for my reasons, not yours," the man said.

With that, he bowed his head, his dark suit shimmering underneath the lantern’s luminance. As Asahi bundled up near the fireplace, the man introduced himself. "I am Trid, a member of The Blacksmiths from Blacksmith Haven, father of Primrose. So tell me, before you drink your hot chocolate, what on earth were you doing in such a dangerous spot like Sleepy Serpent Shores?"

Asahi let out a weary sigh as the mug warmed his hands. Only powerful teleportation magic could have flung him so far, and he couldn’t shake the suspicion that Aiyana was behind it. The idea of being whisked away to the edge of the ocean made him wonder if fate or mere chance was to blame.

"Well? Are you going to answer, or do we have to kick you out?" Trid said, his agitation obvious even as Primrose intervened, trying to calm him.

Asahi took another slow sip, the silence stretching between heartbeats as he gathered the scattered pieces of his courage to finally speak.

"I came from Linuxinia." He said, "From a city hidden in the clouds."

"Hidden in the clouds?" Primrose and Trid repeated, fixated on the idea. Asahi could tell they knew nothing of this city, but he shifted the focus. "We’re in Astait, near Tower Valley. Forget it. Let’s rest tonight. Tomorrow, we can go on an expedition."

"Expedition?" Asahi mumbled as he pulled out his magical map and placed it on the wooden table. "Where? And what are we trying to get?" he asked.

As the snowstorm outside grew stronger, Grandpa shuffled over and said,

"This artifact, the Sphere—damned thing’s priceless. It’s a legend from the old world, whatever that means." Grandpa wrinkled his forehead at Primrose, then nodded. "I agree with Trid and Primrose. Let’s rest and start fresh in the morning."

After Primrose’s gentle coaxing failed to soften Grandpa’s gruffness, Asahi was shown to a bedroom, tucked away at the end of the hall, the last of three doors on the right.

"You’re lucky to get one of these damn rooms," the grandpa said. "Rotting out in the winter wouldn’t help our reputation. Get some damn rest and warm up, that bed’s the comfiest in the nation." With only one bed, Asahi slept near the fireplace, while Primrose took a black and white fur coat, fixing her bed.

Swiftly, the pink-haired girl lent him it to Asahi and said,

"This is my mother’s coat. Feel free to use it whenever you wish!" She took a pause. " Mother would always wear this to keep herself warm in harsh snowstorms like the one tonight." Slowly, she placed and equipped it on Asahi, snapping the buttons into position and dragging it into place. "When my mother was still around, she would always go to these beast-infested ruins scattered all over Astait wearing this. She took all the bounties from both Eruknshinkdle city and Blacksmith Haven, slaying all the monsters she could."

Once the coat was snug around him, Primrose’s cheeks flushed as the collar brushed against Asahi’s lips. He, however, seemed untouched by any hint of affection, lost in his own thoughts.

"Sweet dreams," Primrose said as she slowly closed the door.

"You..." Just as the door slammed, Asahi hopelessly let out a sigh. "...too."

In that quiet moment, the absence of his sister left Asahi adrift, unable to think or act as he once did. Aiyana’s revelation tangled with his grief, weaving sorrow and bitterness he struggled to bear. Ever since he awoke in Astait, questions churned in his mind—about the cruelty he’d faced by the port, and the strange fortune that led him to these unlikely companions.

The memory of snowstorms stealing his sister and the sting of recent truths kept his frown unbroken. He nibbled sweet bread, nestled by the fire, sipped milk, and watched the flames dance. After bidding Primrose good night, he closed his eyes and counted softly—one, two, three—his nightly ritual. But instead of warmth, a cold surge of memory swept through him, chilling him to the core.

. . .

The sensation swelled, flickered, then faded away. When Asahi opened his eyes, he stood in a meadow of emerald grass, alive with birdsong and the gentle rush of crystal-clear water. The scene radiated peace, almost otherworldly in its beauty. Love flooded his heart as he wandered, gazing at castles that soared skyward, their walls painted in every hopeful color. A smile crept onto his face as he recognized this dreamlike world from memory.

Then, in the corner of his vision, he spotted someone holding the hand of a white-haired man. Yet Asahi remained a ghost in this place—he could see, hear, and breathe in the sweet scents, but the textures and cool breezes, like the fluttering hummingbirds, remained forever out of reach.

"Mom!" Asahi called out as a tall woman with long, white hair and a sturdy man entered. "Dad!" a little girl cried, hugging him. He lifted her with one hand, placing her on his left shoulder, while young Asahi held his right. The silver-haired girl sat with the woman while others looked on in respect. While the present day Asahi hopelessly spectates.

"Another peaceful walk today?" the woman said with her thick, clear voice.

"Indeed. I say we pay our little worshippers a visit." The man replied with a firm pose.

As they walked along the shoreline, worshippers from all over the world gathered around them, fascinated.

"Did our prayers come true? The Adtraic here, in the flesh?!"

"My, how long has it been since The Adtraic has been here? Why are they here at this moment?"

At that point, people started sharing and trading discussions on why the Supreme Rulers of the World arrived at Gwenneg of all places rather than their thrones. But just as they could gather up more questions.

"People of all races and distinctions, I hereby declare the exact words from our royal family, Owners of this world." As the five gathered around wearing their sleek white robes, the two began to speak. "Gwenneg will belong to the first child of the Adtraic, Asahi, The Ruler of Hope!"

At that appropriation, the crowd roared in applause. Thousands of people gathered on the beach, whether by ship or walk. No one wanted to miss this rare occasion. In the midst of the announcement, statues were erected with Asahi in mind.

Several sanctuaries and buildings claimed the lush territory, followed by castles and towers.

But as the happy memories trickled down like snowflakes, a horrified voice sounded out from the space.

"The Ruler of Snow! She’s gone haywire!" At once the lush greenery was consumed in deadly winter, spreading out to every corner of this part of the world. The once lush castles froze into bitter ruins in a heartbeat. Seconds before, the mother and father of the Adtraic family both dealt with the monstrosity that consumed the land in a thick piece of ice.

"Telmuva, you don’t have to do this!"

"Join us, not them." The woman added.

But she was far beyond saving.

A century passed. The once lush terrain transmogrified, the cities built purely for the relentless snow storms. The ruins of the castles once entombed before suddenly...

. . .

The engulfing light swallowed the towers and snow-scaped mountains below. To the north, grasslands scorched to a crisp, while in the south, Gwenneg’s glaciers thundered down into the sea. This is a nation beyond saving, all had sunk below. And yet, one question dawned in his mind...

( What happened to this world?)

Another memory, something that was shrouded and fogged up until now appeared before his mind. A recollection that had not dawned on him ever since Aletha and he left this world.

"Shall I use all my strength to save this wretched world?" A tall, dark-haired woman wearing a golden halo and minimal clothing appeared. "All owners have left."

(The Establisher?)

Yes, the one that he thought destroyed their world, turned out to be...

"Why out of all planets, does The Prism choose here? Do I have to follow in this measly pathway formed by our destroyers? Why does the Orb reside here too?"

Following her mysterious allegories, holding her hand out and clenching together, she slowly slid her finger against her thumb. And as she levitated, with just one snap,

(BOOM)

The world fractured. Several pieces collectively gathered and reformed. Gwenneg, Azazel, Callista, all of it reshaped in just one snap. A golden luminance overpowered the purple luminance before suddenly...

(BOOM)

A second explosion more powerful than the last happened, reshaping the world after another and then just after...

(BOOM)

The third and last explosion, the one that made all pieces scatter, exploded. As all the fragments were taken away, The Establisher grabbed chunks of the old world’s pieces mixed with the fragments of destroyed worlds, then she melded and forged them together.

Just as things faded to black, two swallowing vortexes orbited the world with a pale blue light shimmering behind.

"Gincad." She said with brilliance and awe.

. . .

(What? NO. Let me back! She’s responsible for the longevity of my world? Is she the one who stopped Aiyana? What about Aletha?)

Just before he could ask more questions, the tunnel of dreams blurred, pulling him abruptly back into wakefulness.

Thick snowflakes drifted down, piling on the narrow ledge outside the moving room as Asahi stirred.

He awoke on a hardwood floor—his cheek pressed against it—startled to find, right next to his face, none other than...

"Primrose?"

"You look good in my wife’s coat," Trid said from the back, hardly giving a chuckle.

Arctic wind howled through the wagon, and Asahi’s frown deepened, his mood turning from bad to sour.

It seemed to Asahi that he had awakened in a horse-drawn wagon, carrying them over to whatever destination. Then, after being given cues of what this room was, on the very back of the carriage was Asahi’s magical map with a few red daggers pointing to the destination.

"We had to get a map somehow," Primrose said as she flushed her cheeks from the cold.

Asahi doubted that getting the map was Primrose’s idea. Her stance and personality convinced him otherwise. He shot a questioning look toward Trid, who was at the reins and focused on driving, which left only one more person to suspect.

"Grandpa?"

Despite only being with them for a day, Asahi already felt attached to all three. If Primrose hadn’t spotted him before, he wondered what might have become of him.

He looked down and noticed three cases of luggage at his feet.

One case was a solid rectangle, another was round and oval-shaped, and the last was not luggage at all—just several enchanted soil canisters, each tinted a different color. Asahi scratched his head in confusion just as the wagon lurched over a piece of debris. Looking out the window, he saw a jagged stone spike piercing the ground, seemingly growing upwards. But that wasn’t the reason the carriage had ground to a halt.

Blocking their path was a giant polar bear with six arms, ready to attack all five passengers. The bear hurled its glass weapon, prepared to engage in combat.

The four-armed polar bear lumbered forward, eyes blazing with menace, clutching a sword that jutted from its own snowy hide.

With a guttural roar, it hurled a jagged icicle skyward, aiming to strike its foes. In a flash, Primrose darted to the third piece of luggage, snatching up a soil canister.

She flung it high, and it erupted in a burst of searing heat, singeing the bear’s fur. The bear screeched in pain. Primrose and Asahi threw more soil canisters; those containing volcanic soil burned the bear, while others with green soil seemed to heal its wounds.

"We had no intentions of fighting it," Primrose said as her father readied a fireball from his staff, her voice cutting through the flurry of battle. "But if we can’t get past it, we all die."

Suddenly, Trid threw a volcanic soil and charged straight at it. One strike and two strikes, the bear had lost an arm. Three hits and four blows, the bear was rendered helpless. Five plunges and six heartbeats, the beast’s arms were shredded to oblivion.

Primrose couldn’t hesitate to celebrate the victory. But just before she...

(SWING)

Another bear-like monstrosity appeared behind. With hope jetting off second by second, the three had to either make a choice, stay here and fight these beasts, or run and flee to preserve precious time.

After seconds of thought, they chose the latter choice and..

"Get up! We’re leaving. I can’t afford to lose my life today." Trid yelled as he whipped the horses. After nearly dodging a strike from the beasts, off they went into the snowy arctic of Astait.

. . .