The previously sunny morning turned completely dark. The atmosphere is suffocating those in the school area. Those who were in the near vicinity to the swirling dome of white were only paralyzed in fear and extreme cold as if they’re stuck in the middle of a raging winter day.

“What is this…?” a certain red-haired boy asked, his violet eyes looking at the sphere with confusion and uncertainty.

“It was a magic explosion!” a boy with lilac purple hair answered, frowning as he looked at the same view. Another young man with a rounded pair of beast ears like that of a lion growled.

“Oi! Hurry up and instruct these students out of here!” the lion boy shouted.

“That thing is growing and those who caught in the blast might not escape from the blizzard” the lion said.

Not far from them, a person looked at the huge dome with concerned red eyes. Their pure white hair swaying along with the violent wind. Their blazer had long been blown away by the winds. Their eyelids fall a bit as they hold their grounds with their fire barrier - in an effort to try and protect the students, some of which are quite literally almost frozen statues.

“... Someone woke up a sleeping beast…” Marith muttered to themself, noticing the fast approaching footsteps coming towards them. The albino old soul looked at Aerelle, their silver-haired ward who looked at them with an equally concerned look. A certain golden-haired fellow walking striding closer towards them became a focus for the albino senior student - noticing the usual reaction of fear and discomfort by the other mob students as he went past them.

“Blackhorns” look straight ahead at the wall of blizzard - hearing the sorrowful scream underneath all the violent noises by the aftermath of the magic explosion. Without a word, he simply made his way to the wall of snow and wind. After a while disappearing from the sight of his fellow dorm residents.

“Young master!” it was not long after that when a loud voice of a boy reached their ears. Marith let out a huff and Aerelle simply didn’t bother to react to the boisterous junior at the back - only looking at the direction where the golden-haired male went.

“Lord Marith! Why did you let him go into the blizzard?!” the boy with pale green hair asked, panicked. The girl with basically the same features as the boy in front of her let out a sigh.

“Zayen. Quit that. Can’t you see Lord Marith is holding the blizzard from growing even further? Stop nitpicking on whatever our lord is doing” she said.

“Zielle, you should be worried too! What if the Young Master got hurt by this uncontrolled magic blizzard?” the boy named Zayen shouted at his twin sister. The girl named Zielle pouted. Marith let out a chuckle.

“You children should try to trust your lord a bit more. He knows what he’s doing. He’s saving his new friend” Marith chuckled. Aerelle let out a sigh.

“I hope Aediva is alright after all this…” the silver-haired boy said, gazing at the raging blizzard.

She never remembered anything about her own past. Where she was born. To whom she was born to. What sort of life had she lived. Whether or not she had family. Most of the time, she only heard what both Eden and Arthur talked about. Their experience, she knows not the feeling of anything she ever had.

There was no real motivation. She just did things because she had nothing to do. When she knew it, she had already been taken advantage of by Marie. Fatigue, stress, there was an abundance of them the past week that she felt as if her whole body was crumbling. Yet she has yet to know the worst of it.

That magic cast on her by Marie - it… It made her feel something. Something unpleasant. A boiling anger not like the one she felt with Cath. Annoyance that gnawed more of her mind. To hear what everyone was talking about. To listen to what Cath has heard. She didn’t mean to hurt Cath yet she kicked him like she would to a little can.

She felt as if her heart froze. The intense chill pricking at her insides. The raging cold rage of being humiliated. She dislikes it through and through. The coldness that engulfed her at that very moment is too unpleasant. The moment she somewhat gained her consciousness, she couldn’t really think of anything at all.

“Someone… Please help me…”

Everything is painted white. The grass, the benches, the trees. She stared at Marie’s unconscious body and again, the unpleasant feeling bubbled back to the surface. So she looked away. She can’t hear anything at all - only that one feeling.

“It’s so cold… I don’t like the cold… Cath? Can you hear me? Arthur? Eden?” she tried to call for someone yet no one answered. She stayed there, unmoving to where she is - her consciousness fading in and out. Is this how it feels to just lose your mind?

Alone. Confused. Freezing.

She felt the cold sensation on her cheeks, almost like when a trickle of water fell on her during a cold night.

Drip.

Drip.

She opened her eyes. She could almost feel as if something warm on her face but she was too numbed to know what exactly it was.

When she regained at least a semblance to her sense of hearing, she heard a soft voice humming a soft lullaby. The stone she felt in her chest felt as if it was gradually disappearing. And so is the prickling coldness around and in her body. It was as if she’s by a hearth. Too tired to even open her eyes any wider, she let herself lulled to sleep with the gentle humming. Eventually, all she realized was her unconsciousness gradually slipping away.

The time the blizzard receded, it was as quickly as it appeared. The dome of white and frost popped like a balloon - leaving only snow and dissipating coldness falling back to the earth. A snow rain mid spring.

Yet the students were still quite confused even if their panic slowly calmed by the disappearance of the blizzard. Most of the students at the main streets, sheltered by the barrier made by their teachers and fellow students, only looked around their surroundings.

“Fuh” Marith let out a relieved huff as they cancelled their heat barrier - looking back at the many students they managed to protect. They looked at the direction of the main school building, their red eyes eventually showing equal relief to their expression when seeing the sight he wished to see.

Meanwhile, back at the main building’s courtyard, almost everything in sight was painted white. The walls, the pillars, the grass, everything.

Standing at the centre of the courtyard is a certain horned, golden-haired Adonis with an unconscious Aediva - his long arms wrapping around her back with utmost care. Her shallow breath signifies that she was truly asleep.

The tremble of the woman at the edge of his vision, attracted his attention. His golden orbs staring at the woman who looked older now, her brunette hair turned complete as her skin pales like a snow sprite.

“Kyaaaaahhh!!!” she screamed in horror when seeing her hands, as if she saw something repulsive.

“NO!!! No!!! Why am I all wrinkled?!” Marie shouted, distraught only to realize the searing pain at her feet - screaming in further horror when seeing one of her toes frozen like an ice sculpture.

“What is happening to me?!!” she shrieked, looking at “Blackhorns” who was looking down at her with a glare.

“Y-You---”

“Hmph, how unfortunate. It seems you’re struck with a powerful curse” he said with a smirk as if enjoying the trembling spectacle in front of him.

“No! No! A curse?! No, please-- Take it off me!!!” Marie immediately pleaded, scooting her pitiful self towards the towering male only to have him stepping away from her.

“Humans are truly insolent creatures. Asking me to take that curse off you? Hmph” “Blackhorns” scoffed, looking around the place and finding Arthur and Eden passed out on the ground. The black-furred monster is also unconscious not far off.

“Please…” Marie pleaded. “Blackhorns” looked at Marie bawling her eyes out.

“You reap what you sow. Isn’t that what humans always say? Well, honestly, I can’t even take that curse off you anyway. Your pitiful self will slowly freeze over time until you breathe no more. It’s the payment for trying to shackle a powerful creature” he said, looking at Aediva.

“... A creature you shouldn’t mess with in the first place. Do not fret, you’ll most likely have a few more years” the horned male said as he walked away towards the building and stopped when seeing Krow. The calm look in his eyes changed into somewhat of a mild fury.

“How wonderful that you’re still alive. Perhaps you have learned something from your negligence, Faraday?” the male student asked, his voice calm yet his tone berating. Krow only remained silent as he bowed his head in shame as “Blackhorns” walked past him.