Snow is a wonderful thing. If you ever come to truly know it yourself, take care not to lose it. You must cradle it in your hands, and hold it close, hold it tight.

But that same snow seeped into my boots. Despite the coldness, everywhere except my fingers felt strangely warm to the touch—a notion that I found humorous given how sapped of warmth I felt.

My head feels like a rock...

I lost track of how much time had passed since the encounter with those people from Alkai. My sense of time became jumbled and knotted ever since seeing Chloe’s eyes staring back at me. I wanted to stop. To sit down. To crawl in a ball. We haven’t stopped moving at all through these rolling hills. My legs felt like they would stop functioning at any moment, and my head pounded to no end.

Can it get anymore uncomfortable than this?

As I raised my head, Velma stood far ahead from me, looking back with concern.

“Junior?”

The night sky made it so I wasn’t able to see forward clearly, but at least my vision was well enough to be able to see Velma. The sight of her was just enough to make me feel relieved, no matter how worried she looked or how terrible I felt. But it seemed she didn’t share the same sentiment.

“Junior—?!”

“I’m...” I didn’t get to finish my thought. My vision faded just as fast as my words trailed off.

・・・・・

I was dreaming.

In that dream, it felt as if I was being carried in someone’s arms, being shielded by the wind. When I came to, I looked up. My mother and father in thick coats, huddled close while trekking through what appeared to be a winter storm. I could hear their boots dragging against snow and their heavy breaths that formed clouds against the air.

“Mm…?”

They both looked down towards me and smiled.

“Up pretty early eh, snowball?” My father reached to pinch my cheek, my arm reflexively trying to pull his hand back before it stung.

“Get some more shuteye, dear. You don’t have to strain yourself anymore to keep up anymore.” My mom said above me. My real mom...

“Aw come on, maybe Nagi wants to see some action for herself.” His laughter shook the air more than any wind did. “How about a deer when we get home? I’ll catch the meanest beast around and we’ll have a feast of the century! For how much Nagi’s grown, she’s gonna need all the fuel she can get.”

“Maybe so, she’s getting too heavy for her own good.”

Both my parents’ laughs continued on as my eyelids grew heavy. I really did want to watch the mountain path go by like what my father had said but it was a challenge just to keep my eyes open.

It seemed my mom noticed this as she smiled. “You still have a long life ahead of you dear. No need to rush to see what the road ahead offers. Please take it easy for tonight.”

It was then my eyes succumbed to the tiredness.

The perspective shifted and I suddenly was staring at them from afar, their backs facing me. I looked down to see that I was in my own body again with all that I remembered—along with the knowledge of what was to come in the near future. I opened my mouth to call at them but no words formed. Nothing came out.

No!

I tried following them but it felt as if my body was submerged in water. Pushing through with all my might proved to be fruitless. I only watched as they drifted farther into the horizon line—before the storm that had swept the mountains. I reached my hand out, wanting to stop them, but that hand touched nothing but the empty air. The snowfall eventually blocked out the entirety of their figures. I knew I would never make it, but I still reached out regardless.

・・・・・

Sounds of shuffling greeted me when my eyes opened. From my point of view, it seemed that I was staring at the underneath of some protrusion of rock. Few particles of snow blew in but the surface underneath my body didn’t feel cold, more gravelly rather. It was rather dim except for the flickering light at the corner of my vision. A fire of some sorts. Despite the congestion, a scent of tea also hit my nose which meant that there was tea brewing where the fire was.

“Supply of food won’t last too long if we keep on dilly-dallying in here… Dammit if I hadn’t dropped half our stuff in that glacier…”

My head felt it weighed heavier than the burlap sacks we’ve been carrying thus far, but I managed to turn it to the right to the source of the commotion. There was Velma who sat cross-legged and hunched over her bag, digging through it. Her side faced me so she didn’t notice me right away.

What I noticed, however, was chilling. Her arm was completely covered in bandage cloth from the shoulder down and no doubt that her legs were the same way. Velma must’ve cleaned and wrapped the wounds she had gotten from the encounter while I was unconscious… I gulped, but that only made me realize how sore my throat was, making me cough as a result.

As soon as she heard me, Velma jolted upwards.

“…You’re awake!”

She instantly scooted over to me and examined my face. “Crap… You’re not looking too good.” Velma brushed my bangs off and placed her palm on my forehead, “Burning hot… You’re running a fever.”

She visibly bit her lip. “Just stay under those sheets, Junior.”

From the bag, Velma brought out a washcloth and a metal bowl to which she poured water in and soaked up the cloth with.

“Miss… did you… carry me all the way here?” I asked through a strained voice as she put the washcloth onto my forehead. It felt cold to the touch.

“No, you sleepwalked here, dug these sheets out, and made yourself a bed.” She paused for a second. “...Yeah, I did. And a struggle it was. You need to take better care of what goes into your mouth.” As if she was proud for thinking of a debatably better joke on the spot, Velma tightened the strings of the bag, sealed it, and tossed it by the rocky wall, dusting her hands down afterwards.

Over the fire was a kettle to which she picked up and poured herself a cup of tea.

Picking it up however, she winced and almost allowed it to slide out of her hand. “Tch...”

It was a sight that punched me in the gut.

“I’m sorry.” I managed to say with a raspy voice.

“Sorry for what?”

“Asking to explore the world together. If I hadn’t kept on asking, then you Miss wouldn’t have gotten those cuts on your arm...” If only, on that night, I escaped with Keery and Tobias instead of standing there cluelessly. If only I didn’t lay on that run-down wagon to watch the stars. If only I wasn’t there with my parents... If I hadn't done those things, we wouldn’t be at the mercy of the cold.

“I should be the one to apologize. I should’ve told you upfront about my past from the very beginning. It’s true. Everything that they said.” She clenched the cup, the tea within it rippled and trickled down its side. “I can’t imagine the common man would know my brethren but they were right. I’m a murderer belonging to a people of murderers. We’ve taken the lives of so many that I lost the ability to count a while ago. That time when we first met... If I had taken your life on that night then I would’ve not remembered you even existed.”

A much more oppressive emotion came out. Not anger, but regret and bitterness.

“You have every right to resent me.”

I clutched the fabric of the blanket. I never once thought to hate her, not in the past and not now. “I still trust you.”

Velma’s eyes lit up for a brief second before a smile encapsulated her.

“After all, that’s what you said to do.”

But that smile turned into a frown. “...Er what?”

“Was that you? Your Aoi that time?”

“My Aoi? That time?”

She was just as confused as I was, which only caused even more confusion for me. What I had heard in the depths of that despair sounded too real to be a hallucination. It really sounded just like her… Was it really just my imagination?

Velma took a sip of tea before sitting it on the gravel floor. “Oh, that’s right. I guess this is long overdue. You deserve to know this now. I don’t have an Aoi.”

Huh...? She doesn’t?

Seeing the surprised face I probably had on, she chucked. “I did mention that it was a secret. Sorry about that, can’t really consider not having an Aoi a secret, huh? Not all people have one or are born with one for that matter.”

All this time Velma never had an Aoi... and my imagination was stronger than I realized. While the thought of one day seeing her show off cool tricks I’ve never seen before was exciting, knowing that she doesn’t have any special abilities somehow made her more endearing.

“Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise. That way, you can’t freeze people to death.”

“I swear you can be scary sometimes Junior. But you have a point.” Velma gazed outwards away from the cliff, her chin rested on the palm of her uninjured hand. “Who knows how long Azure’s gonna take to realize those three are missing and eventually find their bodies frozen like that. Don’t worry, they won’t even know that it was solely the work of a Scandian and place the blame on me. Despite all the ice, they’d think I’d come up with something and force one of your folks to freeze them for me. Like how those three thought.”

“No… they won’t.”

She gazed back at me. “Oh? Just saying I prefer my schemes to have wrapped up nicely before anyone finds any sort of evidence.”

“It’s not that. She saw it too. And I know she’ll tell everyone in the orphanage.” As my words trailed off, Velma must’ve remembered.

“...? Ah. That girl. I totally forgot… Then your home truly is out of reach...” There was a bitter, nostalgic look in her eyes. “Also, I don’t think I ever remember you mentioning anything about an orphanage.”

“I lost my parents before I could really remember them. Ever since I could remember, I had lived in an orphanage which owns a mill we were encouraged to lend a hand with. It was there she and I met. She’s also an orphan and we both were tasked to the same station to iron clothes. We formed a lot of memories together at that one table.” Clenching the blanket, I felt the water in my eyes. “But now I lost her too…”

“Either way, by no means it was your fault. It was the fault of the world and its cruel grip on us.” She brought a knee to her chest, lowering her gaze at the ground. “It might as well have told us Kosmos Valley is just out of our league without even us setting foot out of Scandia.…”

I clenched the blanket even harder.

“Why did it have to end up like this...?!” In just a single moment, I had lost everything—both my home that I had lived in and the ability to step out of it. Perhaps it would have been easier to not know at all, maybe ignorance would have been bliss back then. Maybe it would have been better not to have gone out there—

“Just the sheer fact that you decided to take action.”

I looked up at her. “Huh?”

“It is because you stayed behind while your friends fled. You stayed to face the unknown, me in that case, instead of escaping back into your town. It’s proof that you deemed your life to be unsatisfactory, and took action to change it by wondering who the hell I was. And I… I totally see that. To give meaning to our lives, you first see the world change as you see fit.

“Of course, I say that but… I thought I had given up on life. Staying in that forest really affects your mental state. Spending every single day shut within that space alone, waiting for the passing time to claim me one day... Junior, I can’t tell you how grateful I am for giving me a role to play when I had nothing to look forward to but disappearing.”

Those quiet words rang with sincerity, so much so that it was enough for me for my vision to blur again.

This world, a chilling place yet at the same time so warm.

“If it snowed throughout the whole world, it would become harder for people to kill each other.” Because then, that would give a chance for everyone to know what it’s like to be in each other’s shoes. See from their perspective what they value, the rubbish they deem to be treasures. “Let’s stay together, forever. I... don’t want to lose anyone else anymore.” I whispered, hoping to at least hold on to what little piece of life I had left.

Velma said nothing for a moment, as if she had already known the bitter truth we had to accept if that were to happen.

“I see. I almost envy your sheer steadfastness. Under different circumstances that could’ve been a reality, but you know that just won’t be possible with the way things are now.” Shrugging with a slight smile, she raised her eyes to the night sky not covered by the rock overhang. “But I suppose taking some time from my little home does make for a nice change of pace—even if it means permanently. So long as I’m still breathing, I’ll make that a reality.”

Three times now did we made this type of promise. And the past two we managed to fulfill. But this third promise now requires fighting against the fabricated world created by our own people. The feelings that had abruptly risen within me were gone, like a candle being extinguished. From there, the years of hiding became our whole life—and the years that they went.

・・・・・

・・・・・

A man stood in front of the street vendor stall, a brooch in his hand from the table display, examining every angle of the ornament. The gemstone that was encased in the metal frame shined emerald just like the color of his own eyes. It made memories resurface of someone who owned a similar piece of jewelry around her neck.

There’s no helping it. It was best they closed the door on me. If they were so keen on my blood to begin with—

A girl strided forth and brushed against his arm, breaking his train of thought. One with instruments strapped onto her, a pipa carried on her back and a xiao by her waist. The very definition of a traveling musician. “Not a lot of luck here.” she said woefully, eyeing the gemstone in his hand.

“Is that so?” He put the brooch back into its rack and gave a nod to the vendor. “Figured this part of Chordia was a dead end too.”

Adjusting his tie to a looser fit, he started his walk down the main road. Wearing a black and white suit knowing he had to move quite a bit might’ve not been the best decision given the weather. He rubbed his disheveled hair in contempt. It’s hot today.

The traffic of people alongside him was the same as he remembered from childhood, and it had been quite some time since he roamed these streets. Ever since he was a child, he never got used to the bustling of people that would loom over him as they passed. Almost like standing in a rush of river with the water rushing against your body. The towering people would block his sights from the various parlour shops that filled this part of the sector… from the true beauty of the town.

Kitzkirchen, a city of age. Though his blood was of Alkain descent, he had lived in this city of Chordia for much of his childhood. That was a time before he had decided to serve. While he was reminiscing, he took notice of the lack of humming he would usually be accompanied by, and looked back.

The girl had wandered to an open market stall and was currently browsing the rows of clothes being exhibited. One piece of garment caught her eye and she took it out of the rack. “Yui would hate this dress.” Holding it up against herself, it shined a deep blue like water. “She’d very much rather read about the dress than look at it… Ah… I miss her already... ~sniffle~.”

The man sighed watching her striking some poses with the other dresses lined up on the rack. “Now’s not the time to be indulging in materialism.”

“You were looking at that gemstone too.” She pouted but eventually returned all of the clothes back to their racks.

The two decided they would keep interaction to a minimum as to not draw attention to themselves. Growing up in the countryside, however, this was a whole new world to the girl and was hard-pressed not to wander to a shop that caught her own attention. As they walked down the busy street, the girl couldn’t help but marvel at the cleanliness and attention to detail of the architecture. The rows of hibiscus flowers swaying against the breeze along the window sills reminded her of life before.

“ね、Take-san, would tracking down this Scandian really gonna put an end to these terrible attacks?” She let her eyes wander the shop windows, both in awe of the beauty and with a feeling of nostalgia that tugged her heart. “The arson attack on my village, the tower in Reine, those officers that passed… It’s so hurtful. Why? Who’s evil enough to perform such atrocities? What do they have against Alkai?”

“...I don’t know. At least for the latter questions. But their goal isn’t simply to cause mayhem. Either they are trying to make themselves known, or signaling to anyone not to dive further.”

She scowled. “I feel like you're thinking this a little too far, but if you say so...”

Her comment trailed off when they heard the commotion behind them. The two stopped halfway to see that the street adjacent to theirs was filled with confetti. Officers sitting in carriages waving at the public gathered on the sides. A military police brigade. He, of course, has seen this before. As a child he liked to call them knights solely by their use of horses, even though they had no relation to historical knights. He liked to believe the horses meant they were charging to some battle.

All carriages eventually passed and merged to the path the two walked in, eventually disappearing behind the city block. It was most likely a parade to increase the morale of the region, though for what reason the man and girl could only hope to guess.

“Reading about the deaths of those officers that had dived into Scandia, who do you suppose had the motive to do such an act?” the man asked, resuming his walk.

The girl followed and thought for a bit. “Um… the Scandians? Those officers only took a trip up there because they spotted one in Alkai right? That prompted them to go up there for whatever reason, and got frozen to death. Certainly it has to be them.”

The mission recorder stored all of its files from the moment of startup and constantly takes in data from its surroundings. Although transmitting those files to a server requires time, what data Azure did manage to receive had spontaneously cut off which indicates some type of struggle—right when it detected temperatures below freezing.

“I really wish Azure did a better job at tracking the culprit. The evidence was right there in their hands.”

“There’s nothing the higher ups like more than delay and deliberation. Leave it to us to clean up their mess.”

The girl shot a disappointing glare. “...You say that, but you also said you let the Tsurugi slip out of your hands the same day you found it. Now we have to make even more travel plans, and this time to Fallway of all places. Ah… We could’ve had free time for a hot spring visit.”

“Must you insist on always painting me in the worst possible light?” He asked, putting his hands in his suit pockets in shame.

“Look at where your plan led us. Homeless on the streets. Chasing another human being just because of the blood in their veins. Are we trying to be just like those criminals?”

Seeing her crain her neck in the manner she was doing right now always made him sigh reflexively. Even in the darkest hours she always manages to bring the team together without fail, even if it was unintentional.

How bothersome.

“It works out. We have no method of going against the Scandia winter, but that does not mean our hands are completely tied. The Aoi of our interest is already conveniently well within our grasp.”

“...That’s not the point here, Take-san.”

Chordia, one of the last few regions with areas not yet occupied by Azure. Although he hadn’t confirmed it, this was their best bet from all of the information he had gathered… on them. He remembered that day. The shock that spread throughout his arm as he held the Kusa no Tsurugi within the palm of his hand. It was a feeling unlike any other sensation describable, but it was as if the entirety of his life that he lived up until that point had been relived in a single instant.

“What if I told you it was the work of an Alkain and a Scandian?” The man asked which caused a slight delay for her to process what he had said.

“Eh?” she scowled before connecting the dots. “So that means...”

He nodded.

“You’re mentioning this to me now? This far in our road trip?”

“It’s no different from Giovanni giving us mission details at the last minute, or none at all. And you could guess who’s responsible for the Alkain’s actions in the first place.”

“...Eijian. Even when we took on so many missions together…” she sighed.

If the Director had seen them now, what would he make of the two’s actions? Heroes of justice who would defeat evil and defend the people? In essence that was likely what he had envisioned them to be, protectors, but they strayed too far from that reality.

“Giovanni is an enigma isn’t he? I can’t bring myself to hate him, recruiting him of all people… It’s like the Director has the keys to this world.”

“We’ll do the same. If he so desires to rewrite this world, then we’ll revert any changes. However methodical or brute-forced it may be.”

To destroy a people, you must first sever their roots.

It is reasonable to say King Solomon supposedly held enough power to do so if the Kusa no Tsurugi in his possession were to be any indication. If that mountain’s eruption was the result of his doing, then can it be no coincidence the first instances of Aoi that occurred simultaneously was also thanks to him? And at what? The cost of a whole region? Had Giovanni not known this, he wouldn’t have formed the elite team as a ruse of ‘first hand protectors of Humanity’ and have them personally investigate the underlying truths of this world.

Aoi. I’ll bring everything back to the time where we weren’t shackled by them. So that we don’t have to suffer the consequences of change.

Finding himself by the Bleu Fountain of Chordia’s main square, the man brought his hands out of the pockets of his suit. The waters that sprayed out in arcs would’ve amazed him as a kid—if only he could’ve seen it sooner.

“Mary. When I execute my Aoi, I want you to scout the area using your Koi.”

“Teehee~! By all means, go right ahead.”

The man closed his eyes and took a deep breath. And then, nothing happened. As for the crowd of people that were holding their heads from light-headedness, that might as well have been the case. But the girl blew into her xiao, creating an elegant tune that no one besides the two of them heard. The surrounding architecture began to take on a blue hue as faint glows formed throughout the block—those faint glows evolving and taking shape into full form koi.

The creatures swam through the air like they were underneath water, dancing in a sea of fire, before a change in tune made the koi dispersed up into the sky and disappeared in all directions. For a while her performance encapsulated the whole city unbeknownst to everyone, continuing and crawling up to the crescendo—until she lifted herself from the xiao’s mouthpiece, a gleam of deviltry in her eyes. “...Oh?”

Stopping her playing meant that the koi would eventually run out of fuel and disappear without the guidance of her playing. Knowing this, the man raised an eyebrow. “Mary?”

“Not exactly in town per say, more like outskirts but it seems we got a hit. A mademoiselle with hair as white as snow. Just like you said, Take-san. She’s with an Alkain.”

“Well now. It would appear my suspicion about those two defecting was warranted.”

The gamble they’ve made to comb Chordia wasn’t in vain after all, even if it took them a whole couple of months since the disbanding. To the other five, maybe they’ll see the fruits of his gamble. Putting his hands back in his pockets, he recounted that day where his head came close to being decapitated and his body almost rendered useless by ice.

“It’s been quite some time.”