Chapter 3: Six

ZEIDEN never felt so problematic in her life—and this is the first time.

The guy who was being chased by the dragonfly was hit by its unpleasant smoke and sneak attack. She was about to warn him but before she knew it, it was already too late as the guy already inhaled the smoke unconsciously.

The guy is sleeping for about three hours now beside her. She used an old tree trunk and fixed it before laying the unconscious man there to sleep more comfortably than sleeping on the ground.

"Sir, I'm sure we'll see each other again. Once we do, let's make the introduction that we didn't do today, huh?" she whispered as she gently caressed the guy's soft hair.

She made sure that he'd be comfortable once she left him. And yes, she left him in the middle of that dangerous forest but she made sure that no one else could attack him again because she casted a protective barrier for him.

Imagine her doing that to someone she didn't even know. Isn't she too kind?

Now, she continued traveling alone towards the coldest kingdom in the entire Chronus.

Between the Land of Bellis and Wisteria, there is a secondary kingdom that was built, and it was called the Kingdom of Haegl.

The Haegl or the Land of Khione is known for being the Snow Kingdom of Chronus. Everything is frosty. Even when it is still summer, their season is always winter. All the people in this place are ice mages.

From the entrance of the place, Zeiden immediately felt the coldness of the surroundings. Probably because of the non-stop snowfall and the thick white snow that covered the ground.

Because of the cold, she immediately searched her things inside the space ring. To her luck, she immediately found a white, furry jacket that reached down to her kneecaps. With the help of the jacket that was also enchanted with magic, the coldness immediately disappeared like melted snow under the heat of the summer.

Zeiden changed her hair and eye color into white as she entered the place. Then, her forehead immediately creased as she noticed something.

"Based on my research, even though Haegl is a very cold place..."

She shivered as she roamed her eyes to the place once more.

"It is still a lovely and lively place. Why does the place seem so gloomy and... Dead?" she said to herself with a frown.

"Can somebody explain it to me!?" she shouted even though she saw no one was outside the houses that are almost covered with snow.

But then, she was so shocked when a white wolf suddenly grabbed her using its mouth. The wolf bit the hat of her jacket and then threw her into the air. After that, she landed right at the wolf's furry back.

"Woah. Hey there, little boy. Where are you taking me?" she immediately asked when she recovered from her amazement and even patted the wolf's head as they travelled.

Then, she heard it growled as if it completely understood everything that she said. When it responded to her in a masculine voice, she didn't even realize an anomaly.

"Master wants me to take you to his house after we heard you shouted. You're not safe outside, lady," the wolf said in a serious tone to her brain.

The girl's forehead furrowed. Still clinging to the wolf, she tried to ask again.

"Why? What happened to this place? Why do I need to be inside a house?" she curiously asked.

"The snow later at exactly six in the evening, will turn to black. You wouldn't be safe if you'll roam here like a tourist. During that time, hail of black snow will conquer our place again. You might even die—no, you will definitely die if it touches you," the wolf said, the sadness in his tone couldn't be hidden. Afterwards, he expressed a melancholic long howl.

Zeiden fell silent as she started thinking. Then, the wolf ran even faster so the girl held on tight unconsciously while her mind is still wandering.

The wolf growled as he stopped in front of a crystal house—mansion—no, it was a palace!

When the fog that had covered it before disappeared, the beauty was immediately revealed and Zeiden could only stare with amazement for a few minutes before speaking.

"This is too beautiful!" she exclaimed in great astonishment.

The house of the wolf's master was all made of ice. Every part of it was sparkling and there wasn't even an area that is melting. It looked too solid for bunch of ice block.

"Every house here is made of ice, young lass," a hoarse, masculine voice said.

Maybe she didn't notice the houses because of the fog created by the weather and the pile of snow on the roofs of each house but what the man said was true. Amazing!

She immediately turned her head and stared at the man standing inside the roofed balcony of his house, probably.

The man looked like as if he shared the same age as her father. His body was muscular and fit. But the most noticeable about him was the strong presence that he was exuding. The guy looked dangerous, however, he also looked harmless.

"Who are you? What's up in the area and I'm not allowed to get wet by the snow? Why does the snow go black at six o'clock?" she asked in a rapid succession.

The man laughed.

"So straightforward," he whispered which she heard.

"The first thing you should do is to get inside first. It's near six o'clock and you wouldn't like to get caught in the middle of the black snow while you're outside, bare."

Since Zeiden had a strong feeling that he was not an enemy, she glanced around the place once more before entering the crystal-like house of the mysterious man who showed up.

After entering the area, she removed her jacket and put it back inside the ring. The man's householder greeted them with a warm smile before leading Zeiden in the living room with a fireplace.

Zeiden comfortably sat down in the middle of the large sofa that has golden intricate carvings as she waited for the couple to settle.

The man sat on a single person sofa in front of her and the both of them waited silently for the woman who excused herself.

Afterwards, the wife of the mysterious man came back, together with the sweet aroma of hot chocolate in the air. Zeiden's mouth watered secretly as her hunger kicked in.

The woman brought out three mugs of hot chocolate placed on a tray that looked more expensive than all of Zeiden's belonging. Then, she offered a cup to Zeiden which she immediately accepted and drank. After that, the rest followed suit.

When everyone was already warmed up, Zeiden chose to open up the discussion she was thinking since she came in their kingdom.

"What are your names? My name is Zeiden, a traveler who needs a temporary place to stay for the night. If it's alright, could I stay here today? I can pay if you'll want. I promise. I just need a place to sleep at. I'll immediately leave as soon as the sun goes up tomorrow," she said without a pause.

The couple chuckled at the straightforwardness of the young girl but as soon as they finished, Zeiden's face darkened.

"What's going on in the area? Why did the snows turn so deadly?" she asked with a serious expression.

"I'm Blizzard Crustallum, and she's my wife—Sierra Crustallum. We have two children; Frost, who looks just your age and Snow, who's five years younger than you," the man said.

"Then?"

She was not being sarcastic, that was just simply the tone of her voice.

"[Last two months ago]—I mean, for the past two months, mages have been mysteriously dying and getting sick in our area. It started with a heavy rain that we didn't immediately took notice of. The snow wasn't black back then so it became a big mystery to us. As the days passed, it gradually turned gray until the color of the snow that started falling every six o'clock in the evening gradually turned black. We couldn't do anything because once that black, demonic snow touch a human skin—even just a drop of it—it is already deadly. What's worse, no one has found a cure nor a solution for it. We can't find it," the man said with grief.

As the man told the story, sadness, pain and regret could be seen on his face. Even his wife's eyes were full of melancholy.

"Didn't you even think of telling the king about what was happening?" Zeiden asked.

The man lowered his head at what she said.

"I am the king of this place and my wife is the queen. We can do nothing. We can't really find its source," the man that shocked Zeiden.

He is the king? Why is it not so obvious? Well, yeah. He definitely exuded a strong aura when they first met but he didn't look like a king to her!

Anyway, she just hopes that he wouldn't wish for her death because he got dissatisfied with her attitude and the way she treated them before she knew the truth. Past is past, right?

But where are the people? Doesn't a kingdom usually have a lot of people like knights or servants

"Because of what happened, all the servants in our kingdom were sent back to their family. Yesterday, even my son has become a victim of the black snow. Unintentionally, yesterday, they were caught by rain after trying to contact other kingdoms in the communication tower. In his desire to protect this sister, Frost made a barrier for Snow even though his life was at stake." The king cried.

"Hmm..." Zeiden put down the drinking cup.

"Can you take me to the location of your son, King Blizzard and Queen Sierra?" Zeiden asked politely.

Even when they didn't know what was the young woman planning to do, they still followed her. They didn't know. They just found themselves following Zeiden's order and trusting her. Who is she? They didn't even know her personally.

When they reached the man's room, Zeiden quickly noticed a young girl beside the bed who is staring at the nothingness while holding a notebook and a pencil. Aside from that, the man wearing a white housecoat, laying down on his bed with a pale complexion and beads of sweat on the forehead while small dark spots are trying to cover his lower body also immediately took her attention.

Zeiden took a health potion from her ring. Using a hair clip that also her mother made, Zeiden wounded her index finger and mixed the blood with the potion to make it more effective. She was about to give it to the man when a pair of hands stopped her.

"Don't worry about your brother. I won't harm him," Zeiden assured the child, then she a smiled.

Snow was having second thoughts. Then, she lowered her hands and took a glance at her parents who just silently nodded at her.

A drop of the health potion mixed with Zeiden's blood immediately went inside Frost's mouth.

While Zeiden was busy curing the guy, Snow couldn't stop herself from sketching the intruder who insisted on curing her brother. Using a simple pencil and a notebook, Snow was able to create a marvelous artwork.

Seconds passed and nothing seemed to happen. Although it had only been a while, those seconds felt like years for Frost's family. They didn't even notice how the dark spots on Frost's feet started to fade.

When nothing seems to happen and they were already impatient, Sierra talked.

"What will happen to my son, young lady?" she asked in a voice filled with anxiousness.

"Your son is just sleeping, Queen Sierra, but he is already safe. If he is strong enough, he will wake up immediately tomorrow..."

"Mama! Frost's eyes opened!" Snow blurted out in shock.

Zeiden immediately approached the man to check him up. Snow moved aside and gave her a way to check her brother. When she was sure that he is already okay, she left the family alone to let them have their time together without an outsider even though she knew that the man would probably sleep again.

Well, that was quite unexpected.