Patches of snow crunched beneath her black boots and her breath steamed before him like a banner. The fellow mage stared ahead the empty road, covered in thick blankets of white snow. The sky was still dark and gloomy even though it’s quite late in the morning. There were a number of people here and there, setting up their stores and vendors alongside the road. The trees were frozen to the point that the leaves were no longer visible apart from the dry branches that protruded from the trunk. Snow shoved her hands into the pocket of her warm coat and buried the lower part of her face into the blue scarf that she had worn around her neck. Silver eyes darted around the area, in search of a bulletin board that mages would normally pick quests from.

Snow stumbled across one quickly as she let her fingers slide over the brittle yellow pages that were pinned on the board. Her eyes skimmed through the lines, none of them interested her until she fell upon that might not be so bad of a quest for the day. It was not as exciting as she wanted it to be although she could use it to kill some time. The girl ripped the paper off the board and proceeded to the location that the client had requested her to begin.

The great, blazing ball of fire ascended into the empyrean blue, coloring everything a light shade of orange. It was slightly warmer than before but the white patches of snow refused to melt even under the heat. Flakes caressed against her face, melting as they touched her skin like the gentlest of the rain. In a distance was a small playground and a fountain which had frozen over the season. Children threw snowballs among each other, laughing and giggling even in this freezing weather while their parents sat on the side and watched them play. Steam rose from her chapped lips as she slipped out the quest from her pocket. The only hint that was given to her was the Crocus Gardens, which means that the sword she was requested to search for was within the area. Icy hues glanced over the vicinity once again before releasing a long sigh, realizing how big the garden was.

Having no idea where to begin, Snow walked over to a small group of people and asked them if they knew anything related to the whereabouts of the sword only to receive blank expressions as a response. She even looked inside the thick bushes and trees but to no avail.

Clueless, Snow sat on a nearby bench and stared down at her own feet covered with patches of snow. Even with her gloves, she could feel the cold tingling on the tip of her fingers. She rubbed her hands together and blew air into her hands, in an attempt to keep them warm. She pushed herself off the bench and shuffled towards the empty swings right across her. How long has it been since I rode this? 10 years, maybe, she pondered, staring up into the blue sky above. The chilly weather made her body feel numb, even though she had a thick coat wrapped around her body to keep herself cozy. Snow stared ahead, and the only sound she could hear was the swings squeaking on its metal hinges. Her eyes grew distant and solemn before memories came flashing into her mind; scenes of Snow and her family playing together and building a snowman in the park. She could see their precious moments together shattering before her eyes when her parents were murdered. A slight gasp escaped her lips, her hands gripping tightly onto the metal rails of the swing. It was a nightmare to her, a scar that had been embedded in her heart but she had chosen to move on and sought revenge upon those who had brought this on her.

A long sigh left her parted lips, plumes of steam rose from her lips and silver pools would glide over to the sight of a dog. What brought her attention was not the dog itself, but the sword that it had in its mouth. She scrunched through her eyes, making sure she was not mistaken before storming towards the dog. Seeing a random stranger charging towards him, the dog broke into a run while still holding the sword in its mouth. As eager as she was, the girl chase the poor animal while both of them ran around the park. The dog was unbelievably fast and Snow would find herself taking huge intakes of air before continuing to chase the dog.

Snow ceased in her tracks and placed her hands on her waist while staring at the dog. If they kept running and chasing, she wouldn’t be able to retrieve the sword until the end of the world. She was slightly familiar to animals, dogs in particular, although she had never had one before. The blue haired maiden bent down and sat on her calves. ”I won’t harm you. I just need the sword in your mouth.” she pointed at the object and raised an eyebrow for a response, as if the animal understood her language. The dog stared back at her in suspicion before slowly approaching her. A smile made its way onto her lips and she would open her arms out wide. The dog dropped the sword right in front of her but Snow reached forward and wrapped her arms around the animal. It was large and fluffy, just the way she would want her dog to be and rubbed his back. ”Aren’t you cold out here? You should return to your home.” she spoke. The collar around his neck heralded that he belonged to someone else. ”Too bad you have an owner. Otherwise I’d take you home. Do you want me to help you find the person?” she began having conversations with the dog, although she wasn’t sure if it understood him or not.

She pushed herself up onto her feet and held the sword in her hands, while searching for the owner of the dog. She would have felt guilty to leave the poor dog alone in the cold, so she decided to help him out, even though she didn’t know who the owner was. ”Sinbad!” a voice bellowed. Snow turned around swiftly and noticed a young girl running towards them. ”I’ve been searching so long for you.” the girl cried, bending down on her knees and hugged the dog. ”We were looking for you. I’m glad you found him.” The other girl expressed her gratitude so many times that Snow was beginning to feel uncomfortable before they both bid farewell. With the sword finally in her hands, she was finally able to return it to the owner. She felt like she did two quests on a row, finding the sword and finding the dog’s owner. It’s a good day, indeed.