It was getting warm.

While it was winter, the temperature was mild as the cold was slowly beginning to drift away to make way for the next season. Excitement could be heard from the whispers of the wind as the citizens prepared themselves for the changing seasons to come, but a stranger in a white hood appears to be the least enthusiastic out of them all. She hated the summer, and simply wished it would remain winter all year round. Of course, that would only mean starvation and the death of humans. The woman gazed down at the humans that littered across the street. The best views of the sky and the town can only be perceived from the rooftops.

Here she was, legs dangling off the edge and unnoticed by people. Above her was the endless sky, a perfect uninterrupted blue. Reclining on her back with her hands supporting her head, she continued to be mesmerized by the view beyond her. She could watch the sky for hours on end; watch the clouds drift by slowly and the changing colours as time passed by. Fleeting was the process of dispersing clouds, which Snowflake would easily compare to the fickleness of her identity. The woman kicked her legs in a rhythmic motion as she enjoyed the mournful cry of the seagulls which weaved and dipped above her.

What was she to do today?

The question rose in her head, while she conjured up many thoughts and activities she could do for the day. The icy maiden would have loved to do quests, since they easily make time pass unnoticeably and despite her regular occasion to check on the quest boards, none of them seem to have quests interesting enough for her. Training was a viable option, but she had just completed one a few days ago so, she’d prefer to have her muscles rest for a couple of days before she continue with another one. Perhaps, a stroll around the town and a stop by a café will do. Yes, that will do.

Pushing herself up onto her feet with a jolt, she quickly measured the distance between herself and the ground. Not high enough. A soundless sigh slipped from her lips as she leaped off the roof, her body falling aimlessly from quite the height, her cloak flipping around her furiously. It seemed that her timing had been terrible, as she landed right on top of another stranger and the both of them tumbled down onto the ground. To others, it might have looked like a wrestling scene, though that was of the least concerns at the moment.

A slight gasp left her parted lips, until Snowflake quickly regained her composure and returned to her original self; the cold heartless woman. The maiden climbed quickly onto her feet and crossed her arms across her ample bosom, her eyes that showed no other emotions—eyes as dead as a corpse. She was responsible of the incident, and she should be apologizing the other girl, yet, she didn’t. Instead, the woman met the blonde’s eyes with a cold gaze, partly glaring at her. ”Huh? You’re the one who stood in my way! Why’re you blaming me for the accident?” She was a bitch, indeed. Not only did she not apologize to the victim, she even blamed the poor girl for the entire incident.

”Look, I even scraped my elbow.”

The two had already gathered a small crowd around them, to the loud encouragement of others to battle while some just shuffled past their still figures, without any care in the world. Her eyes glided over the vicinity, and she would receive a few awkward stares. This was bad. With a reputation as high as hers, she could be easily noticed by the townsfolk that wandered among the streets, and she would be damned if people started to gossip about how rude the Blue Pegasus master was. ”You’re coming with me.” Quickly pulling up the hood of her cloak, she concealed her easily recognizable features behind the shadows and grabbed the blonde’s hand before she dragged her out of the area.

Heels furiously clacked against the hard ground, and for a good few minutes, she kept walking and walking, until they finally came to a more secluded place. Her eyes flicked side to side, ensuring that they were certainly free from the gazes of strangers before finally releasing a long sigh of relief. There were hardly any people around them, and it was mostly filled with large trees scattered all over the place. Did she travel all the way to the park? Perhaps, but at the very least, she’ll be able to have a good and long conversation with the blonde.

The blonde seemed sarcastic when providing an apology. Snowflake couldn’t blame her, but all of that was shoved to the back of her mind when her topmost priority was to get out of the area, to get rid of these observing stares. Snowflake had always hated being in crowds, and gathering attention was the worst of them all—she hated the eyes that looked at her, it made her feel uncomfortable.

Nonchalantly, Snowflake flipped her silver strands of hair over her shoulder, and let it fall further down her back. Crossing her arms once again, she let her icy blue orbs glide over the appearance of the young woman that stood before her. Her eyes took in every part of her features; her blonde hair and her emerald eyes, she was also a few inches taller than the frosty maiden. This female was a brute, packed with muscles, but not so obvious that she would look like a body builder. Even while grabbing her hand earlier, she could feel the tense muscles beneath her fingers—she must have trained really hard.

Snowflake let out a sigh; partly out of relief, the other part out of exasperation. When the blonde questioned her the reason of her dragging here to the park—or so she assumed—she went silent. She couldn’t possibly explain a stranger that she felt uncomfortable in the crowd, and that she was worried of losing reputation in front of all those people, now should she? Pearly whites snagged onto the bottom lip as she averted her gaze, only to lock her eyes back again with the muscled female. ”Okay, sorry for dragging you out like this.”

”That was very rude of me.”

Her eyes scanned her body from head to toe, this time to check if she had any injuries from the incident that occurred a moment ago. ”Are you alright, by the way? That must have hurt quite badly.” Though she did scrape her elbows from the unsuccessful fall, those kind of wounds were something that she would receive daily from her harsh training, and thus, it was nothing to be concerned over. The blonde, on the other hand, did receive quite a fall from her and she wasn’t light-weighted herself, despite her petite figure.

Her personality was just as fickle as her mind; Snowflake wouldn’t be surprised if the blonde was bewildered by her words. A mere second ago, she was calling her out for the accident, and now, she was apologizing to the woman. Anyhow, the matter for the incident has been solved at the very least and despite her terrible attitude towards the woman, she didn’t want any confusion between herself and the stranger. ”I can see that,” she admitted, her eyes shifting to her toned arms. The demon had never been fond of brute looking—elegance and grace was more of her liking, and that was also how she preferred herself to be. Ceseria; the blonde’s name was, as Snowflake nodded in acknowledgement of her introduction.

Stunned by her question, the frosty beauty gazed around the vicinity nervously, unsure how she should provide an answer. Truth be told, she would have preferred if no one knew her as the master of Blue Pegasus, she never liked receiving attention after all. Her eyes glazed over Ceseria’s features once again, studying her carefully yet, she observed no hostile intentions from her. Snowflake had always been very sceptical about people, and had always approached people with caution. This woman, based on her appearance, looked brutally honest, just like her physique—she reminded her of a knight who’d stand by the king’s side.

”I’m just a member of Blue Pegasus.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie, though she still couldn’t bring herself to tell a stranger the truth. If Ceseria were to find it out herself, that would be up to her, but Snowflake wanted to keep herself unknown as much as possible. The woman took a seat by a nearby bench—the epitome of feminity, whose favoured etiquette was to sit with her back straight, legs elegantly crossed. A sigh escaped herself, as she briefly enjoyed the shade provided by the leaves and the branches of the trees. ”Anyhow, is there a reason why you’re in Magnolia?” She couldn’t just bid farewell and leave her there alone, especially when she was the one at fault; the one who fell on top of her. Perhaps getting to know the female might help slightly, although it would be rather useless to count on her dull communication skills.

”Oh, my sincerest apologies. Call me Snow, please.” Much to her embarrassment, the icy maiden had forgotten to share her greetings, when she’d asked for the other girl’s name herself. With a hardly noticeable smile that lingered on her lips, she would produce a bow towards the knight. Her eyes would involuntarily glance upwards into the sky, and she fears it’s now an impulsive habit of hers to commit to the clouds when she had nothing on her mind. The warm weather indicated that winter was slowly fading, making ready for the next season. Using her forehand, she’d gently press it onto her porcelain skin to wipe the beads of sweat that lined on her temple.

The harsh gales that blew across the land of Magnolia soothed her like no other, as silver strands of hair flew wildly around her. Snowflake absently brushed aside a wisp of hair that came loose and uncrossing her legs, she’d stand up from her seat. The woman briefly nodded at her reasoning of being in the town, understanding of the situation. ”I see,” she paused. ”Well, I could definitely help you find him, if you give me some hints. Why don’t we talk as we stroll around the place?” Her arms clasped at her back, she began to set out randomly through the park once again, with no aim of where she was about to head to.

”What’s his name? Perhaps I might have heard it somewhere before.”

Unsociable as she was, Snowflake barely had any connections apart from a few number of people outside the guild. One a Rune Knight that she would see occasionally, and that was possibly it—the rest were from her own guild. She liked to keep a small social group, although she was beginning to realise that perhaps having a couple more of those whom she would call friends wouldn’t be as bad as she’d expected. Albeit, just so she could help the stranger she’d just encountered, she was willing to try her best to recall anyone that might likely be connected to the knightly female.

”Hmm, Kaji. I’ve never heard of the name before,” she’d say, as the two females meandered through the streets of Magnolia. There weren’t a lot to do here, and she didn’t have any groceries to buy either, but now that she was here, she might as well purchase some bread and eggs just in case Chelvaric or herself might need it back in their apartment. The woman took a moment to register Ceseria’s words into her head and somehow, the description of her brother seems to fit someone that she knew. Back when the couple first met, Chelvaric had silver hair just like hers and red eyes, but that soon later changed when he turned to an Elf. Nonetheless, there were possibly many other people with white hair and red eyes in the country—it probably wasn’t a coincidence.

However, the next thing that Ceseria brought into discussion immediately got her attention. It was something very similar to what Chelvaric had told her before—once, a part of his history. The story seems to fit everything that her lover had described, but he had never told her once that he had a sister. Perhaps he wanted to keep it as a secret? Making assumptions wasn’t the best idea, and she didn’t even know if it was truly Chelvaric that Ceseria was describing about. If this was purely coincidence, perhaps Snowflake was meant to meet Ceseria, like how people would say that the gods above had everything written down in the papers.

Snowflake had never been a believer of religions, nor the existence of gods or spirits, but admittedly, she had seen a couple of ghosts in the previous Halloween. ”His name is not Kaji, but I know someone who told me the same story…” she trailed off, staring into a distance beyond her. ”…His appearance is different as well, but I’m not sure how any of this information would help,” she stated, throwing a quick glance at Ceseria to see how she would respond.

”Kyaaaaa!”

Snowflake blinked once, twice as she stared at the knight beside her with her eyes comically wide—she wasn’t expecting that at all. It made her realise how much this young girl must have missed her brother. Snowflake, on the other hand, couldn’t sympathise what the knight felt. The feeling of having a family was something she had long forgotten, something that had grown unfamiliar and the only ones whom she had close to them were a few of her guild mates, whom she would call her trusted friends and her most beloved person, who was none other than Chelvaric.  

The scent of flowers nearby wafted into her nose as she travelled further down the road. Her steps would falter slightly as Snowflake glanced over the surroundings, taking everything in her sight while the citizens shuffled past her figure. A bright, cheerful day in Magnolia in accordance with the cool temperate.

”Most definitely,” she answered, a small smile growing on her lips as she provided a response to Ceseria’s question. ”I could set up a small meeting somewhere for all of us to hang out, how does that sound?”

Snowflake wasn’t sure if her beau would want to involve himself in someone else’s mess, but it would have been rude of her if she’d declined her request. Her terrible attitude have already been revealed a moment ago during the little incident that brought the two females together, thus, she didn’t want to disappoint her once again. When did she start to care what people thought of her? She never did, but gradually gaining her title, she’d learnt to change to her mean and unapproachable behaviour. ”Why don’t we have a drink or a snack while we’re at it? I’ll pay for the treat, it’s a form of apology for the accident.”

Just then, a loud grumble resounded nearby, which caused Snowflake to wonder if that was actually hers until Ceseria grabbed her stomach in embarrassment. ”You must be hungry. Change of plans, let’s go get lunch instead.” The woman wasn’t that hungry in particular and somehow, she’s been having a smaller appetite recently. Nevertheless, since it’s already noon, she might as well have it while she was being kept accompanied. For allowing Ceseria to meet Chelvaric—without his permission, that is—she claimed that she had wanted to repay the kindness. It wasn’t necessary, and it wasn’t as though she did it because she wanted something in return.

”In that case, why don’t you buy me lunch next time?”

Next time—she wondered when that would be. Fate brought their fortunate encounter today, despite how little she believed in things like fate, past lives and gods. If Chelvaric was truly her brother, then there were many possibilities of them meeting once again, and many after that. If not, it was not very likely that they would see each other again. Speaking of which, the young maiden would have to grasp the idea of her lover suddenly having a sister when she was never informed about it. She doubted the entire situation, honestly. If the elf did indeed have a sister, he would have told her somewhere during their relationship, but never once did he mention about his family. Where was his family to begin with?

The couples never talked much regarding their families; for her it was due to the incident that occurred many many years ago, and if possible, she never wished to resurface those memories again and for Chelvaric, it was probably different. It was then she began to realise that she never asked about his family or his past at all. It was also due to the fact that she didn’t wish to probe into someone else’s privacy, in consideration of her own. Snowflake had been too busy training, doing quests and whatever it meant to better herself, but she was forgetting the most important thing—to bond with those around her. Perhaps she wasn’t suited to be a girlfriend after all.

In a distance was a small restaurant, lined up along a long row of the other shops down the street. ”Oh, we’re here.” It was the restaurant that she’d heard often from rumours around her, and had wanted to try it ever since. Having the opportunity, she planned to try as much food as possible while she was here.

”Really? Thanks.” It wasn’t often for Snowflake to receive a compliment regarding her personality as the majority believes her cold demeanour makes her unapproachable. Some thinks it suits her frosty appearance, while others regard her as a witch, almost as if she was cursed, but those only occurred when she was younger. Now, she was surrounded by those she loves and cares about. As the two entered the restaurant, they would be greeted by a young female who was most likely around the same age as her, perhaps slightly older. Her bright red attire stood out to her more than anything, although it was something she found rather attractive, in cohesion with the rather solemn ambience of the restaurant, almost as if they were in a movie.

They would be directed to a vacant seat and everything inside the restaurant screams expensive to her. It wasn’t an issue of money, but she didn’t want to spend so much money on cuisine either, unless it was with her lover. Nonetheless, she was the one who chose this restaurant anyhow. Handing two menus to each of the girls, the waitress than ushered away to tend other customers. It wasn’t crowded either, something she liked, and she loved the quiet environment. There were also separate rooms nearby, which she assumed were the private ones, or at least the ones that you have to make reservations first. Snowflake made a note to herself to take Chelvaric here, assuming that he would enjoy being in this place as well.

”Yes, I heard it from the rumours in the streets, funnily enough. Quite cozy, eh?”

The demon studied her surroundings one last time before she fixated her eyes on the menu below. Her eyes flickered back and forth as she skimmed between the pages of the menu. Most of them were Asian dishes, perhaps they originated from the Country of Sin. A waitress came by once again to take their orders and as unfamiliar as she was with the culture, she’d ask, ”If I’m not wrong, we’re supposed to order rice with these meals, right?”

”Yes, ma’am.”

”Then, I’d like sweet and sour pork with rice and corn and chicken soup.” she’d close the menu and pushed it slightly towards the waitress for her to collect as she jotted down the order on the small notepad.

”Any drinks, ma’am?”

”Apple juice, please.” Her elbows placed on the table and her chin supported by the palm of her hands, she shifted her gaze towards the other female. ”What about you Ceseria?”

”Oh, a stew is always a good choice,” she’d add as Ceseria made the order. Speaking of which, it wasn’t often that Snowflake ate stew and she would add it to her list of foods that she wanted to try whenever she had the time. With a gentle nod, the waitress walked back to the kitchen to put up the orders, while the rest of the customers ate and chatted among themselves and some would wait for their food, like them. ”I do hope it is,” she responded in regards to the knight’s statement. Snowflake only took the order because it was named sweet and sour, clearly expecting for the food to taste just as its name, for she has a sweet tooth after all.

”Are you from around here? You don’t look like one.”

Though it might have been difficult for most people, Snowflake could guess if a person was a local or not, from the way they dressed to the way they spoke. The frosty sculptress had always been an attentive person since she does also spend most of her time observing people when she had nothing else to do, and the process would mostly take place inside a café or a coffee shop. She like to sit for hours on end, gazing out at the window and watch people pass by and see how they react to certain things, despite how she might not be able to hear their voices completely.

Shortly after, Snowflake could tell their meals were ready by the scent of the fresh meals that wafted through the air. Her stomach lowly, even though she believed she wasn’t hungry a moment ago. The same waitress approached them once again, placing their dishes right in front of them and she would gaze down at her own meal with greed and hunger in her eyes. She couldn’t wait to devour and see how the foreign meal tasted like. ”Let’s dig in.”

The land of Sin.

Snowflake had only heard news about the country from the rumours that were carried through the streets, but not once she’d ever been there. Through books, she had read how it was like in other countries and it always made her curious to see how the places were like in reality, to a wandering soul like herself. ”Do you speak languages other than Fiorian?” It was a question regarding to Ceseria’s comment of her hometown, which was located near the country of Sin according to her and she wondered if different languages thrived in areas like such. Snowflake, on the other hand, hardly remembers where she grew up as she spent most of her time making a living by travelling all over the country, finding anything she could to do to live and eat.

The deterioration of her memories was also due to the horrific incident to her parents that occurred many years ago, and since then, she decided to shun everything that was related to her history. It was something that she chose to never bring it into discussion, not even with her lover—she believed it was better that way.

Steam rose from the meals that were placed right in front of them and the red sweet and sour sauce dripped down the meat. The rice was provided in a separate smaller bowl and instead of forks and knives, chopsticks were given. Of course, there were other cutlery for those who didn’t know how to hold chopsticks properly, but feeling adventurous, Snowflake wanted to try something new. ”Do you know how to use chopsicks?” she’d grab the pair and attempted to fiddle with it around her fingers. How do people hold two sticks to eat food, or even hold them? It was impossible for her. Her eyes shifted across the table to Ceseria only to see her enjoying the food to the maximum.

A smile grew on her lips. ”I’m glad you like it.” She was somewhat relieved that Ceseria loved her meal since she wasn’t certain if the food in this restaurant would be good. It seemed that the whispers of the people were indeed correct, and Snowflake was pleased to have made the right decision to come to this place.

During her travels, Snowflake encountered immigrants and tourists from other countries and despite herself, she made a few acquaintances, learning the language from them; simple words such as greetings. She wasn’t fluent nor had any ability to read or write other languages, although she would have loved to be bilingual, perhaps even trilingual. ”I see. You’re lucky, I’ve always wanted to learn other languages,” she spoke before she began to have the first taste of her meal. Her eyes widened in surprise as the flavour exploded in her mouth; it was sweet and sour at the same time and it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, she was already addicted to the taste.

It was unique; it didn’t taste like anything else she’d ever eaten, and she loved the choice of a variety flavours in one dish. Snowflake never knew this kind of sauce could be paired up so easily with pork, perhaps it might even be a better combo with prawns. Having introduced to a completely new dish, the demon was curious what the ingredients are and she wondered if she should cook something like this for the couple themselves. Of course, she was clearly using spoons and forks since it would only be an embarrassment for herself to use chopsticks when she had no experience. Her eyes shifted towards the chopsticks that settled beside her bowl of rice.

Halloween—she reminisced the first time Chelvaric and her hung out together, and it was at the festival. They’d eaten together at a sushi belt and her lover had taught her how to use the chopsticks as well. She’d never been good at using those, even now, she’d have Ceseria teach her once again. A smile crept onto thin line of her lips as she remembered the memories until Ceseria’s voice interrupted her thoughts. ”Oh, the food is amazing. You should try some,” she’d scoop up a few pieces of pork from her dish and placed it onto the knight’s plate to have her taste the meal.

”Well, I had some unfinished business here, though I’d like to leave this town soon. I’ve been staying here for too long…” she trailed off, tossing aside the vegetables to the side of her plate. ”Is there any other reasons for you to be here other than searching your brother?”

Despite how hungry she felt, Snowflake didn’t forget her manners and restrained herself from stuffing herself with rice and the delicious sweet and sour pork. To speak while eating was also disrespectful to the guest and thus, she’d finish chewing before she speaks—at least that was how she was taught. ”A bit of Sinese and Desiertan. Only simple greetings though. I learned it from a few merchants I encountered along the way,” she informed, before she continued to scoop another spoonful of rice. Not long after, the chicken and corn soup she had ordered arrive. By seeing how the steam rose from the bowl, the meal was just freshly cooked and for a fancy restaurant like these, serving fresh and highest quality food was the most important.

The topic that came into discussion next immediately piqued her curiosity. ”Rune Knights?” So, Ceseria was planning to join the knights. It did truly suit her image, she could see—not to mention, it was also her first impression of Ceseria, she resembled more to a knight than those who’re interested in cosmetics and beauty such as herself. ”Indeed, you’d fit the Rune Knights. I have an acquaintance from the faction if you need any assistance, but I’m not sure where she is currently,” she was referring to Alice, although it has been a while since their last meeting, where they were on a mission to protect a lord. It was quite the encounter, considering how they ended up getting locked up inside the castle and solved some mysteries for the royal blood.

The demon would simply smile as Ceseria complimented on her choice of the dish. She was glad that Ceseria was enjoying the food. ”I don’t have any plans at the moment, but I’d love to travel to the Northern part of the country soon.” She’d take a sip of her juice and her mind would wander off immediately, something about a journey, maybe even the distance it took to span the entire sky.