~Chapter 01~
The capital of the empire, Atrogen.
It was the time just before dawn, when the darkness was lifting. A young boy, who had been tossing and turning in his sleep from a nightmare, calmed his breathing and sat up on his bed.
“…Ilayna.”
Once again, the events from the distant past stirred his heart and resurfaced.
Sometimes, the memories felt so distant, but other times, they came rushing back so clearly.
In his dreams, Ilayna always smiled joyfully. That made it even more painful for him. He wanted to run to her immediately, but he couldn’t.
“Should I just go?”
No, that was his greed. He didn’t have the power to protect Ilayna yet, so bringing her here was premature. He had to be patient, enduring the longing despite how much the impatience had bitten him.
“Just wait a little longer, Ilayna.”
He swallowed the apology he could not speak, for her, the person he would willingly give everything for—his savior and the only purpose of his life.
In the far north of the empire, at the very edge, there was a forest covered in snow all year round.
Once, there were rumors that a white-haired witch lived there, and the people of the nearby village avoided entering it.
As time passed, those who claimed to have seen the snow witch disappeared, and the rumors died down. But still, no one wanted to go into such a harsh and ominous land that didn’t welcome people.
However, there were always exceptions.
“Chase them!”
“We have to kill them!”
Ilayna, who had lived in the forest for decades in quiet solitude, except for a few humans who occasionally lost their way in snowstorms, now went out to confront the disturbance that had arisen in her forest.
“…What is this? It’s just a child.”
The person being chased by the masked figures was a black-haired boy.
“If I don’t help him, he’ll die, right?”
―Of course. Do you want to help?
Perched on a tree above, Ilayna watched the situation unfold, sitting with a white fox beside her. At the fox’s casual question, Ilayna, who was intently observing the fierce battle below, spoke in a monotone voice.
“I want to help, but do you think he won’t be scared of us? What if he spreads a new rumor, and people come swarming in?”
Years ago, she had helped a lost person in the forest. That had led to rumors spreading, and soon hunters appeared, wanting to kill the so-called cruel Snow Witch.
Ilayna had been quite wronged by that. She had never intentionally harmed anyone, except in self-defense.
―If you don’t want to, then don’t.
The fox, named Yen, who cared only for the safety of his contractor and had little interest in other humans, responded indifferently. The white fox, whose fur resembled snow, licked its paw as it watched the boy, and then suddenly paused.
―I sense the power of fire.
“What? From him? Is he someone sent by Jay?”
Ilayna immediately picked up Yen and shook him, asking for confirmation.
“Really? You’re sure it’s fire power?”
―I can’t be wrong about sensing the power of the same kind of spirit… Ugh, put me down. I said it’s fire power.
Ilayna, thrilled by Yen’s words that the power she had long been waiting for was now present in someone else, quickly put Yen back down on the branch. Yen grumbled as he was shaken.
―It might not be him, though. I just said I sensed fire power.
But Ilayna wasn’t really listening to him anymore. She was too excited by the possibility.
“Still, it could be Jay.”
―If it were really him, he would have come himself. He’s not the type to send someone else who’s contracted with another fire spirit.
“But…”
It was strange for someone else to have fire power, but she had heard that spirits’ powers could be shared among several people, so it wasn’t too strange. After all, fire spirits were the hardest to find, so the person might have gotten their power from the same spirit as Jay.
“But still, you never know. Jay promised he’d come as soon as possible.”
—You know we spent a lot of time healing from that last injury. Time might have passed even longer than those marks.
Following the direction the fox’s tail pointed, Ilayna looked down to see countless cracks running through the trees. Each day, one new crack appeared, slowly filling the tree trunks. It had been happening for months, then years.
“No, still. Jay promised.”
Jayros, Jay.
Ilayna had never forgotten any of the memories from the moment she first met Jay to the last time they parted, even though many years had passed.
He had come to this snow-covered forest, saying that controlling the powerful fire spirit was difficult for him. He decided to stay here and train, claiming it as his new home.
―He’s a fire spirit! I really don’t like him!
Yen, the snow spirit, buried deep in a snowdrift with only his eyes visible, glared at On, a red-feathered bird sitting on a tree melting the snow around it.
―Do you think I wanted to come to this cold place?
―Then leave!
―My human can’t control his power properly, so I ended up coming with him.
The two spirits were having a noisy argument.
<Yen doesn’t like you. Leave.>
Ilayna was unyielding. Yen was her friend, her soul mate. If Yen disliked someone, Ilayna did too.
<Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you.>
But Jayros was calm and gentle, unlike someone with the volatile power of fire. He was always kind.
Ilayna, who had always longed for human companionship, quickly became close to Jayros, who didn’t fear or hate her despite her being the so-called Snow Witch.
<Wait here. I’ll be back soon.>
That was the last thing Jayros said before he never returned.
Even after an unexpected event left Ilayna severely injured and exhausted from using too much power, when she woke up again, she felt as if a long time had passed in this timeless forest.
Even when Ilayna woke up after an unexpected incident and serious injuries, though a long time had passed in this timeless forest, she still believed it was just a few months or years of recovery. She refused to accept that she had been asleep for a long time.
―But it’s strange. I feel a faint power.
Sitting lightly on a branch, Yen, with his fluffy tail swishing, tilted his head and looked down.
“So, you’re saying you feel firepower? Can you help?”
―Need help?
Yen’s strangely glowing, pale gray eyes stared at her as he asked.
Ilayna answered without hesitation.
“Yes. Let’s save that person.”
―Alright.
Yen, the snow spirit who had been with Ilayna for many years, shook his fur and spoke.
―I’ll give you my power.
With a voice that rang in her mind like a giant bell, a cold energy spread throughout her body. It was a familiar sensation, one she had felt many times before, from long ago when she first began to work with Yen.
“Let’s summon a snowstorm.”
Ilayna, looking down at the boy trapped in a corner, slowly summoned the snow. The forest was her domain, and the freezing air was endlessly welcoming to her.
Stronger. Sharper.
At her will, the snowstorm began to swirl around her, blocking the view. Ilayna swept her long white hair away from her face as the snowstorm grew more intense.
“Ugh, what’s happening all of a sudden?”
“A snowstorm… what the…”
Ilayna didn’t want to give them any chance to react. She snapped her fingers, and the snowstorm intensified, blowing the masked figures far, far away, except for the spot where the boy stood.
―Wow, they were blown far away.
Ilayna ignored Yen’s comment, jumped lightly from the tree, and landed in front of the boy.
“Huh? He’s hurt.”
The black-haired boy, who had been quietly clutching his abdomen, was leaning against the base of a tree, gasping for breath.
“Don’t touch me!”
Still holding a knife, the boy, his vision blurry, swung the blade aimlessly in the air.
Ilayna easily dodged it and grabbed his hand, pulling it down. The warmth from his hand, flowing through her fingertips, almost made her want to cry.
Even though he looked completely different from Jayros, with a completely different personality, just the fact that he held the power of fire stirred an overwhelming sense of longing within her.
―Are you crying?
“I’m not crying.”
She thought she had been patient, trying to hold back the tears, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. Ilayna wiped her tears away and sat on the ground.
“I’ll fix you, so stay still.”
When the boy’s breathing slowed and his eyes closed, as if he had exhausted his last bit of energy, Ilayna quickly regained her composure and started to heal him.
The light spread from her hand to the wound, calming it, but the blood kept flowing, and the boy was still struggling.
“Why isn’t it healing properly?”
―It looks like the wound is more serious than we thought. It’s going to be hard to save him.
But Ilayna wasn’t willing to let go of even the slightest clue that might lead her to Jay after such a long time.
“Then we just need to use more power.”
Yen, startled, jumped up and landed next to her, trying to stop her. But it was too late.
―If you use too much power all at once…!
“Wait, this is strange.”
Ilayna felt an unexpected amount of power draining from her, and at the same time, her consciousness started to fade. She collapsed unconscious.
“…Come on. Wake up.”
Ilayna awoke to a soft shaking. She opened her eyes and saw a pair of blue eyes looking down at her, filled with concern.
“Oh, you’re finally awake.”
The black-haired boy seemed to be fine, much to her relief.
Next to him, Yen was slapping his tail on the ground, making a complaining noise.
Ilayna, relieved that the situation was over, stood up but froze when she noticed something strange with her lowered view.
Her tiny hands and her white cloak, almost completely buried in the ground.
―You overused your power and ended up younger. I told you not to do that.
Ilayna, still unable to fully process what was happening, blinked in confusion, sitting there.
