A few months passed, and Rue finally turned 1, but to everyone's shock, he did not stop growing.

As he walked down the dirt road on his way to Kiera's, he passed by snow-covered fields and homes, smoke huffing from simple chimneys.

Rue stood slightly over 4 feet tall, his body was covered head to toe in thick coats.

Shuffling along, he caught sight of Shiny. Shiny was sitting on a branch, a Raven perched nearby, staring down at him.

Rue dug into his pocket and pulled out a handful of dried fruits. Glancing at the duo, he gave them a small wave.

Shiny leaped from the tree, diving to a lower branch before landing on the ground. Scampering over, he grabbed the fruit from Rue's hand and wormed his way into Rue's warm coat.

Now comfortable, he peeked his head out and began nibbling on the fruit.

From the sky, the Raven dropped down, landing on a nearby wall. It jumped forward, cautiously taking the fruit from Rue's hand before fluttering away.

Rue watched as the bird flew off; one of his eyebrows was raised, and his lips were pursed. Shiny had introduced him to the Raven not too long ago, and it seemed that the Raven was still cautious. Even so, he felt he was making progress with the bird.

He was initially quite ecstatic when Shiny introduced the Raven to him. When he laid his eyes on it initally, he could distinctly feel his Affinity with decay rumble.

He was hoping the Raven would become his Second Tame. But first, he needed to worm his way into its heart, and he couldn't think of a better way than food.

He watched as the bird disappeared into the forest, feeling the fluffiness of Shiny within his coat.

Sighing, he continued his journey, walking through the morning's gentle snowfall. As he approached Kiera's home, he observed a fancy carriage parked within the Hamlet's central square. Two men in fancy suits were just getting out.

They were flanked by a couple of guards and escorted into Cain's office. 'Looks like the Tax people are here to collect,' Rue thought, his lips forming into a frown.

He shook his head. His father had ranted many times over the last three months, and at this point, it was hard for him not to know the precarious situation the Hamlet was in.

Stepping off to the side of the road, Rue watched a caravan of wagons pass by. Varieties of materials and laborers rode within.

Almost two months ago, various laborers, knights, and mages started to visit the Hamlet. In response, the Hamlet's trade exploded. Luckily for Rue, he hadn't come face to face with any of the mages yet. His anomalous existence weighed heavier and heavier with each passing day.

Finally arriving at Kiera's doorstep, he announced his presence before opening the door.

Within, the warmth of a gentle fireplace rushed over his body. Kiera sat on her favorite rocking chair, her wrinkly feet propped up near the fireplace.

In her hands was the same ancient tome she read the first day he had met her.

Stripping off his copious layers of jackets and scarfs, he plopped down into another rocking chair with Shiny perched on his shoulder.

Reaching for a nearby book, he held it in his hands before glancing at Kiera. "Ive always been meaning to ask. What is that book? Why is it taking you such a long time to read?"

Kiera looked over at Rue, his face noticeably leaner, losing more and more baby fat with age. "I'm not only reading but also comprehending." Pausing, she also added, "And it may also be in another language,"

Rue looked at the book in her hands with a raised eyebrow, "Can I try?"

Kiera softly laughed, "No, this book will stay with me." Pausing, she stared at Rue, "Shouldn't you be condensing your Soul Ocean? The environment outside is extremely conducive to your advancement."

Rue sighed. All he had been doing since seeing the first snowflake was precisely that. Because of this, he had not yet taken the time to explore the possibilities of the new Soul Constructs he had created.

Over the past few months, he had added to his collection. He dove into his Soul Ocean, observing the neat row of Constructs he had made.

Not alone anymore, the sandstone pillar stood, its cylindrical shape still the same. Rue Glanced nearby, another construct catching his eye. It was a simple snowflake perpetually floating in the air, its edges noticeably sharper than one would expect. He had initially devised to use a blizzard to obstruct his foe's vision. But after some experimentation, he discovered that if he sharpened the snowflakes, he could concentrate them to make an edge of the snowflakes or create a blizzard, giving his enemies thousands of paper cuts in mere seconds. He shivered, just imagining the pain.

Looking at his next construct, he remembered his thought process when he made it. He currently had a versatile movement construct as well as an attack/blinding construct. What he needed was defense. Glancing at his latest creation, a smug smile adorned his face.

Before him was his first attempt at combining multiple affinities into one construct. Using the defensive natures of earth, and the speed of Snow, he created two round shields. To the observant eye, they just looked like earthen shields lined with Snow, but at the depth of the shield, his third Affinity came into play.

When something made contact with his shield, be it physical, mental, or any kind of Aether, it was injected with Decay, weakening the attack further. This allowed the solid earth to tank more blows than would normally be possible.

Even with the simple parts and pieces, Rue was extremely proud of his accomplishments. Taking advantage of the defensive nature of earth, the speed of Snow, and the natural ability of Decay, he had created probably his most dangerous but life-saving construct.

Jumping out of his Soul Ocean, he glanced at Kiera. "I'm tired of condensing my Soul Ocean. Maybe I could do something else?"

Kiera glanced over at Rue, taking her eyes off her book for only a brief moment. "I am not your mother; I am only here to give you suggestions and teach you what I have learned." Waving her hand, she suggested, "But if you are so bored that you cannot sit still, I may have a task. I believe you are competent enough."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Rue widened his eyes. He hadn't ventured from the Hamlet for some time and wouldn't mind some fresh air. Even if it was winter, the Snow didn't bother him for obvious reasons.

"Sure, lay it on me."

"There is a peculiar plant that happens to grow high on the edges of the nearby mountains. It is formally known as the Veiled Wisp, but at this time of year, it resembles that of an ordinary Frostborn Daisy. Find one for me, and this old lady will be forever grateful."

Rue furrowed his brows, "Will I be safe?"

Kiera gazed at Rue, "Boy, no one is ever safe."

--------------------

After a bit of reassurance that he wasn't walking into another giant spider's lair, Rue set off into the forest. He wore a simple shirt, pants, and heavy boots. He had purposefully left his jackets at Kiera's; they were mainly for show, and he didn't want to carry the extra weight.

But without warm outer layers, Shiny had to dive into Rue's shirt, his head peeking out the front collar.

Rue leisurely walked through the forest, his eyes wide as he scanned the surroundings. The surrounding pine trees soared into the sky, a white powder caked onto their branches.

The forest was quiet, and most animals left for warmer weather or hibernated for the winter. Very few stayed active during this time.

Even with the lowered chance of spotting any creatures, Rue had spotted a beautiful buck, its antlers several feet across and covered in beautiful ice crystals.

Shiny almost leaped from his shirt, the urge to try and take the buck's rack heavily weighing on him.

But as Rue took steps forward, the Snow underfoot crunched. The buck turned and stared at them, it's eyes swirling with vibrant green.

Raising its head, it pranced away deeper into the forest, the falling Snow covering its retreat.

Rue shrugged before continuing his trek once more. The mountains practically towered over Hamlet; being relatively close, he didn't think he was far away.

Eventually, after a peaceful walk, Rue observed as the ground began to slope up, the forest floor quickly becoming a mountain.

After Rue had walked up several hundred feet of the mountain, the trees became sparser, their large branches no longer blocking the sky.

Trudging up the cliff, Rue began looking for any signs of life, whether animals or plants. Just observing the white of Snow, he continued on. As he walked further up, the incline became steeper. Eventually, Rue had to climb, grappling the edges of the mountain with all fours.

Spotting a nearby ledge, Rue scrambled towards it. Gripping the edge, he used his unusual amounts of strength to drag himself onto the shelf.

Gasping for breath, Rue flopped on the ground, his eyes staring into the snowy sky. "Scaling a mountain is much tougher than I expected," Rue mumbled as he watched puffs of steam escape his mouth with every exhale.

Rue lay on his side, staring down at Verdant Hamlet. Now coated in a layer of white, he could see several columns of smoke ascend from chimneys. From his vantage point, he could also see his Father and the village Griffle team preparing for their first match.

Once winter had set in, Cain started drilling the Griffle team hard. His reasoning was that farmers had nothing to farm during the winter.

He also saw lots of construction taking place. In the hamlet's center, a bar and a general shop were being built.

As Rue examined the growing Hamlet, he smiled. He was comfortable. Even if he was an odd child, he steadily grew fonder of his home.

Feeling better, Rue laid back on his back. Flopping back over, he was met by a giant rough tongue to the face.

Rue flailed his arms, scooting back to the cliff's edge, his eyes scanning for danger.

What met his vision, though, was a white-haired mountain goat. Its small horns straight, and its wet nose black.

"Baaaahhhhaaahhaaahh"

Shiny merely glanced at the goat before diving his little head into Rue's shirt, determining the creature to not be a threat.

Caught off guard, Rue carefully stood, ensuring he didn't accidentally step off the cliff's edge. He stared at the white goat, his body relaxing but his eyes still wide. "How did you sneak up on me so easily?"

"baaaahhhhaaahhaaahh"

Rue stared at the goat, and the goat stared back. Its gaze surprisingly empty.

Rue shook his head. Looking up, he searched for another ledge higher up the mountain. Spotting one not far away, Rue began climbing once again.

As Rue climbed the increasingly steep mountain, he couldn't help but look behind him, his thoughts on the goat. To his surprise, the thick-furred creature leisurely followed him, its black hoofs always finding purchase, even on the smallest handholds.

"baaaahhhhaaahhaaahh"

Ignoring the goat, he grabbed hold of the closest ledge and heaved himself up, a few pillars of sandstone assisting his ascent.

Flopping onto the mountain's shelf, Rue came face to face with a large meadow of perfect flowers. Their ice petals and snow-white centers were identical to those of a Frostborn Daisy.

Strolling within the field, a few goats lazily munched on the flowers, each of their fur coats icy blue.

Looking at the goat behind him, Rue couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. 'Why was this goat's coat white, while the others were pale blue?'

Curious, Rue decided to sit down and watch, giving his body a much-needed break from all the climbing.

Even with his extra presence, the goats ignored him, at least all but the curious goat, which was now standing as still as a statute, its face a mere foot from Rue's.

Rue pushed the goat away, "Shoo, go eat some flowers or something. Stop bothering me."

"baaaahhhhaaahhaaahh," the goat responded, leisurely inching closer, invading Rue's personal space.

Pushing it back again, Rue stood up, staring down at the white-furred goat. "What do you want?"

"baaaahhhhaaahhaaahh"

Rue took a step away. The goat took a step forward.

Throwing his hands down, Rue gave up and sat down on a nearby rock. Not long after, a furry-horned face appeared in his peripheral vision.

Ignoring the stubborn goat, Rue directed his gaze back towards the grazing goats. This time, though, something had changed.

At first, all the goats had icy blue fur, but now one of the goats at the far end of the field of flowers was no longer blue. Its coat was slowly turning dark purple.

Standing from his seat, he strolled through the flowers towards the color-changing goat; not far behind, another pure white goat followed, its black hoofs carefully stepping on the condensed path of snow Rue had so graciously made.

Stepping near the color-changing goat, Rue examined the flowers in the vicinity. Each looked just like a normal Frostbane flower, but staring at the half-eaten flower, a few had shifted appearance. Their stalks were now vibrant purple, and wisps of lavender smoke poured from the stems.

Reaching down, Rue plucked a seemingly normal Frostborn Daisy. The instant the stem snapped, the flower changed. Its icy petals turned bright red, and the stalk turned that of vibrant purple.

"Found you!" Rue concluded. Stuffing the Veiled Wisp gently in a linen sack, he plucked a few more before walking back to the cliff's edge.

Rue stopped and glanced behind him, watching as the stubborn white goat accidentally bumped his back.

Pushing it away one last time, Rue began his descent down the mountain, pillars of sandstone assisting his journey.

Shiny looked down at the forest from Rue's shirt, his beady black nose sniffing the winter air. His small eyes scanned for potential locations, he could search for gems.

A few things caught Shiny's eyes. The location of the spider's cave was now bustling with activity. Multitudes of knights, mages, and workers filtered in and out of the now-reinforced cave. Rue observed the same thing, taking a short break on one of his pillars.

"Looks like they found something important or valuable." Glancing down at his furry friend, he poked Shiny's nose. "No, we will not go inside the mage-infested cave."

Shiny pouted, his eyebrows scrunching in protest. Rue shook his head, and in response, Shiny dove into his shirt, hiding from Rue.

Shrugging, Rue looked up, his face merely a foot away from the white goat, its large tongue licking its black nose. "Well, at least I have you to keep me company." Pausing, he silently added, "Not like I have a choice."

Within Rue's shirt, Shiny curled up, using Rue's body heat to keep warm. In Shiny's head, a confused thought echoed, 'Where was the Raven's Fortress?'

After an eventless climb, Rue's feet met the walkable ground. He sighed in relief, stretching his arms and neck. Patting his stomach, he spoke up. "Shiny, we are done climbing."

Peeking his head out, Shiny observed the familiar environment of pine trees once more. Relaxing, he climbed out of Rue's shirt and plopped on his shoulder.

Rue stepped forward, beginning his trek back to the Hamlet. On his shoulder, a Shiny sat, his tail wrapped around Rue's neck almost like a scarf. Close behind, a stubborn goat trotted along, its shaggy white fur bouncing up and down.

Noticing his unexpected companion, Rue decided to take the less occupied route back to Kiera's.