It was just supposed to be a little trek into the mountain trail outside of the town for us to resupply our coal resources back home.

Even though they weren’t allowed to, my parents figured they let me come along with them.

They said it was killing two birds with one stone by also letting me experience what the outside is like.

And I admit, it was truly breath-taking seeing a small piece of the world for the first time.

But that whimsical feeling only lasted for so long.

That was when the winds picked up, and before long, my parents knew this wasn’t going to be an easy trip home

—As we found ourselves stuck in a sudden perilous storm.

“...Nagi…! It’s ok! It’s going to be alright!”

“It’s too dangerous for us to stay here any longer. Come, we have to hurry!”

“Dear! Stay close to me…! It’s going to be fine! We’ll be ok!”

I didn’t even know there could have been lightning in a snowstorm.

I didn't even have the time to think.

Before I even realized what was going on, it was too late.

One moment, we were covered by a large looming shadow, and the next, I found myself in the air.

My Mom had pushed me out of the way just in time for me to see what was causing the absence of light.

A piece of the mountain that had broken off from the sheer force of the storm.

And it was that storm that—

“...Ah!”

Waking up in a cold sweat, I felt my heart thumping against my chest. That was six years ago. Six years ago. Six... I needed to remind myself of that... At seven years old, my time with my mom and dad abruptly ended just like that. I hardly had the time to get to know them, much less remember my time with them. And now in the present moment, I found myself alone in an empty dorm room devoid of life. I looked around. All of the beds around me were empty except for the sheets that were folded up neatly on every single one of them. Other than the one where I was sitting—that can only mean one thing.

“...I’m late.”

・・・・・

“Ice can cause people to freeze to death. We as people must learn how to survive the cold in order to make it through the winters. But without ice and snow, spring cannot come. Without them, the earth cannot rest — the cycle needs to be kept. So you children mustn’t hate winter for being cold. One day, the stars will shine bright again, bringing with them warmth and blessings.”

That quote from Rosalind still bears truth for so long after hearing it eight years ago. That is the basis of the snow festival’s purpose: to appreciate the existence of the winter season. Every kid and adult would gather in the central town square of Sappora to celebrate the Snow Festival. Our town is nothing short of desolate, but that didn’t stop us from having gratitude towards life.

And that was why I rushed out the door straight to the plaza, fumbling with my parka to get it on in time before anyone noticed I overslept on the day of the festival. As I stepped foot onto the brick pavement of the town square, I had to pause for a second to take it all in. What was in front of me was a sight to behold.

“Wow…”

Celestial spirits, urban legend monsters, animals of the wild. There were battles of galactic scales, yet also friendly creatures that were residing in their habitats. Every scene in front of me hardly shared anything in common, except for the fact that they were all set in ice. The main event of the Snow Festival was to create ice sculptures of the tales and because of this, a sea of light blue reflecting off the light of the clouds had me holding my breath for a second. Ah, and a number of adults were wearing the traditional bold shades of blue and white while performing the prayers to appease the dragon. Witnessing this showcase again always made me recall what Rosalind said.

“Children, our Dragon Niebieski was kind enough to bestow us with their grace.” She would always remind and lecture us to not take our powers for granted. Permafrost Dragon Niebieski — the being that causes the bitter cold blizzards of the entire world. And it was said that Niebieski was the one who gave rise to the “powers” that not only every other legendary being wields, but also us humans.

Despite every fantastical story told here, our ability to wield ice was the only living proof of their legitimacy. Every living being, whether they be a human, animal, or folklore creature shared this power. What Tobias said earlier about “speaking” to Niebieski was more in the sense of practicing and training our powers as it was only respectful and really, the only way to show gratitude to the Dragon. We were urged to give our regards to it every chance we get. And that’s why for today, we sculpt a piece from the tales with ice.

“Niebieski… huh…” Just another story from the adults to doubt, is that right, Keery?

Speaking of which, I spot Rosalind’s signature hair bun in the distance after wafting my way through the many frozen sculptures spread about.

"...Mom!" She’s gonna be furious for sure, after oversleeping like that on basically what is the most important day of the year. Uweh. It’s not my fault for being so drained last night thanks to Chloe’s unnatural work ethic. Rosalind will probably have me walk the plank as punishment—oh great. There goes Chloe’s nautical terms again.

My feet picked up and I was about to call out to her when a dark cast loomed over me. There, the whole scene took shape and finally revealed itself in front of me. Many from the orphanage were hacking their way to summon the Permafrost Dragon itself, or... rather just a sculpture of it: a huge one that blocked off pretty much all light overhead. Meanwhile, Rosalind was currently being huddled by many of the younger kids who don’t quite have a grip with their powers yet.

“Now, make sure to not strain that ‘connection’ you feel when giving gratitude to the Dragon. Lest be so discourteous.” Rosalind said to the youngins. Though, many of the children appear impatient as they were adding random protrusions on the main body of the Dragon. Even then, those didn’t mask the fact that the sculpture was huge.

Despite that, I didn’t realize I was that tunnel-visioned towards Rosalind that I couldn’t even notice a huge dragon in the middle of the town square. *Sigh* I really wanted to build something with her alone at least once… Just her attention for a little bit would be nice. But even then, that might be pushing the limits of her time sadly. At this point, I have to question—why do I even call her my “mom” anymore?

...Anyways. Now that I think about it, the only other person that I initially wanted to celebrate the day with wasn't here. Just like she said, Chloe wasn’t anywhere in sight at the town square. Wherever she was, she must be taking the deepest nap away from the bustle.

So I went ahead and did what I always do every year: create my own ice sculpture. Distancing myself from most of the commotion, I settled into a vacant spot and created a pillar of ice. And after a half an hour of precise control over my power, she was born once more.

“...Done.”

[https://i.imgur.com/21QSjd1.png]

Every year, I always create the same ice sculpture: the Snow Fairy. One certain legend goes that a singular Fairy was the reason why humans are alive today. She was the one to persuade Niebieski to share his powers to us to be able to fend for ourselves in a world teeming with predators. She is called the Snow Fairy, but she's more of a spirit in my eyes. A kind and nice spirit. It is said she now resides in forests, where she lives her days forever.

After that intense amount of concentration, I had to take a breather and sit on a nearby log to rest. Looking up, I couldn’t help but to admire the work of art. I always try my hardest to make it look exactly how I envision a free spirit without a care in the world would look like. But...

“...One leg is definitely longer than the other.” I sighed after a quick analysis of the work. Eh. I’m not an artist, that’s for sure. And unfortunately, I couldn’t really say the same for the folks near my spot. It’s hard not to admire the works of art as I gazed around the square. Only one day per year where the opportunity presents itself to take in the sight of light glistening from dozens and dozens of ice sculptures. And this was usually the only moment I look forward to nowadays. Rosalind stopped complimenting my Fairies years ago already thanks to her hands getting fuller every passing day. As a result, it’s hard for me to find a reason to improve my technique.

 Turning back to my own work again and staring into the face of the Fairy however, there was a sudden feeling that eyes were on me. It was as if some sort of strange presence emanated out of her, like she had just listened into my complaining. Well, this wasn’t the first time that this type of thing was happening. I never knew why but every year, it always seemed like these Fairies were going to move their arms at any second or something. Of course, a minute of sitting on the log passed by and the sculpture remained where she was. ...I’m most likely just going crazy and hallucinating things.

But while I sat there trying my best to clear my mind, intrusive thoughts about Keery’s proposal last night kept on surfacing up. Even with a fair amount of time before the Sun sets, granting me some breathing room, it doesn’t change the fact that I was still at a loss at what to do. Urgh, why did they have to ask me? The background noise of happy cheers, boots crunching against the snow, and ice formation from around me wasn’t exactly helping my dilemma either.

And you know what? Despite how lively they may seem, the festivals have been getting more and more uneventful lately — at least, in my perspective. I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with the way they are. It’s just that... eventually you get to a point where you’ve seen it all. Ah… I sound pretty inconsiderate and pathetic, don’t I? Not being grateful to this town and all.

“Sappora…”

I exhaled out a deep sigh and a cloud of breath seeped outwards, shrouding my field of view. It’s no use. What do I do… Go with them or refuse? Just what am I exactly supposed to do…?

「Don’t be afraid.」

...!

Huh? What was that just now…? A voice? That was some kind of voice… right? I shifted my eyes to where the source seemingly originated from: the Snow Fairy in front of me. But she was just as lifeless as ever, immobile. And especially without a mouth to speak. I’m... definitely going crazy right now; hearing voices out of nowhere like this.

“Haha…” I rubbed my eyes then shook my head, “...But she is right though.” Thinking about it, it made sense. What was there to be afraid of? Getting lost in the forest, lectured by adults for breaking the rules, the beast itself? I looked back towards Rosalind and the other kids. By now, Niebieski looked like the true divine figure in its majesty, just now with random limbs sticking out in random spots. All of the kids were enjoying some steamy stew containing lots of reindeer meat. And Rosalind was hurriedly making sure every single mouth was accounted for. Well, all except for… me.

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I do love it here, the cozy cabin feeling, the quiet paths around the environs, the familiar meaty delicacies. But… If even the most exciting part of the year was starting to lose its luster, then there is nothing else here in Sappora to look forward to.

Ah, for the love of… Alright, that’s it. Hopefully, I won’t regret this decision in the future. I’m… I’m accepting the offer.

・・・・・

“So you finally made up your mind huh.” Keery tapped a tree branch that he must’ve found on the ground on his shoulder as he knelt on top of the village’s boulder, “Very well, Nagi. I accepted your resolve here today.”

“Um… Pleasure to be here.” I wouldn’t say ‘accepted’, more so ‘peer pressured’. I can’t believe I’m doing this. It was a little before dusk with a fair amount of light still providing us vision. Everyone had already returned back after getting their fill with the event. Just like he said, there was no one else but a collection of ice sculptures depicting legendary scenes surrounding us. And “us” as in just the three of us. Seems like Keery only got his brother, Tobias, and me to join in the trek. The way he was going on about, I thought Keery would form a full-on expedition team but guess not. Meanwhile, the scent of alcohol had probably already purged the air inside every home. If we go into other homes for a final round of recruiting, we’d probably end up sitting through a slurred lecture by adults who had a little too much.

With a pitifully joyous look on his face, Keery pointed straight up into the air. “This is the day where we shall explore and uncover the uncharted territories that have been kept secret from us for our entire lives! Wahaha!”

“Please tell me where that confidence of yours comes from. Golly…” Tobias said not a second later, giving his brother a look.

“Heh. That’s what you get for making good use for the time spent in our power lessons.”

“Trust me I know—”

“THE only use for the festival is for me to perfect crafting the so-called ‘Kusa no Tsurugi’. All for the sake of something like this.”

...No matter what, I still can’t get a read on what Keery’s goal is in doing this at all. Not then and not now. It’s troubling to say the least seeing how excited he was to be breaking a rule imposed onto us. I mean, he even modeled his sword after the weapon of a legendary swordsman; there’s no way he wasn’t really into this.

“Hm? Got a problem with that, Nagi?”

And not to mention, Tobias should’ve been able to stop his plan if he really was that opposed to doing so. But I guess even someone like him could be persuaded. Guess that’s what happens when you live with another person for your whole life.

“Er, Nagi?”

 As a few snowflakes landed on my nose which gave off a tingly sensation, I snapped back into reality. The two brothers were staring back at me as if they were awaiting a response from me.

“Yo, Nagi. You good?”

“Uh—...Ah! Oh, sorry! Y—Yes.”

Shoot, I was definitely staring off at him. Urgh, I could tell my face was getting a little red.

“...Weird. Whatever. As long as you showed up... *Ahem*” Keery hopped to his feet on top of the boulder, “Alright team, line up! From now on, we’re off to conquer the Eastern Forest. Don’t go backing off on me now, gather up some resolve and let’s head off to uncharted territory!”

Jumping off, he landed with force and sprung back up, leading the way forward.

“Shucks. I don’t blame you being silent there, Nagi. I’m only doing this so he can stop blabbering about ‘fake’ the stories are. He himself wanted to put a nail in the coffin.” Tobias said, gesturing for me to follow, “You really didn’t have to force yourself to come along.”

How fortunate. At least, we have a sane person in this group of three.

“It’s fine.” I said, “I’m much of the same way as Keery. But for a slightly different reason.”

Down a well-hidden trail off the beaten path, the Eastern Forest loomed against the side of the mountains. Its massive trees blocked off about 80% of our view of said mountain, only letting us see the frozen peaks above. And into that forest’s maze we entered.

・

The forest was chilly; even moreso than the town in its chilliest nights. Much of the ground was covered in a layer of snow, with many leafless branches jutting out. Time seemed to cease inside here as the environment was completely still, except for the occasional breeze which brought a chill to me everytime. And yet, I couldn’t tell which was causing my whole body to shiver: the sheer coldness of the forest or my nervous state.

“—Achoo!” In addition to the problems at hand, Tobias’s uncontrollable sneezes urks Keery because he says that “it’ll alert the imaginary beast”.

“Golly… I’m so sorry!”

“...If I had known you were gonna be throwing a fit like this, I shoulda just learned how to block people’s nostrils with ice.”

“Erp… glad ya didn’t…”

Well. It wasn’t like we were going to get noticed any time soon. The forest was dense with evergreen trees reaching heights I couldn’t even describe. But taking a look at the trees covered in snow, I never expected the forest to feel so peaceful. Was it really like this all the time? The way I remembered it back then… It was from the mountain’s point of view downwards where I saw the upper parts— where—it was… storming... Stop. Can’t think about that.

Though, this same exact setting and situation caused another event to come to mind: a certain incident that truly happened in real life.

“Do… Do you two remember that one event? About the nine who died while hiking in the snowy mountains?” I asked.

“...Can’t say I quite remember the details let alone the what happened other than the fact that nine had died while hiking.” Keery said.

“The ...something… pass incident.” Tobias continued, “A group of nine highly trained individuals decided to do some surveying of the land. It was meant to be an expedition to study the mountain pass’s geography and wildlife, gathering data and documenting anything to note with their journals, if I recall correctly. This was a few decades ago.”

“Oi… Okay I remember now—”

“Yes, they say that they were originally meant to come back after a couple of days in the mountain pass. But after a week had gone by without any word, people got worried by the silence. Search teams were sent to recover them, and what they found a few kilometers in the pass were—the bodies of all nine covered in snow. It’s said that three had died of hypothermia while the six others sustained lethal injuries, mainly in the form of head trauma.”

“Oi, Oi… Don’t go talking about a story like that when we’re literally doing the exact same thing as them.”

“Many of their belongings were scattered all over the place which obviously showed signs of struggle. The only other thing that made it back was a single mechanical doll—an automata. It was originally designed to be a clock before one of the hikers, a mechanical expert, repurposed it. Turns out they made it into a make-shift pinhole camera to bring back pictures of the ‘incident’. But the only photos that could be recovered were all too blurry, suggesting as if when they took them, they were ‘in a rush’ somehow.”

“Alright we get it now Tobi—”

“Shucks. Under normal circumstances, an experienced group of hikers that were greatly familiar with the arctic wilderness couldn’t have possibly been bested by the forces of nature… and yet they were. But I guess that’s the danger of fantasy meeting reality.” He said before a not-so-great look came over him, “Ermm… Anyways, why are we discussing this story now?!”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to say…” Keery muttered under his breath.

Realizing what just happened, Tobias  “Ah. Err… Oh Golly! Was... I in exposition mode again? Ah... Ah... —Achoo!”

“*Sigh* You sure were. Just saying, you’re expecting me to ask if it was the beast that killed those hikers, huh?”

“Well, they weren’t hiking in the forest, they were in the mountains. If anything…”

“We’re the ones that’ll get mauled by it? Hah. Like I’ll let that happen.”

Forced to not let that thought consume me, I only noticed the small shift in terrain right in front of us a second too late.

“Ah… Keery—”

“I ain’t willing to suffer a heavy loss like that. As long as I have my swo—UWOH!”

As Keery’s voice got cut off, a massive cloud of snow blasted into the air and a plop sound came out from the bottom of a short, yet steep slope in front of us.

“K—Keery?!”

Me and Tobias hurried and carefully inched our way downwards. At the bottom, there was the boy with one leg sticking out of a mound of snow. I gotta admit, I had to chuckle at the sight. The limb was motionless until it swung onto the ground to propel his whole body out of the pile.

“Urrgh… That’s what I get for listening in on that damn story…” He said as he shook his head clean of snow, “Oi, c’mon Nagi. You’re the one suppose to be looking out for crap like this!”

He’s placing the blame on me for something like this?

I lowered my gaze. “I don’t ever recall being told to do so.”

“You’ve been walking with us so silently that I sometimes mistake you for a wax doll.”

“I… Well... dolls can stand on their own feet pretty well if designed nicely. And I’m standing right now.”

That seemed to have an effect as Keery’s face grew bewildered the moment he heard me. “...Ouch, that’s harsh. Guess I deserved that.”

He stood up, pressing his hand on the back of his head and averting his gaze. At least he had the ability to be bashful.

“You know what, sorry. Nevermind, just forget I said anything.”

“Yikes, Nagi. You alright? Sorry that Keery had to run his mouth like that.”

“Hey, I said to forget it, didn’t I? No hard feelings. I was only… provoked, that’s all.”

The only thing that mattered to me now was to make it back to the mill alive. If it means maintaining our relationship to improve our odds, then apology accepted.

・

It’s been quite some time now since us three have entered the Eastern Forest. We’ve been walking for so long that the only remaining light left was just the dim glow from the clouds near the horizon, wherever that might be. Not only that, but it must be getting even colder than before. Well, it should be even colder. The problem was that I couldn’t tell the difference as every part of my body was numb by now.

“Yeah, we must be getting close to the side of the mountain by now. I can pretty much make out parts of the cliffs from here.”

“This is far from hospitable to say the least… Golly. Can anything even survive in conditions like this…? This... ah... —Achoo!”

“Guess we’re gonna find out right now. Here we go… the heart of the Eastern Forest.”

At this point, the side of the mountain filled the gaps between the evergreens’ foliage. So far, no beast had attacked us thus far. Once we reach the base of said mountain, we would have traversed all of the forest without ever coming into contact with another living being. In other words, this would be the moment of truth whether or not the stories are true.

“*Ahem* Hey! You so-called “Beast”! You got ears!? I don’t give a rat’s ass about your reputation or your nine kill streak, I’m gonna prove it right now that you ain’t something to be feared!”

“Wh—What?!”

“My name is Keery! A renowned swordsman! We’ve come to slay you and put an end to your reign! So come and get some!”

I thought I was gonna get a heart attack after his sudden announcement and I’m sure Tobias was too as he started shivering uncontrollably. Especially since the wind blew gently across the forest, catching collected snow from the trees. We waited and waited, but we were only met with powder in our faces. A couple of seconds after Keery’s declaration of war, Tobias finally broke the silence.

“Nothing’s… coming out…”

Another few seconds passed by for extra assurance before Keery chuckled.

“...Heh. I—I knew it. I knew it all along — from the start.”

He scanned around the foliage one more time and threw his hand in the air, “...I knew it was just a dang fairy tale after all. There’s no beast or monster or whatever living inside here. There never was one. Ha ha… Ha ha ha.” With a deep inhale, Keery raised his chin up and gave the heaviest sigh I ever heard, “MAN this sucks! This is so ANTI-CLIMATIC!!!!”

He then proceeded to let himself lean back and fall onto the snow; his legs flinging upwards before landing back in the powder. His face had a sense of defeat and some displeasure sprinkled into the mix.

“There, happy now?” Tobias said, clearly relieved that we didn’t have to introduce ourselves to an apex predator, “Now ya can stop complaining about how ‘fake’ these stories are—wait… this is only gonna accentuate the problem…”

“Nah, that’s not the problem here. The problem is that I can’t bring proof of this for me to spread the word. *Sigh* Shame on me.”

“But… we are done here, right?” I asked.

“Yeah sure… I guess this mission’s done. Let’s just go home.” 

GARUUURURUUHHHHH...

“O—Oi… Did you hear that…?” Tobias said as he clutched his coat suddenly.

“...Huh? What are you talking about Tobi?” Keery turned his head to his brother who was slowly inching backwards.

“Just now, there was… some sort of growl in the mountain’s direction… A—And rustling at the same t—time…” 

“You trying to make it so I would shut up about how fake the stories are? Sorry but that’s not gonna work.”

“No I’m serious right now…! Nagi, you heard it too, right?”

Tobias looked over to me with the most frightened look in his eyes.

“...Y—Ye—es…” I didn’t realize my voice was going to shake this much which must’ve potentially contributed to his anxiety. Because his eyes fixed into one single direction.

Tobias finally raised an arm and pointed towards the base of the mountain, “L—Look...”

That was when Keery and I followed where Tobias was pointing to see a dark outline in the deep foliage. A figure’s shrouded silhouette that was facing straight towards us. Not only that, there was a clear distinction that was separating us from it: It was taller than the three of us.

GAOOOOoooOOOOOOOoooOOOO!!!!

My heart… I never felt it beating so fast before. I wanted to get out of here right now. Anywhere, anyplace. Just not in this forest at the same time with whatever caused that roar. Keery bolted up and staggered onto his feet while Tobias instantly stumbled to hide behind me.

“D—Don’t tell m—me you t—two are s—scared?!” Keery’s hand trembled while he used his power to form his Kusa no Tsurugi sword, but this time, there were a lot more noticeable imperfections than what he created last night.

“T—That’s rich… C—Coming f—from you… ah... —Achoo!” Tobias shakingly said from behind.

Ah… they were much more of a couple of pushovers than I thought. That being said… Only now did I realize that my legs were also frozen in place; all of the blood had already been drained from them. In fact, I couldn’t even move a single bit. The only thing I could do with what little effort I had was to keep myself standing on my feet and not let my legs give out on me. Mustering up any ice now for safety was out of the question.

“Haha… This has got to be a joke, right…?” Keery choked out a strained laugh. I wish he was right, but all this time, the adults weren’t joking after all. The stories were about to acquire some proof.

There—the figure came out.