“Boss, the carriage is here,” Perk’s voice sounded from outside Adion’s room.

Adion stopped his meditation and went to open the door.

“Did everything look alright?” Adion asked as he opened the door to Perk and Tib standing outside.

“The carriage looked to be in good condition,” Perk said, “The driver was a bit concerned about driving in this weather, though.”

“We paid the carriage company extra, so he doesn’t have the right to complain,” Adion said.

“Mm,” Perk nodded.

“Well, get your stuff ready,” Adion said, “I’ll go to Hevima and say goodbye to my teacher.”

“Okay, boss,” Perk nodded and headed to his room alongside his brother.

Adion stepped out of the inn and onto the snowcovered street and started making his way to Hevima.

It’s finally time to leave for Cyalis. But I’m not looking forward to the journey very much.

It had been almost two weeks since Adion’s birthday, and the weather had finally calmed down a little. But even if it wasn’t snowing at the moment, it had been snowing for weeks already, and Adion feared what the road to Cyalis would be like.

It’s probably going to be a rough start, but hopefully, the road will clear as time goes on.

When Adion arrived at Hevima, he headed straight to Quahim’s studio. He was a little sad that this would be the last time he would head up those stairs to spend the day painting and learning about shadows.

Thankfully, I’m moving on to something I’m even more excited about.

“Everything ready for your journey?” Quahim asked from his stool where he was painting as Adion came up the stairs. Adion had already told him the day before that he would be leaving the coming morning.

“Yeah,” Adion nodded, “I came to say goodbye and thank you for the past year, teacher.”

“Mm,” Quahim nodded. He put his brush down and stood up to look at Adion. “I have something for you.”

“For me?” Adion asked.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Quahim said, “It’s just some painting material.”

Quahim went deeper into the studio for a moment before coming back with a few painting brushes and a small jar that seemed to contain black paint.

“These brushes are made out of hair from the mane of a Cerrilion Lion. In the Soft Soul stage, no less, so don’t lose them,” Quahim said as he handed Adion four brushes of different sizes.

“This…” Adion was stunned, “This is far too valuable, teacher.”

“They hold no value at all for me,” Quahim said, “So don’t worry about it. And this paint…I won’t give you an explanation. Just know it is very dark, so don’t use it lightly.”

“I understand,” Adion nodded absent-mindedly. He was a little overwhelmed to receive gifts from Quahim. It was something he thought was his role. He had even thought about gifting an Elixir of Life or perhaps a Moon Shadow Panther Wisdom Pill, but he had discarded that idea. It was something that was simply too valuable. Not to Adion, but to the world.

Instead, Adion decided to give Quahim a painting. It seemed like the only thing the old elf might be interested in. But now that felt a little cheap.

Whatever, I’ll just accept his kindness, and perhaps I can repay him in the future.

“I hope you continue to paint,” Quahim said, “You are quite good at it.”

“Thank you,” Adion said, “I promise I will.”

“Good,” Quahim nodded.

“I want to give you ‘A mother’s smile’ as a thank you for the past year. Even if it seems like a little pale in comparison to your gifts, I still want to do it,” Adion said.

“‘A mother’s smile’?” Quahim asked, surprised, “I know that painting means a lot to you. You’re certain you want to give it to me? You don’t owe me anything for teaching you, you know.”

“I know,” Adion said, “But I’m certain. It’s a gift, but it’s a gift that I don’t think you’ll hold onto for very long.”

“Oh? How so?” Quahim asked.

“I’ll return with such a masterpiece that you can’t help but want to exchange it for ‘A mother’s smile,’” Adion said with a grin.

“Hehe,” Quahim chuckled, “I’m looking forward to it then.”

“Mm,” Adion nodded, “Anyway. I already have my other paintings back at the inn. So I have everything I need.”

“Good,” Quahim said, “Have a safe trip. And enjoy yourself at the Academy.”

“I will,” Adion said, “Goodbye, and thank you for your teachings.”

Adion cupped his fist and bowed deeply in gratitude.

“Alright, alright,” Quahim said, waving Adion off, “Hurry up before the weather turns for the worse.”

“Mm. I’ll come visit when I get the chance,” Adion said and turned to leave.

“Make sure to bring Sell with you when you do,” Quahim said, taking his seat in front of his painting again.

“I will,” Adion said, smiling at the thought.

Adion went downstairs again, where he said a quick goodbye to Ferrith by the counter and Demoth, who was guardian the door like always. He hadn’t spent much time talking to the two of them, so it wasn’t a particularly difficult goodbye.

Adion made his way out onto the street again and headed back to the inn. His mind was at ease, and he was eager to be on his way.

It won’t be long now.

Arriving at the inn, Adion packed all the things he would need and loaded them onto the carriage. It was nothing much. Everything he owned could basically fit inside his backpack. Only his paintings had to be carried separately. But he had asked his subordinates to buy food, water, and other necessities that would be vital during the journey. He had no idea how far it was until the text small town, and he didn’t want to stop more than necessary.

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“Everything is in the carriage, boss,” Tib said.

“Then let’s go,” Adion said, entering the carriage, “Tell the driver to get moving and come join me with Perk.”

“Mm,” Tib nodded and went up to the driver.

Adion took a seat in the carriage, happy with the cushioned seats. He had not spared any expense on comfort and quality when renting the carriage; he knew it was going to be a challenging journey even with the best of carriages.

“Everything’s in order, boss,” Tib said as he got in the carriage along with his older brother.

“Good,” Adion said, feeling how the carriage started moving.

“It’s a shame that we couldn’t find another driver to share the load with…Holen, was it?” Adion asked.

“Yeah, Holen,” Tib nodded, “And it wasn’t that there was no one else. Holen said he could drive through the day without a problem. And even if they were two, no one can drive at night in these conditions.”

“Right,” Adion said, “Seems like a waste to stand still for so much of the day, but I can understand it. We have almost two months to get to Cyalis, so we should take things safe.”

“It’s a shame we couldn’t find a ship,” Tib said, “That would have been a lot easier.”

“Not many ships sail during the winter,” Adion said, “And the ones that do don’t travel from Rethi to Cyalis. Even during summer, that is a trip done by land, according to Quahim.”

“It would have been nice,” Perk said, “I have never been on a ship.”

“Me neither,” Adion said, “Well, a small one, but that was more of a riverboat.”

“So what should we focus on during the journey?” Tib asked.

“Same as always,” Adion said, “Just because we are traveling doesn’t mean we can relax. Quite the opposite, there is nothing to do besides training, so might as well make the most of it.”

“Mm,” Tib nodded.

“You got it, boss,” Perk said and closed his eyes to meditate.

Well, we could have talked some more. But this is fine, I suppose.

As the carriage left the city and got on the road leading north, Adion noticed just how uncomfortable a journey on compressed snow was. The carriage was rocking back and forth, and they weren’t even moving at a fast pace.

I wonder how long it will take if we travel at this speed the whole way? Definitely more than a month. But it can’t be as long as two. We should be fine.

However, as the day went on, the road was getting worse, as fewer carriages had traveled there before, clearing the way.

After hours of traveling a distance too short to Adion’s liking, the carriage came to a halt as it had gotten too dark to see the road clearly. Adion stepped out of the carriage alongside his two subordinates.

“I’ll start a fire for us,” Adion said, “You two prepare dinner.”

“Yes, boss,” The brothers responded and got to work. Adion noticed the driver chewing on some dried jerky while feeding the two Silver beasts pulling the carriage.

I can feel that he is a Silver mage, and he has a water core. How will he keep himself warm?

Adion grabbed some wood that the brothers had brought him and started a fire where they could warm themselves and cook some food.

“Holen, right?” Adion turned to the driver, “You’re free to warm yourself by the fire. We have plenty of food too, so get yourself something more substantial.”

“Oh? That is very kind of you, young master,” The old elven man thanked Adion and stepped up to the fire.

It’s a good thing I thought about food. Benji was always the one doing that before. It’s a pain having to think about logistics like this.

Adion turned to look at Perk and Tib. They were both grilling some meat for everyone to eat.

I’ll have Tib take care of things like this when he gets more experience.

After eating, Adion entered a tent that Tib and Perk had set up. He let the brothers stay in the carriage. Adion could keep control of fire indefinitely, so he didn’t fear growing cold. He did fear setting the carriage on fire, though. So he opted to stay in a tent despite the cold.

It’s far from the best trip I’ve had. But if it stays like this, we’ll be fine.

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

The days went by as Adion continued his journey. The carriage was moving slower and slower each day as the road had yet to be cleared by any carriages. And things turned from bad to worse as the snow started coming down again on the fifth day.

“It’s a damn blizzard out there,” Adion said, looking at the snow blowing past the carriage window.

“Is Holen alright out there?” Perk asked.

“He will stop if it gets to be too much,” Adion said, “He has accepted a job driving a carriage through one of the harshest winters in decades, so I don’t think he fears cold too much.”

“I guess that’s true,” Perk nodded thoughtfully.

“But if this continues…will we even be able to move at all?” Tib asked.

“I hope so,” Adion said, “We have Silver beasts pulling the carriage. They should be strong enough to get through snow, no matter how much. It just might take a while.”

“That’s good,” Tib said.

Adion closed his eyes to do some aura training, but he had a hard time focusing, the snow worrying him greatly.

I wonder if Sell would be able to just melt the snow in front of us with her fire if she was here. She would probably grow exhausted pretty quickly, but it might have made some difference.

The snow didn’t let up for the entire day, and when it turned dark, and the carriage came to a halt, Adion feared even getting out of the carriage.

“Should we maybe…just not eat tonight?” Perk asked.

“It can’t be that bad,” Adion said, opening the carriage door.

As he stopped outside, the wind almost knocked him over.

I wasn’t ready for the wind to be that strong!

“Can we even keep a fire going in this!?” Tib asked, yelling to get his voice heard through the howling wind.

“Let’s get back inside!” Adion said, and they all hurried inside the carriage again.

“Room for one more!?” Holen's voice came through just as Adion was about to close the door.

“Get in here!” Adion yelled back.

“Thank you, young master Adion,” Holen said as he got inside.

“What do you think? Will we be able to move tomorrow if it continues like this?”

“It will take a while,” Holen said, “But we’ll get going in an hour, I reckon. But we’ll be moving at a crawl from now on.”

“Is it really that bad?” Adion asked.

“It is,” Holen said, “And we have to find a way to get to a town or village. My beasts have been working a lot harder than usual. This journey in summer and the food I brought would last until Dormia. But we are moving at a snail’s pace, and they have to put in a lot more effort for every mile we travel.”

“That…do you know where the closest village is?” Adion asked.

“I don’t even know where we are,” Holen responded.

“Haaah,” Adion sighed, “Would it be better to wait until this blizzard settles? Let the beast regain some energy?”

“I don’t think so,” Holen said, “The snow will always be a struggle to get through. Might as well be moving.”

“Alright,” Adion nodded, “We still have almost two months to get to Cyalis. There should be enough time, right?”

Holen hesitated for a moment before nodding, “Yes. Less than a month, and I wouldn’t have hope, but two months is doable. Definitely.”

Adion was not very comforted by those words.