Val’shka was a vast country about as large as all other Aurelian countries combined. The distance between the six major urban centers of the empire was very far from one another. Almost all of them were separated by almost infinite, continuous stretch of great forests and terrains.

“Here be the White Forest of Joklfrey that surrounds the frozen lake as well as the river that runs through it. Can you see that? The Crystal Palace is standing right in the middle of the forest.” Nepathya Lei explained as she pointed eastwards.

Maven looked at the pointed place and was astonished. A clear, sharp crystal planted in an unfathomable depth into the ground that looked like a mount when surveyed from afar. It was surrounded by a white expanse that resembled drifting clouds. She even felt the far-reaching cold, freezing air on the hill she was standing along with Reyl, Sophia and Declan.

“It's said that almost no human lives here. Certainly it's because there are still many much more habitable places than here,” Lei added. “There’s no complete map of this labyrinth forest, so we have to rely on compass, and a guide if possible.”

“Wow, we must be so lucky if we can find a single guide in this very big forest.” Declan scratched the back of his head.

“Whether or not we get one, we’ll have to keep moving. Time won’t wait,” interrupted Reyl who immediately walked away from the hilltop.

Declan shouted, “Hey, wait, Reyl! We haven't had any rest! It’s already dark…”

Reyl simply ignored him. He walked even further away, followed by Sophia, half-running and worried, and by the expressionless Lei.

“For Vadis’ sake, this man! Just how more annoying he can get? Why am I even helping him this far?”

Maven patted her sworn brother's shoulder. “Because he is my best friend, like you, my brother and my best childhood friend. I don’t have to repeat this again, right?"

“Yea, yea, you don’t need to.” Declan shrugged while walking with the petite girl. Even though he had to put his life on the line, he would do it for the happiness of this girl who had endeared his heart.

==oOo==

Maven’s quick feet walked through the first trees at the edge of the White Forest. The cold began to pierce her body, even though blunted by the fur-collared thick leather mantle she was wearing for winter journeys. Her four companions wearing similarly thick clothing had also begun to feel the cold. Sophia was already shivering.

Maven’s keen brown eyes turned towards Reyl who kept walking in front of the party along with Madame Lei. He has never once turned to check on his lover.

On the contrary, Declan removed the scarf he was wearing then gave it to Sophia. “Here, Sophia, wear this. You need this more than I do.”

Sophia didn’t immediately receive that scarf. Instead she glared back. “You sure you can withstand the cold with just your coat, robe and clothes, Dec?”

“Oh, sure can!” Declan patted his own chest. “I may be a cleric, but when it comes to endurance, I’m the expert. Don’t worry about me, you can have it.”

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“Umm, thanks.” Still reluctantly, Sophia finally received the scarf. She wrapped it around her neck, then immediately chased after Reyl. Declan who was walking behind Sophia now began to shiver. Maven approached him and whispered. “You’re nice, but a fool. A nice fool, that's what you are.”

“I’m just helping a ‘friend’, just like you once told me to,” Declan protested while puffing up his chest. “A little bit of cold won’t be a problem…”

“Shhh! Be careful!” Maven readily drew her bow while Declan raised up his tri-pronged trident.

At the front, Reyl also readied his stance and sword. Sophia with her hooked staff stood beside Lei, the magic instructor armed with a wooden staff about five feet in length.

A moment later, a creature flew to strike. Reyl swung his sword above him without hitting anything. Suddenly a monster fell to the ground with an arrow on its head. Maven approached it to find out it was a giant hornet.

“Be alert! It can’t be alone!”

Then came the boisterous humming, as if confirming Maven’s warning. Quickly, the brown-haired girl pulled out the arrow off the dead hornet’s head. She aimed, then released it. The arrow pierced another two hornets who happened to be in a row, in a display of outstanding marksmanship.

Elsewhere, Reyl’s sword swinging managed to cut down another two, while Declan pierced another’s head with his trident. The three warriors got busy committing the same moves over and over again, sticking with their formation. Meanwhile the flying enemies still numbered around ten. They sped up, avoiding the opponents’ attacks and countered as artful as they could.

When the warriors began to be overwhelmed, someone shouted, “An Jokul’me Shuryv!”

Sophia and Lei raised their staves high and Ice Arrow Rain poured thickly from the sky, the monster bees were hit and began to fall to the ground one by one.

Meanwhile, the warriors were protecting each other by rotating their weapons to block every incoming ice arrows, while at the same time hiding behind a tree, plus Declan’s magical protection field as their last line of defense.

The rain faded in seconds, yet more hornets appeared. It turned out some of them had took cover or just happened to be protected below the trees.

“Keep firing on them!” Reyl shouted.

One hornet even began to spin like a drill, intending to bury its sting on Declan’s back. It drilled on the opponent’s magic field repeatedly in order to destroy it. As it stroke again, the cleric quickly crouched that the hornet missed him and stabbed the snow-covered tree behind him instead. Before it could pull its sting out, Declan's trident splitted its body in half.

Three more hornets charged rapidly towards the hunters in parallel formation. Seeing that, Maven put on three arrows at once on her bow and fired at once. The three arrows pierced the heads and faceted eyes. The third hornet insisted on its attack, striking towards the archer at the speed of light. Then a blade swung and beheaded it instantly.

“Are you okay?” Reyl asked as he wiped off the slime of his sword on the ground snow.

“We’re good, thanks. Nothing more serious then some scratches and back pain.” Declan answered, faking an old man by bending and rubbing on his back.

Maven who was tasked with carrying the compass, pointed at one direction. “Come, follow me. We must keep moving to the northeast. Unfortunately, there is no path here, so we have to walk through the woods.”

Sophia complained, “Damn, that means we can’t move fast enough. What should we do? If we’re late, Reyl will…”

Nepathya Lei nudged her pupil on the shoulder. “What’s important is that we have done the best we can, Sophia, in the face of every hardship. Leave the rest to the will of Vadis, the Ruler of Fate.”

“Yes, teacher, I understand now,” said Sophia as she walked behind her friends.

They didn’t get to walk very far as another group of monsters came attacking. This time the attackers were covered in white fur and had anthropomorphic shape, widely known as wendigos. There were only ten of them, yet these seemingly headless gorillas' agility was quite overwhelming for Maven’s party. Reyl managed to wound one with his sword, with a big scratch mark on his chest as a price.

“This is bad! These ‘forestfolks' are too smart and tough to kill!" yelled Maven. Even she, being the quickest member in the party began to feel frustrated. The arrows she shot were blunted by the fur of the monsters who were as big as, or bigger than adult humans.

It was during that chaos that another clamoring noises were heard. Then appeared white shadows running very fast under the trees.

“Oh no! Dire wolves!” yelled Sophia.