Abundant white flakes descended incessantly and formed countless beds of linen white that covered the entire ground. On a dry and faded vestige of a once verdant land, the passing bone-chilling breeze that was constantly called over to a vivid view of a crowded city gently fluttered the many snow over from time to time.

Upon the slowly passing flow of time, Heann would watch the scenery from the high view of the local’s bell tower when the shine of the luminous moonlight came down pleasant and soft like this now and then. His blue eyes would reflect the twinkling night, pensively staring at the ubiquitous stars above that could easily be mistaken for snow, all the while standing relaxedly with his calmly beating heart.

However, his hair was unkempt and his comportment was all frazzled with every rigid shift of movement he displayed despite all the unwinding ambience of the place. Unlike every other day he had spent watching the varied view of the night sky, the content mood he usually carried didn’t emerge even for a slight second.

With his upturned head, he let himself vulnerable to the surroundings, closing his eyes while his mind trailed off into the far distance of his transient musing.

“Things will get better from now.”

Heann was optimistic. The way life advanced gradually had never gone easier for the poor like him. Throughout his life by living through thick and thin in distress, the life of comfort was almost never certain or to the point of being nonexistent because of his severe lack of respectable résumé that mostly narrowed his option of available jobs into low-paying hard labor.

Overall, even though he considered his life to be thoroughly bad, he sometimes held a feeling of gratitude when he compared himself to the people who lived on the streets- which that little satisfaction of his soon crumbled when he reached his current state.

Finally, as of today, he officially became homeless at the very beginning of the cold winter. After he had gotten himself kicked out from his small apartment, he could only rely on the few money he had accumulated for his personal savings inside his coin bank.

“I can only buy food for a month,” he muttered to himself. “Should I just do something illegal?”

After convincing himself by repeating the exact same sentence over and over again, he opened his eyes that were surrounded by bloodshot streaks and exhaled a cold sigh that reckoned the amount of his stress.

“You’ll end up in prison.”

Turning his head rigidly from the cold he was feeling too much, he saw a fully covered girl who was about as tall as his shoulders. However, she didn’t bother to look at him, and instead, watched the vivid view of the illuminated cityscape while inclining against the wide fenced window. Fluttering her messy light brown hair from the gentle cold breeze that came out of the gap of the fenced window, her half-covered blue eyes was slightly squinted in reflex as she stared wistfully.

“You’ve been grumbling and muttering loudly all the time,” she pointed out. “Can you blame me for eavesdropping?”

“How did you get in here? The entrance gate is closed until morning.”

“You’re also here.”

“I’m homeless. I have my circumstances.”

“Uhh....”

After a small mumble of agreement, she sniffled a few times and tucked her scarf further to search for a much warmer coverage before she sat down as she leaned the back of her head against the smooth surface of the white wall and closed her eyes.

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“Rest assured. I’ll go home after the bell rings in the morning.”

“Knowing the fact that I’m homeless, aren’t you afraid that I’ll do something wrong to you in this empty room?”

“Just to let you know, I’m carrying a paralyzing drug if you try to do anything strange,” she explained calmly, crossing both of her arms onto her chest to cover the cold atmosphere before adding, “I can whip it out quickly.”

“I was joking,” he quickly replied. “My mistake.”

Facing him suddenly, she scanned over his figure with her repeated up-and-down eye movements before she let out a disappointed exhale.

“What’s with the disappointed sigh? You’re quite rude.”

“I thought that you were also here for the bell tower’s legend.”

“The bell tower’s legend?”

From her unexpected question, he let out an impulsive response as he was genuinely curious.

“They say, the snow queen will come to this town and grant the wishes of those who listen to the first toll of the bell during the morning of the first day of the year in this room.”

“Sounds childish.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

He quickly turned his head the instant she started to inquire about what he said as she looked at him curiously.

“Well, the bell keeper is about to chime the bell anytime soon. Want to share?”

When he stared down, he saw her crouching figure, looking at him with an ambiguous expression that indirectly said the things she wanted to say.

“I’m unemployed at the moment,” she began suddenly and looked down. “You see that crowd of armored people? I’m going to go for it and apply to be an adventurer. I simply wish for the best of luck.”

“Ah.” He nodded understandably. “That sounds very important.”

Heann was genuinely impressed.

Power beyond one's wildest dream, inconceivable by many who have yet to see. With heart set on self-liberation, their unrestrained feet carried as far as it could walk, hands outstretched as far it could take, eyes as far as it could see; as seeking thrill to wherever the heart desires became their sole reason.

They were an existence that lived on excitement- the romance of adventure. Waving thoughts of the imminent danger and terror all spread throughout the world, they took their prided freedom to places and uncharted lands, marking the era of adventure throughout the world that people of logic had not realized its unlimited diversity.

That was basically what the kingdom informed the citizens of Arkheim years ago before the organization itself was opened three days since. Concluding from the said statement, Heann could only nod in acknowledgement to the people who would profess such a fascinating occupation.

Back then, people could only rely on extraordinary existence called heroes. By the citizens, they were titled as the “chosen ones” who could wield their weapons with excellence. However, the amount of these heroes couldn’t cover the demand needed. Since the opening of a new occupation “Adventurer” every one could be their own hero.

“After hearing mine. Why don’t you tell me yours?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. It wouldn’t hurt to wish for something, right?”

For him, whenever he yearned for luck to get around for at least once, what left him every time he did wish for one single fortune would always leave him with disappointment. Yet, he still couldn’t shake off that hope.

“I wish for happiness and money.”

“That sounds simple.”

In the serene atmosphere where the both of them are inside each of their individual trail of thoughts, the comfortable silence between the two calmed their hearts as they watched the vivid view of the cityscape once again as it slowly fades away within the time lapse.

In a long while, the bell tolled for the first time in the presence of a new year. From outside, the unsleeping crowds who were taking a stroll around the campanile stopped in their stance as they looked upwards to the source of the reverberating sound and gentle sunlight of daybreak, overlooking the two mini-sized silhouettes who were closing their eyes.

When the bell stopped chiming, Heann opened his eyes as he looked at his companion who already had her eyes open, appearing to be pondering with her eyes that looked down to the patterned floor of red and white.

The instant she turned her head, she looked at him and realized that the man was also staring at her. Breaking off the eye contact awkwardly, she fiddled with her finger as she looked down again before she opened her mouth.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“Do you want to come with me?”