He curled up like a spring, with [Tail Whip] and [Dark Strike] ready. Just before he unleashed the skill, he triggered [Shadow Step], appearing in the [Yeti Knight’s] shadow. Edgar unleashed the attack, spinning his body in a tight circle, and his tail struck the yeti right in the middle of its back. As he spun, he grabbed the child by the scruff of their shirt, yanking them off the yeti’s shoulder as they stumbled forward.

The yeti roared its challenge, turning to fight, but Edgar was already gone.

Having zero mana was an uncomfortable thing. Edgar felt woozy as wisps of shadow retreated from his vision, depositing him and the child beside Mirai, safely behind the Night Watch’s line once again.

“Eep!” she squeaked, but quickly realized it was Edgar. “Are they alright?”

Edgar happily let her take the child, shaking his foggy head and falling to one knee. The moments ticked by until a single point of mana finally regenerated, and he felt much better.

As the grogginess faded, he looked around. The Night Watch had pushed down into the Cold Depths, with only a single squad stationed at the mouth of the tunnel. Mirai had her regenerative skill [Morning Mist] active, focusing intently on the child.

“Is it working?” Edgar asked, seeing how hard she seemed to be focusing.

“I think so. I’m pretty sure it was supposed to be a self-healing skill, but I was able to heal the kid a bit. It feels like climbing a mountain.”

“I’m glad,” Edgar said, happy to hear the news.

Milo appeared beside them, clapping a hand on Edgar’s shoulder. “Good job, Edgar. I saw what you did from on top of the wall.”

Still a bit lightheaded, Edgar wobbled under the man’s hearty greeting. “Thanks, I’m just glad it worked out and we got all three of them back.”

Milo glanced at the small child in Mirai’s arms, noticing them regain consciousness. The child whimpered lightly, clutching around Mirai’s neck. She blushed, holding them tightly, whispering something in their ear.

Milo turned to one of the Night Watch nearby. “Why don’t you start taking the wounded up to the Wellspring? Take these two along with you.”

“But sir, outsiders aren’t allowed into the Wellspring! The elders will be furious—”

Milo waved a hand. “The elders can talk to me about it once this situation is under control. If they press you, tell them they saved these little ones, and have earned the privilege.”

“As you wish, Mr. Winters, sir.”

With that Milo turned away, waving over his shoulder. “Off with you. Klein and the rest of your party are down in the Cold Depths. You’ll be able to reunite with them once the job is finished and the yetis are all defeated.”

The officer turned to them. “There are other children besides this one, then?”

Together, they climbed the wall and found Lizbet with the other two children. Over her outstretched hand, a pair of marbles danced in the air, amusing the children. When Lizbet noticed them approaching, she gave one of the marbles to each child and stood.

“I’ll be going, then,” Lizbet said, nodding to the officer. “When the Night Watch is ready to use the Training Grounds again, I will return.”

The Officer nodded. “Thank you, Madame Feather.”

“Thank you, Lizbet,” Edgar said. “Thanks to you, we could focus on saving the last one.”

She allowed herself the barest of smiles. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again, Friend of Pharaoh, and you as well, youngest Ashford.”

And with that, Lizbet walked up the tunnel and out of sight.

The officer led one of the kids along, holding their hand, while Edgar picked up the one with a wounded leg. The one in Mirai’s hands seemed happy enough to remain there, and the group left the Training Grounds, embarking into the labyrinth of tunnels through the ice.

The Officer led the way and Edgar could feel the angle of the tunnel sloping gently downward as they walked, moving deeper into the ice below the city.

Eventually, the tunnel led into a large space with icicles growing along metal rods embedded in the ceiling. They passed a few guards, who nodded to the Officer of the Night Watch.

“Is this one of those farms?” Edgar asked, looking up at the crystals and feeling the aura of magic in the air.

“One of the oldest ones we have. The crystals here have strong healing properties on par with advanced regeneration and regrowth skills. Very few people outside our community have seen these places,” the officer said. “This is a great deal of trust. More than I am comfortable with, frankly.”

Edgar glanced at him. “We will not betray your secrets.”

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“You will not be able to—consciously, at least. The elders will surely bind you to an oath, but in keeping with the ancient wisdom; the only secrets that are impossible to betray are the ones you don’t know.”

“We will swear any oath.”

“You will.”

Edgar felt a vein throb in his temple as the Officer became obstinate in such an annoying way.

“There must be more to the Wellspring, then. Advanced healing alone isn’t precious enough to earn this level of protection and secrecy.”

The Officer cast a sidelong glance at them as they reached the far wall of the Icicle Farm. “You’re correct.”

He began walking in measured steps, counting under his breath as he stared at the wall. Edgar and Mirai trailed behind, watching curiously as the man stopped and placed his hand on the wall. Magic shimmered inside the wall, gathering like fireflies beneath his palm, and a tattoo appeared there.

“The ice is my home, filled with my people,” Edgar whispered, finding that the language of the tattoo matched the language he had seen carved into the ice at other places within the Great Halls.

“What was that?” The officer asked, casting a harsh look at Edgar.

“Sorry, nothing. It’s just that marking; the language is beautiful.”

The man glanced at his hand, the tattoo shimmering like the northern lights on his skin. “It is. Beautiful, I mean. It’s the language of the ancients. Now, let me finish.”

He planted his feet self-importantly, “The ice is my—”

But the magic had already begun to work itself up inside the wall, outlining the shape of an archway that melted rapidly.

The man coughed, scratching his head and looking puzzled. “Well, that’s odd.”

Edgar slapped a hand over his mouth, realizing the words of the Officer’s tattoo were the pass-phrase to enter their sacred space. He glanced at Mirai, realizing she was smiling at him with an eyebrow raised.

“Perhaps the Great Halls are just responding to the needs of the children,” she said, striding forward past the Officer.

“I didn’t think that was… but maybe it is… The ancients would have wanted that, I’m sure! I’ll speak with the elders about this.” The Officer said, nodding to themselves.

Edgar sighed, the attention successfully diverted from himself. Good job, Mirai!

“Speaking of the ancients and their great wisdom… You were saying the Wellspring has more than just advanced healing magic?” Edgar ventured.

The Officer brightened up. “The ancients were beyond us in so many ways, it’s true, but they did not make this place. It is natural! Follow me.”

He waved them through the passage and the ice reformed behind them, leaving a solid, unblemished wall. The ice in this chamber seemed a richer, deeper blue than the other ice.

“For one thing, the Wellspring enhances meditation, so much so that you can usually embark into your inner sanctum. However, the most valuable feature of the Wellspring is that it can cure curses.”

Edgar and Mirai jolted at that, staring at each other.

“It can… cure curses?” Mirai said.

“Yup! Sometimes, anyway.”

Mirai gulped and Edgar felt like he could read her mind as their eyes glued together.

If the Wellspring could cure their curse, it might even be able to deal with her father’s curse.

The Officer continued down the path ahead, not noticing their avid interest in curses, or the fact they weren’t following behind, as he spouted more fun facts about the Wellspring. After a few more steps, they reached another set of guards.

“I need your assistance, sir.” The Officer said, pausing in front of one of the guards, giving Edgar and Mirai a chance to catch up.

The guard looked only a few years older than the two of them and snapped crisply to attention. “Anything you need, Officer Fletcher.”

“Deliver a message to the residential area, to the parents of each of these kids… speaking of, what are your names, little ones?”

They each gave their name, although Mirai had to prod the one in her arms awake.

“Tell them the children were injured in a rift break, but they are safe and recovering in the Wellspring. Their guardians should come and collect them as soon as they can.”

The guard nodded, saluted, and trotted off. The remaining guard let them pass and they finally entered the Wellspring, a large chamber made of ice that looked more like crystal. Edgar blinked, his mind doing somersaults as hot steam wafted up from a massive pool of hot water—sitting right on top of the ice as if that were the most natural thing in the world.

“I thought you said this place was natural?” Edgar asked the Officer as they walked down the path towards the pool. “How does the ice not melt?”

“It is natural. The ancients discovered this place; they didn’t make it. The ice here, and the water from that spring, have enough magic to upset the natural way of things. The ice here is more like crystal than ice,” he said, drawing a dagger and tapping it against a stalactite of deep-blue ice. “You can see it in the color.”

The sound of his dagger against the ice resonated sweetly, hanging in the air.

“Just make sure not to drink too much of the water.” He said, gesturing at a cubbyhole full of bathing suits. “You’d think drinking it would give you a long life or unlimited power, but it’ll just send you to the toilet for a day or two.”

The kids broke away, jumping fully clothed into the water. There weren’t many others in the pool, but they gave the kids some space, drifting further away in the massive pool.

“Hey, you lot better behave in there! This is a sacred place, not some splashing hole!” The Officer called, although his heart wasn’t in it, and watched the fear in the children’s faces begin to recede.

Edgar and Mirai quickly changed using their inventory, dipping into the water.

“And, you two. I suggest you sit by the fountain in the center. The magic is most potent there.” The Officer said, slipping into the water themselves, suddenly wearing a loud, bright pink bathing suit with little flowers.

“Enjoy your dip!”

Edgar and Mirai glanced at each other and began wading toward the fountain at the pool's center.

~~~~~

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