Wide open lake looked so stunning surrounded by several clear ice buildings of various sizes. The colorful bursts that adorned the sky of the lake were perfectly reflected, every slow wave seemed to dance to welcome their guests. Even the breeze only blew gently, not wanting to make them shiver from the cold.

"Wow!" Adriel unconsciously expressed his admiration loudly when he saw women like Eva walking back and forth gracefully. He could hear Meyara groaning in displeasure even though the girl was still slumped on his back.

"This way." Eva took the lead again even though it was clear which path they should take. There was a ladder made of compacted ice not far from where they were standing earlier. Adriel immediately breathed a sigh of relief because he was finally able to set his feet on a solid surface and not on the snowy quicksand-like ground.

At first Adriel was fascinated by the charm of the residents of Frostfell, who all looked so beautiful and charming despite having skin as pale as ice and clothes that were almost identical to one another. There was a distinct light radiating from their bluish hair and the dark blue sheets they tied around their slender bodies. Adriel couldn't help but sink into their charm.

However, on the other hand, he could feel a tinge of sadness creeping up his heart every time he made eye contact with one of them. It was to the point that he felt suffocated and clutched his own chest. He lowered his head as much as possible so as not to catch anything he didn't want anymore.

He laid Meyara down on the only rock without ice in one of the igloos-looking structures of ice. Eva had told him that it was a special rock that radiated heat, seers used to treat their partners as well as young people who couldn't stand the cold. Nevertheless, Adriel still wanted to make sure, so he spelled out several castings that could increase the function of the rock. Its surface that was originally dull now looked a little bit of a faded orange energy.

"Are there only girls in this place?" he asked after settling down by sitting cross-legged beside Meyara. Not caring in the slightest about the moisture soaking through his pants and his shivering body. "Should I go somewhere else?"

It felt awkward being the only male in a place filled with beautiful seers. Juma, the giant, had disappeared after hanging out with the seers by the lake for a while. Adriel almost asked Eva to call back the stupid giant just to accompany him.

She shook her head. "There's no need. No one will feel weird about your arrival. They always trust my decisions, there's no way I'd let a stranger in here for no reason."

"What a relief to hear that," Adriel sighed. “But if you don't mind me asking, where are the male residents? Or are you the same as the Oxcross people who have separate living quarters for men and women?”

“No. We have never discriminated like that. Our men only venture out to make a living. Despite not having any special powers, they still have great pride so they choose to find ways to support us with their own strength.”

Eva glanced at the rock that still warmed Meyara. “You may have seen for yourself that not a single plant let alone livestock live in this place. Nor can I offer any more treatment than this rock provides.”

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“This is more than enough. Thank you." Adriel tried to calm Eva, especially after he saw that the wrinkles on Meyara's forehead had reduced a lot. The girl began to look peaceful in her sleep, she might even be snoring soon. “Once again I may be presumptuous by asking this, but … if it's that hard to live here, why not move somewhere else? Your abilities aren't tied to anything in this place, right?"

Eva looked surprised to hear that. She bit her lips a few times before speaking. “I didn’t expect you to know that. You must have read a lot about us before you came here," the woman said softly. However, there was something in her tone that made Adriel feel the same sadness he felt just minutes ago. "We can't leave the lake, especially when our partners are traveling. We must always protect and monitor them by looking at the reflection of the lake water."

“You guys really did that? I thought it only happened when the Lake of the Lost was just formed?”

“We have continued to do this for generations. However, our ability to see the future is limited, and it happens randomly if not through the reflection of the lake."

Adriel let out a disappointed sigh. "I understand."

"But this time there is another problem right?"

How shocked Adriel was when he found Meyara speaking even before the girl opened her eyes. “Meyara? Are you awake?"

Groaning, Meyara forced herself to get up regardless of Adriel's question. She immediately looked straight at Eva. “If it's like I heard, you guys shouldn't be far from the Lake of the Lost, but the people there, as well as you who roamed to the cave, have avoided the lake for far too long. It's as if there's a reflection you're actually trying to avoid."

Once again Adriel was surprised. He couldn't stop thinking how could Meyara think like that when she came here in a semi-conscious state? Even Adriel who was still in good health didn't realize that there was something wrong with the behavior of the seers in Frostfell.

The young man looked alternately at Meyara and Eva, his mouth opening and closing as his brain contemplated the question he would ask. However, he could not find the exact question sentence.

"It's not the reflection that scares us," Eva finally answered. "But what it does not reflect."

"Huh?" Adriel didn't understand anymore. Had his brain froze from the extreme cold in Frostfell? Maybe he should have asked Oxcross' men to make him a warm hat too.

"The lake lost track of them." Meyara tried to add a sentence that Eva was unable to say.

"Unfortunately … yes.”

Eva's pretty eyes blinked rapidly. The elongated edges of her eyes were more obvious from the way she closed them too tightly. Her eyelashes touched the top of her cheeks while letting out a few drops of tears that glistened like gems.

The beautiful seer's body trembled violently as heartbreaking sobs escaped her lips. Adriel stretched out his hand, about to give a soothing pat, but Meyara brushed it off.

"We don't know what will happen if we touch a seer," the girl whispered. “The flood of information may cloud our minds.”

Confusion was evident in Adriel's eyes. He racked his brains trying to remember what Meyara had just said, but he couldn't remember anything like that. Even so, he kept his hands to himself.

"We'd be willing to listen to your story," Meyara said after Eva looked a little calmer. "Maybe we can make a deal."

Eva straightened her body and looked at Meyara deeply. Her big eyes looked like she was digging into the deepest consciousness of the other. Meyara didn't budge in the slightest and challenged her with a similar look.

***