III : Crossroads

It took Isaac a moment before what Elisa said sunk in.

Are they really going to do this? Are they really going to war against the Sovereign King?

Again, the argument of 'why' pops up in his head. Why are they waging war against the king?

Now that the true conflict has come to light, two possibilities popped up in his head as to why the war is happening.

One, there's something about the Sovereign Empire that Isaac didn't know that people just don't agree with, hence the need to start a war for rule over Arya.

Two, the Lunar Empress simply wants more power. Being the queen was not enough. She wanted more. She wanted to be on top.

As for the first reason, Isaac has a hard time seeing it. Despite the King's cruel and gruesome ways, he is fair. He punishes those who go against him, which is fair. If you don't go against him, then you're fine. He's helped the Sovereign Empire become the prosperous nation it is today.

Isaac just doesn't see the need to wage war against him except for reason number two, the need for more power. Isaac didn't know if it was the Lunar Empress or the White Witch, but these two sisters have colluded to take the Sovereign King's power and authority.

The way Isaac sees it, it's more likely the second reason which means Isaac is about to partake in a revolution.

But before he jumped to conclusions, Isaac had to make sure.

"Why?" Isaac asked. "Why are they waging war against the Sovereign King."

Elisa sighed. "I wish I knew. It's got something to do with the Lunar Empress but other than that, I know nothing."

Isaac nodded. If he was going to get answers, he'd have to ask the White Witch herself.

But because of her injuries and long travels, it was unlikely that she'll be up today. Probably the next morning. He'd have to wait.

Isaac sighed. "Enough about that topic," Isaac said. "Let's talk about something else."

"Well," Elisa said. "How was your journey here?"

Isaac was relieved to have something else to talk about because frankly, the issue regarding the Lunar Empress and the Sovereign King was getting overwhelming.

So, Isaac started talking about his journey, starting from when Darius found him in Rost Village to the time they traveled through the Crimson Woods and then to Ironwood.

Isaac told her about his first-time experience wielding a sword, to which she laughed. Darius joined them at some point, listening to his stories as well.

The more time went on, the more he told. He started to tell stories that not only of his journey with Darius but his journey to other places. The time he visited his childhood friend, Saori, in Sarca, the time he helped catch a thief in Leadun, the day he helped a merchant fend off wolves using nothing but a cup (long story).

His storytelling went on and on. Elisa and Darius listened intently and were enjoying it. Isaac had plenty of stories from his lifetime, but what fascinated people weren't the stories themselves, but rather how it was told.

Isaac had a way of telling stories or talking with people that grabbed their attention. The story could've been a mundane experience such as walking down a river, but Isaac could tell it in such a way that makes it seem more interesting than it is.

By the time he was finished, the rain had slowed into a drizzle.

"You live an exciting life, Isaac," Darius said.

"Me? Not at all," Isaac said. "I just make the most out of everything. That's what my mom used to tell me."

"Used to?" Elisa asked.

Isaac gave a sad smile. "My parents passed away some time ago when I was young."

Elisa bit her lip. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Isaac said. "They're not the best parents, but I knew they tried their best."

"Judging from how you turn out, I'm sure they're amazing people." Elisa smiled.

"Thanks." Isaac smiled at her comforting words. "Shall I tell you about them?" Elisa seemed excited to hear about his parents. "Mom and dad were adventurers. They've told me amazing stories of their travels before and after they met each other."

"Are they fighters?" Darius asked.

"No. Well, mom was. She knew her way around a bow. My dad, not so much. Even then, they're not warriors. They just travel a lot, seeing the world as they please and living their lives." Isaac seemed wistful in his voice. "I know little of where they came from since they told me nothing of their family, but I didn't ask. I was happy with them. The only other family member I know of is my cousin and her uncle in Sarca "

"Free-spirited adventurers." Darius mused at the idea. "I've met a few of them. They're genuinely nice people. Well, most of them anyway."

Isaac chuckled. "If you've ever met one that was a drunkard, that was probably my dad."

Elisa chuckled. "They sound like wonderful people."

"Indeed," Isaac said. "That's why I made it a purpose to not bring the name of Aether to shame."

Darius and Elisa tensed at the name. "Aether?"

"Yep. My family name." Isaac said. "My mom had a different name, but she changed it when she met dad."

Isaac didn't know this and it might be a coincidence or they're probably just wrong, but that name sets off all kinds of alarm in Darius's and Elisa's heads.

It was a name lost in time. But if Isaac claims that it is his family's lineage, then their plans are now in turmoil.

Though looking back at it, how well Isaac used magic even though it was his first time, it wasn't a surprise.

Elisa gulped. "What was her name previously?"

Isaac shrugged. "I don't know. I never asked."

In the back of her mind, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The fact that Isaac didn't know anything about his family puts her into a feeling of uneasiness.

Sure, people sometimes hide stuff from their children. But they would always tell them about the background of their family. Their lineage. It's important to pass down the family legacy to your children.

But whatever the reasons were, Elisa wasn't going to press it. If his parents told him nothing, then it was maybe for the better.

Though it was really bothering her.

"Get some sleep," Darius said. "We're gonna have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow."

Isaac nodded as he yawned. He curled up next to the fireplace and started snoring. Elisa stood up and gestured for Darius to follow her outside.

The two went out. The night was cold, but the worst of the storm had passed.

"You noticed it too?" Darius asked.

Elisa nodded nervously. She has a suspicion from Isaac's stories, mainly of his parents. If what Isaac told them was true, and if she knows her legends well, Isaac is dangerous.

"Do you believe him?" Elisa asked.

"He has no reason to lie," Darius said. "But I sense that he doesn't know of his lineage."

"We can't let anyone know about this," Elisa said. "This stays between us and we need to make sure that Isaac doesn't tell anyone."

Darius agreed. If people knew who Isaac truly was, it will be bad. It's not even confirmed. It's just a possibility of who he might be, but Elisa had a sneaking suspicion that it was true.

"Do you realize what this means?" Elisa asked.

"He can't become king," Darius said. "At least, not of the White Kingdom."

Elisa nodded. "Does Luna know about this?"

"I doubt it. If she had, she would've come up with a different plan entirely."

"I don't think Scarlet knows about this as well." Elisa was about to have a freakout.

"We just have to keep quiet," Darius said.

"Easier said than done," Elisa muttered. She snickered. "Can you imagine? Out of all the people Scarlet could've picked."

"He's definitely the worst choice," Darius said. It's not because of his lack of ability to become king, it's because of his circumstances.

"What do we do? We're leaving for the White Kingdom tomorrow. What'll happen when we get there?" Elisa asked.

"I don't know," Darius admitted. "But we can't let him be king. If he ascends to that throne, that will be trouble."

As the two worry about Isaac's safety, the night slowly turned to day.

By daytime, the rain had cleared. When Isaac woke up, the scent of morning dew filled the air. He noticed that the spot where Scarlet had been sleeping was now a bundle of blanket.

Isaac went outside to see her basking in the sunlight as if absorbing it. No one else was with her.

At first, Isaac wanted to stay high, but he stayed quiet. Watching her like that, enjoying herself, Isaac felt somewhat fascinated.

"You do know it's dangerous for you to go out by yourself, right?" Isaac asked with a grin.

"I've been bedbound for over a day, leave me alone," Scarlet argued. She turned around and flashed an innocent smile to Isaac. It was hard to think that this girl was almost dead last night.

"You look good for someone who's almost dead," Isaac said. Scarlet walked over to him and gave him a warm hug.

"Thank you for saving me," Scarlet said. Isaac had to admit, it felt good saving people's lives. Helping people and saving are two different things.

"You're welcome, your majesty," Isaac said.

When Scarlet pulled away, she cocked her head sideways. "You never said you could do healing magic."

Isaac shrugged. "I also never knew I could do healing magic." Isaac said "But I had my magical aptitude appraised once by a traveling fortune teller. She told me that I had an affinity for magic, but didn't explain further. I thought I had been swindled, but I guess she told me the truth."

"So why didn't you learn any magic if you had the affinity for it?" Scarlet asked.

Isaac sat down on the front porch and Scarlet joined him. "As I said, I thought I was swindled. Plus, my village didn't have any local magician or sorcerers that could teach me any spells."

"What about Leadun?"

"Eh." Isaac shrugged. "They charge too much. Even more so for outsiders."

"Well, when we get back to the White Kingdom I'll have my magicians give you our book of spells. As a way of thanking you."

"Yeah, about that." Isaac took a deep breath. "I heard from Darius that you told your sister, the Lunar Empress, to elect me as king of the White Kingdom. Is that true?"

It took her a second to answer, but she nodded. "It was my idea."

"Why?" Isaac asked. "Why did you pick me and why do you suddenly want a king for your kingdom?"

"I'm not sure I can answer the second one."

"Yes, you can because I'm the one whose life is on the line here. I deserve to know what I'm staking my life for."

Scarlet pondered for a bit before agreeing. "Fine." She said. "We're waging war with the Sovereign King."

Isaac waved the answer away. "I know that part. I want to know why you need a king for that and why you chose me."

Scarlet bit her lower lip. "We need you because you're a man."

"What do you mean by that?"

"This country is used to patriarchy," Scarlet said. "This means the ones who hold the most power are men, the kings. There have been some exceptions like the White Kingdom, the Land of Hunters down south, and a few others. But the majority of kingdoms and countries are ruled by men."

She's not wrong. Most rulers are men and when they bore children, the eldest male heir will be the first in line for the throne even if they had a daughter first. That's how the hierarchy works in kingdoms and countries.

Usually, the king would be at the top of the hierarchy and the queen at second place. But if a prince is born into the family, the prince will be second and the queen moves down to third.

It's a cruel practice for the women of Arya.

"Okay, but this is common knowledge. What does it have to do with me?" Isaac asked.

"The White Kingdom can't take on the Sovereign Empire by itself. We need allies. The Lunar Empress can help, but it's not enough. That's where you come in." Scarlet said. "The other kings that want to go against the Sovereign Empire aren't too keen about being led by a woman, namely me."

The realization dawned upon Isaac. "You need a face front. A king, to gain the support of other kingdoms."

"Precisely," Scarlet said. "If the White Kingdom has a king, they will be much more cooperative."

"So you want me as a puppet, essentially," Isaac said miserably.

Scarlet's eyes widened. "What? No!" She said quickly. "That is not why I picked you as king. If that was the case, I would've picked someone disposable, someone of no use to me. Though I need a king as a way to gain the support of the other kingdoms, I still need a king to also help me rule over the White Kingdom. I didn't hire you to become a puppet."

Isaac waited for her answer. Scarlet sighed. "I sensed something in you. Something that most people don't have. It's almost a rarity in this time and age."

"What might that be?"

"Kindness," Scarlet said. "Compassion. I've seen how people look at you in Rost. They appreciate you. You showed them kindness and compassion and they accept you as one of them."

"I was just helping people fix things."

"You did more than that," Scarlet said. "You make them feel safe. You make them feel like they could rely on you and you would deliver. That's something that most rulers don't have. Something that most people lack."

Though her words were encouraging, Isaac still had trouble with it. "But I can't be king," Isaac said. "I don't know how to. I'm not ready for it. I wasn't trained or anything."

"I'll be there for you," Scarlet said. "I will support you. I'm gonna be your queen, remember?"

"Wait, does that mean we have to get married?" Isaac asked.

"Um, technically we already are," Scarlet said. "Remember the letter my sister gave you? Along with the ring? That's proof of our marriage. Luna has announced you as my husband."

Isaac let out a whimper that had a higher pitch than usual. He felt like fainting. So not only is he going to be king, but he's also going to be a husband? All within the span of two days.

"I . . . I . . ."

"Relax," Scarlet said. "It's only on paper so they recognize you as king. You can still see other women."

"That's not the point." Isaac pinched the bridge of his nose.

Scarlet chuckled. She put her hand on his. "I know this is a lot to take in, but we really do need you. I need you. Not just for the war, but for my people." She stared into the distance. "I'm getting desperate, Isaac. I need help. My people are suffering day by day and between managing that and my plans with Luna, it's been a lot."

Isaac wanted to tell her to forget about the war and focus on her people first, but then he caught a glimpse of her face.

She was wearing a look of misery. Her kingdom was constantly on her mind. That's what led her to getting married to the Sovereign Prince in the first place and when that fell through, she has to think of other ways.

Maybe by fighting this war is the way she cares about her people. The White Kingdom cannot expand its land beyond Whitewash Peaks because of the Snow Dragon and also because on the other side of Whitewash Peaks, the land belongs to the Sovereign King.

He wanted to help.

"I'll do it." Isaac finally relented. He thought of it as helping someone rather than taking responsibility for a whole kingdom.

"Really?" Scarlet was excited.

Isaac nodded. "Besides, I have no choice. Either I follow your plan, or the Luna Empress executes me. I choose you."

Scarlet smiled with glee. "We're going to be fine, dear husband."

Isaac winced. "Let's take it slow with the lovey-dovey stuff."

"Why? You don't like me?" Scarlet inched closer. "Am I not of your taste?"

Isaac felt the blood rush to his face. Scarlet was very close to him. "It's not that. It's just that, I barely know you, you know? We've known together for only a couple of days."

"So?" Scarlet said. "Royal families get married often. You could be strangers today and the next thing you know you're suddenly the Sovereign King's wife."

"Yeah, but I'm not from a royal family. I'm just normal, so this is all new to me." Isaac said. "And don't take this the wrong way. You're very beautiful, but I can't say I love you since we barely met."

Scarlet looked a little disappointed. "That's fair," Scarlet said. "Well, who knows? Maybe in the future."

"Maybe." That's the closest answer to a 'yes' that Isaac could give.

"I see that you are up." Isaac heard a voice speak behind him. He turned around to see Darius already geared up.

"Morning," Isaac said.

"Get your sword," Darius said. "Let's get some training in before we go for the mountains."

And that's how Isaac ended up in Darius's training session with Scarlet watching from the front porch.

And as per usual, he sucked. Isaac, that is. Not Darius.

"This sword stinks," Isaac said while panting.

"You stink," Darius argued.

"I thought you said it's not my fault that I'm bad."

"It's not entirely your fault." Darius corrected him. "Yes, your sword is horrible, but so are your abilities."

"Ouch," Isaac muttered. He took a deep breath and readied his sword. "Again."

Darius nodded. "Remember, don't wait for the enemy's strike. Anticipate and intercept, but don't stop it."

"You're losing me here," Isaac said. How does that even work? Intercept but don't stop?

"You're too weak to block an opponent's sword, especially from those who are stronger than you," Darius said. "But what you can do, is deflect."

He went towards Isaac and showed him how to grip his sword. "Strengthen your grip, but relax your wrist. The aim is to push your opponent's blade while also moving out of the way to throw them off balance. See how they move and where their body is leaning towards."

"So, like dodging a charging bull," Isaac said.

"Not quite, but same idea," Darius said. He then took a few steps away from Isaac and hefted his sword. "Ready?"

Isaac took another deep breath. He gripped his sword and nodded. Darius charged at him and brought his sword downwards. Isaac took into consideration how Darius was leaning forward and the way he swung his sword.

Instead of raising his sword to block, Isaac countered with a swing of his own, aimed at the flat of Darius's blade.

The aim is to push the blade away.

So Isaac did, hitting Darius's sword out of the way and deflecting it as he also moved out of the way of Darius's sword.

Darius's strike went diagonal and his sword hit nothing but dirt. Isaac expected him to stumble from the weight of his strike, but Darius stood strong.

"Good work," Darius said. "You now know how to defend yourself."

Isaac grinned in excitement. He was going to celebrate, but Darius stopped him. "Don't get too excited. This is merely a beginner's level. The enemies that we'll meet will have skills that are far beyond that. I'd like to train you more, but we don't have the time."

Isaac's excitement fades away. Even though he's improved, he's nowhere nearly good enough.

"Speaking of which," Darius said. "We need to move soon. If we stay any longer, the mercenaries or the Sovereign Army will catch up."

Isaac and Scarlet had no arguments with that decision. They went inside to see that Hillut and Elisa had already woken up.

"Shall we head off?" Isaac said.

And so they started their journey up the mountain.

Whitewash Peaks was an area with harsh conditions. The Peaks are made up of a long mountain range that divides the Arya mainland from the White Kingdom's area. As per its name, the mountains of Whitewash Peaks were covered in thick and unrelenting snow, since it's snowing almost all the time. The thick trees and dense forest made it difficult to navigate and while they didn't have to worry about bandits, they still have to be wary of monsters.

One, in particular, Icirin, the Snow Dragon. If possible, they would like to avoid any form of encounter with the Snow Dragon.

Dragons were called Lords of the Sky. They're among the strongest beings that existed in the world and facing one would mean certain death.

With that information, Isaac had no excitement heading up the mountain.

"Remind me again," Isaac huffed. "Why can't we bring the horses along?"

"The paths here are steep and narrow," Darius said. "It's better to go by foot."

The higher up they traveled, the colder the air became. Soon enough, Isaac's breath started steaming. Within half an hour of walking, the ground starts to change from dirt to snow.

White flakes of snow slowly glide down from the sky and gently land on everything.

Starting from here, Darius stopped the party for some final preparations.

Thanks to Elisa's magic bag, everyone had a set of thick fur clothing for warmth. Although the ones on Isaac were a bit too big.

Darius tied a rope around his waist and handed one end to Elisa. She did the same and handed it to Scarlet, and so on with Hillut being the last one in the chain.

"What's this for?" Isaac asked.

"It's so that we won't split up," Scarlet said. "With harsh winds and snow up there, it gets hard to see things. Having a rope like this makes sure that we'll stick together and don't get lost."

Isaac had never been up Whitewash Peaks, so he was somewhat nervous.

"Keep your eyes peeled," Hillut said to him. "Let us know if you see any Snow Goblins."

"Uh," Isaac was confused. "What do they look like?" He knew what Goblins looked like, knee-high, humanoid green monsters with tusks and pointy ears. They're generally weak monsters, but they are always in a group. What made them difficult to handle are their overwhelming numbers.

"You know what Goblins look like, right?" Hillut said. Isaac nodded. "Snow Goblins are slightly paler and wear white fur clothing. They're more devious than the ones you're used to. They use camouflage and act like animals to move undetected."

Isaac gulped. "Keep an eye out for Snow Goblins. Got it."

As they climbed higher up the mountain, their thick clothing started to become less effective. Isaac could feel the chill in his bones even though he was wrapped in fur. Their legs sank half knee deep into the snow as the winds started to pick up.

The rope helped. There have been a few times when Isaac thought he was going the wrong way until he felt the rope being tugged in the opposite direction.

Unexpectedly, their journey was significantly harder than it should've been. The winds started to pick up violently, whipping them back and forth. The snow was getting thicker as well. From the looks of it, they are about to walk into a blizzard.

"We need to find a safe spot!" Elisa shouted as the wind picked up speed. With the snow flying around, Isaac couldn't see anything but white. Even Darius, who was just a few meters in front of him, was barely visible.

It wasn't until moments later that the group dipped into a cave and away from the weather. After being in the loud whipping wind for so long, the silence in the cave was almost deafening.

The cave itself wasn't very deep. Isaac could see the end of it just after a few steps, so they didn't have to worry about anything ambushing them from the depths of the cave.

"Whew," Elisa said. "We definitely picked the worst timing to climb this mountain."

Darius seemed to agree. "The weather is unfavorable. Looks like a blizzard is upon us soon. Better rest up here until the weather clears up."

"Won't the Sovereign Empire catch up to us?" Isaac said.

Darius shook his head. "Not in this weather. Not unless they're insane anyway. They will have to wait until the blizzard clears."

Hillut snorted. "They're insane, but they're not stupid. They're going to wait out the blizzard."

"I'll get a fire going," Elisa said. "Hillut, help the princess."

Hillut nodded as he helped Scarlet get settled. Isaac brushed off the snow powder on his clothes while Darius stared at the cave entrance as if waiting for someone.

"If the Sovereign Empire isn't coming, there's no need to keep watch is there?" Isaac said.

"That's true, but I'm keeping an eye out for monsters," Darius said.

"Are there even monsters that could travel in this weather"

"You'd be surprised," Darius said and Isaac didn't press further.

Scarlet came up to him with a grin. "How are you feeling about the snow?"

"It's cold," Isaac said as if it wasn't obvious enough. To his surprise, Scarlet laughed.

She then nudged Isaac. "Hey, check it out." Scarlet nodded at Elisa and Hillut crouched over a fire, talking in a hushed tone.

"What?" Isaac asked.

"I think Hillut has a crush on Elisa," Scarlet said. "They've known each other longer than I've known them. And since they work closely with me, it's impossible to not have feelings."

"Oh," Isaac said. He was unsure what to do with that information, but he went with it. "Are they, like, lovers or something?"

"Hm? Oh, no." Scarlet shook her head. "It's like a Sovereign Knight thing. Duty first. Everything else is secondary. Despite his feelings, Hillut is not looking for romance right now."

"I mean, we're not with the Sovereign Empire right now," Isaac said. "If they love each other, they should just admit it.",

"Ehem," Hillut said. Isaac looked at the couple to see that they were staring at them.

"Uh, you heard?" Isaac asked.

"It's a small cave," Elisa said with a little tinge of red on her cheeks.

"I have no time for romance," Hillut said. "I uphold my duty first and foremost."

"You didn't say no though." Scarlet grinned. Hillut refused to say anything as he averted his eyes away.

"Looks like the blizzard will be going on for a while," Darius said. "I suggest you get some rest while you can. Once it has passed, we'll journey on at a quick pace."

Isaac had no idea why, but being around Darius made him feel safe.

Isaac sat nearby the campfire that Elisa had started. Well, not a campfire to be exact. It was a floating ball of flames. It seems Elisa knew more magic other than healing.

"How are you holding up?" Isaac asked Elisa.

"What, you're worried about me?" Elisa raised an eyebrow.

"Somewhat. You used magic so I was concerned that you'll be tired or run out of mana."

Elisa chuckled. "The reason I ran out of mana last time was because I was constantly using magic to heal and to defend ourselves. Now that I've got a good rest, that is no longer of concern." Elisa said. "But thank you for your concern."

"Just checking in." Isaac smiled. Despite their circumstances, this seems normal to him, even though he'd never been on an adventure like this before.

Then his mind drifted back to the main issue at hand. His ascension to the throne of the White Kingdom.

Scarlet explained very well why Isaac was chosen and the purpose of her actions. But it still baffles him as to why she, and the Lunar Empress included, would want to go to war against the Sovereign King.

Isaac was not siding with the King, nor was he against him. It's just confusing. There has to be a reason.

And whatever that reason may be, Isaac wanted no part of it. Isaac was going to focus on helping the people of the White Kingdom to overcome their suffering.

He did not want anything to do with any war.

"Seems like you're in doubt." Isaac heard Darius say. Isaac looked up from the flames to see Darius looking at him.

"Somewhat," Isaac admitted. "What would you do if you woke up the next day and someone suddenly say you're now king of thousands of people?"

"I don't have any experience in the matter, so I have nothing for you," Darius said. "But Scarlet said you'd help, right?"

"I would, but I don't know how. I'm good with fixing things and helping people one at a time. I can't lead a kingdom into prosperity."

"Then just do that," Darius said. "Stop thinking about helping the kingdom or everyone at the same time. Just fix things and help people one at a time."

Isaac was silent for a while. Darius had a point. Why should he be stressing about everyone when he can just do things one at a time?

"But won't it be slow?" Isaac argued. "The White Kingdom is in an urgent and dire situation. I can't just help people one at a time."

"It's not the worst idea." Scarlet joined their conversation. "You definitely can do that."

"But what about helping your kingdom?"

"Look, it's true that things are dire in the White Kingdom," Scarlet said. "But I would prefer you help people in ways you can rather than overwhelm yourself and not get anything done, no matter how slow it might be."

Isaac heaved a great sigh before contemplating that decision on his own. Before he knew it, he was asleep.

He didn't know how long it'd been, but Isaac got woken up by Hillut shaking his shoulders.

"What's wro -" Isaac found Hillut closing his mouth.

"Don't. Make. Any. Sound." Hillut whispered. He tilted his head towards the cave entrance. The blizzard had passed, but the outside was covered in a deep layer of snow which will make traveling harder.

But that seemed like an afterthought when Isaac saw what was lurking outside.

With each of her steps, the cave shook slightly. Everyone else was asleep, except for Isaac and Hillut.

Because of the snow, her scales were almost invisible. Despite that, her low growl was unmistakable. Isaac felt like he was hearing thousands of rocks being ground against each other.

The Snow Dragon's body slithered along. Isaac didn't see her head, but he saw her claws looked like scythes, her massive wings, and her whip-like tail. Everything on her body was colored white and light blue, which made her difficult to spot in the snow.

Isaac tensed up. He could feel his bones quaking. Icirin didn't even see them, but her mere presence was enough to have him trembling. Isaac could feel the Snow Dragon's aura against his skin, pressuring and compressing him in every direction.

He almost fainted, but as Icirin moved passed them, the pressure eventually faded. Isaac felt like he had the weight of the world lifted off of his shoulders.

After Icirin was out of sight, it was then Isaac realized how heavy he was breathing and how much he was sweating. His bones and muscles ached. Had he tensed up that much?

"We're lucky," Hillut said. "If she'd seen us, we'd be dead."

Isaac was still in shock from what just happened.

"You're strong," Hillut said. "I thought you'd pass out."

"What do you mean?" Isaac could hear the quiver in his voice.

"It's Aura," Hillut said. "You felt it, right? That feeling of pressure. It feels like you're at the bottom of a lake."

Isaac nodded. "It felt suffocating."

"An Aura is when someone exerts power from their body. It affects everything around them. The more powerful something, the more powerful its Aura is. As you can see with the Snow Dragon, it's really powerful." Hillut said. "Normally, people would crumble under that pressure and would either flee or pass out."

"Trust me, I was close to passing out."

"The fact that you didn't is amazing," Hillut said. "You can relax. Icirin won't be passing through any time soon."

Isaac took a few deep breaths as the tension left his body. His muscles felt sore and everything. When he relaxed, a wave of relief washed over him. "Why did you wake me up and not the others?"

"You were snoring," Hillut said. "The dragon would've heard your snore."

"No way."

"Yes."

Isaac felt the blood rush to his cheeks. It's not like he could control what he was doing when he was asleep, but it was still embarrassing to know that he was the reason they almost died.

"Can we keep this a secret between us?" Isaac asked.

"You have my word." Hillut gave him a slight nod which Isaac was grateful for. Now that the adrenaline was pumping through his body, it was hard to sleep again despite his fatigue.

Isaac rested against the cave walls. Despite the cold, he was sweating heavily. In fact, it felt warm in the cave even without Elisa's fire.

"Why do I feel warm?"

"Lava veins," Hillut answered.

"Whitewash Peaks is a dormant volcano," Hillut said. "There must be veins of lava all around this cave."

"How come I've never heard about Whitewash Peaks being a volcano up until recently?" Isaac asked.

Hillut shrugged. "It never exploded. I think it's why Icirin made it her home as well. She gets snow and warmth at the same time."

The mention of the Snow Dragon made him shudder so he tried sleeping.

He woke up a few hours after.

Seeing the weather, Isaac assumed it was early morning. The snow looked thick, so they might have to do some preparation before venturing onwards.

"Will the snow slow us down?" Isaac asked.

"Maybe, depends on how well Elisa's spell works," Hillut said. "But the snow is the least of our concerns with Icirin roaming around."

He wanted to ask what kind of spell Hillut was talking about, but hearing Icirin's name made him shudder.

After a few hours, the others were now awake. Hillut filled them in on their current situation and how they proceed forward from here.

"We have to be extra careful," Hillut said. "Icirin is not a fight we want to take."

Darius agreed. "We'll be over Whitewash Peaks today if we're lucky."

The thought of being down from the mountain gave him some sense of relief. "Let's move," Elisa said. She chanted a spell on them and Isaac's body felt lighter.

"What did you do?" Isaac asked.

"It's a simple spell to make your body lighter," Elisa said. "It's normally used to walk on water, but the same principle applies with snow."

"Huh. Never knew a spell like that could exist." Isaac said.

Elisa shrugged. "It's normally for fishermen so they could go to deep waters without needing a boat. It's also so that we don't leave footprints."

Isaac stepped onto the snow. He expected his foot to sink right through, but it didn't. It felt weird. Isaac felt like he was stepping on cotton if that made sense.

"But don't put too much force. If you do, you're gonna-"

Too late. Isaac tried jumping and as soon as he landed, his feet broke through the surface of the snow and he sank knee-deep into it.

Scarlet laughed while Elisa sighed. "There's a limit to how much force it could hold. Take light steps like you're sneaking."

Isaac smiled apologetically as Elisa cast the spell on him once again. This time, he gently walked on the snow and didn't sink, fortunately.

With that, they continued their journey. The orange tinge that Isaac thought was at first sunset turns out to be sunrise.

As usual, Darius led the way while Hillut watched their flanks. Ever since seeing Icirin and realizing how frightening she was, Isaac was on edge about everything he heard. Every time he heard any rustling or a twig breaking, his head would instantly snap in the direction of the noise.

He would like to say that he wasn't afraid of Icirin, he was just being cautious. But the truth is that he was definitely afraid of Icirin.

The weather was kind to them today. Light snow, but at least it wasn't a blizzard. The atmosphere was still getting colder the higher they climbed. By this point, Isaac was certain that if he threw a bucket of water into the air it would instantly freeze.

After a few encounters with Snow Goblins and what appears to be an ice-throwing yeti, they finally reached the top.

Isaac had not traveled a lot by that point, so this doesn't mean much, but the view from the top of Whitewash Peaks was among the most beautiful sceneries Isaac had ever seen in his life.

It was uncanny on how differently the north side and south side of Whitewash Peaks looked. As the sun came up behind them, Isaac could see everything illuminated in bright light.

To his right was the southern side of Whitewash Peaks, the way they came from. The mountainside was all white and snowy and at the foot of the mountain, the grassy plains starts to take over as the scene turns green.

On their left, was the northern side. The snowy grounds and tall trees stretched all the way to the foot of the hills where it continues for a bit before the trees get lesser and it turns into snowy plains. A few distances after that, the ocean stretched as far as the eye could see. At the shoreline, was their destination.

The White Kingdom.

From afar, the White Kingdom glistened under the sun. As its name, it looks completely white, almost heavenly. Ice spires surround half of the kingdom that was on land, acting as a wall. The roof of buildings in the kingdom was ice blue and the largest building, the Palace, was the most unique one of them all.

It was as if the largest ice spire here was carved and built into a palace. It was beautiful, magnificent, and also threatening all at the same time.

"Home sweet home." Scarlet sighed. "I honestly didn't think I would be back here so soon."

"What do you mean?" Isaac asked.

"I left the place and was supposed to get married to the Sovereign Prince and spend a few more months in the Royal Capital before returning," Scarlet said. "Now I have to explain why I've returned with no salvation for them in sight."

"Hey, that's what I'm here for, right?" Isaac said with a smile of reassurance. "I'll figure something out."

Scarlet gave an appreciative smile. Elisa seems to share her gratitude as well.

Hillut on the other hand was eager to continue. "Once we get to the foot of the mountain, we'll be safe. The Sovereign Army and mercenaries won't chase us."

"How could you be so sure?" Isaac said as they start their journey to the bottom.

"Have you ever wondered why the White Kingdom is able to stay independent from the Sovereign Army?" Elisa asked.

"Um, because Scarlet told them to f**k off?"

Scarlet chuckled. "That's one of them."

Elisa rolled her eyes. "It's because the northern part of Arya is barren."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Isaac asked.

"That factor is important." Darius supplied. "Let's just say, the Sovereign Army tries to invade and destroy the White Kingdom. So, they send their army. Their first obstacle would be the mountain itself."

"Oh, I see." When Isaac thought of it, it made sense. Whitewash Peaks is by no means an easy route. It was difficult enough with just the five of them. Imagine if a whole army tries to go through it with the thick snow and the threat of Icirin wandering around. "But can't they just make a path? Dig a hole through the mountain? They did it with mining village on the east."

"Yes, that could be a solution, but that would take years of work and labor. And that's also assuming that nothing goes wrong." Darius said. "You'd never know what lies beneath these mountains."

Isaac shuddered at the thought that something was under where they were standing.

"Even if they manage to get over Whitewash Peaks, there's also the matter of it being barren," Darius said. "As you can see, the snowy plains have nothing to offer. No animals, no source of water, no shelter, nothing that could help sustain an army for a very long time. When they come here, they have two options. Go back to where they came from for supplies, to which the closest town would be Tuplin, or go to the White Kingdom."

Isaac ducked under a branch as he stepped forward. "They can just bring supplies along, can't they?"

Darius shook his head. "Meat lasts for about a day or two in these conditions before it's unsafe to eat. Bread lasts longer, but not long enough. They can't grow their own crops and they can't bring their own food." Darius said. "And as you can see, the journey to the White Kingdom isn't a short one."

Realization dawned on Isaac on how hard it would actually be to invade or attack the White Kingdom.

"So this place is basically impenetrable," Isaac said.

"Yes, but it has its drawbacks," Darius said. "Similar to how the Sovereign Army can't get here, the White Kingdom can't get over to invade anything on the other side of Whitewash Peaks."

Scarlet nodded in agreement. "Like you just pointed out, supplies are important and we don't even have that much food to begin with. An army expedition would be difficult, considering we still have other people to feed."

Isaac was about to brainstorm ideas on what they could do to help with the kingdom's food situation, but his thoughts were interrupted when he heard an ungodly roar coming from behind them.

The roar was loud enough to shake the snow off of trees. They turned around to see Icirin at the top of the mountain, her eyes firmly locked on the group.

There was a brief moment of confusion and awe before those feelings turn into fear and panic.

"Run!" Elisa shouted and the five of them bolted. The Snow Dragon started roaring and chasing after them. Isaac was in full survival mode at this point. He was screaming and hauling his body down the mountain.

"Keep moving!" Scarlet shouted. "We're almost there!"

Almost where? They were nowhere near the White Kingdom.

But Isaac was too busy running for his life to ask questions. He ducked under branches and sidestepped any trees. The momentum has gotten so fast for him that if he stopped running, he's going to roll down the mountain so one way or another, he's gonna get to the bottom.

As luck would have it, he slipped on something and fell face first into the snow. It appears Elisa's spell has broken when he stepped a little too hard while running.

"Isaac!" Scarlet shouted. The others have ran passed him so he was now behind. Scarlet started to turn around. "We have to go bac -"

Scarlet was cut off by Hillut who grabbed her away. "Let me go!"

Darius went back and tried to fend the dragon away. He succeeded in getting its attention.

Now for the small task of fending the dragon off.

Isaac's head went blank. It's as if everything in his brain stops functioning. He could still see and hear everything, he just couldn't process it.

Who in their right mind could've imagined being attacked by a dragon?

Icirin caught up to him. Isaac noticed Darius a little farther than he wanted. If it comes down to the wire, Darius wasn't going to make it.

This is it, Isaac thought. I'm going to die.

Isaac closed his eyes and braced. All he heard was the sound of Icirin's roar and his own heartbeat before everything went deathly quiet.

He thought he was dead, but the sensation of snow on his skin told him he was still alive. Slowly, Isaac opened his eyes with Icirin above him, glaring with her beady eyes.

Wait, glaring is not how he would put this. Icirin seems to be . . . curious.

She starts sniffing Isaac around and nudged him a little as if to check if he was still alive or died from shock.

"W-what?" Isaac stammered. "What's happening?" Isaac looked over to his friends to see them just as confused as he was. Just seconds ago they were running for their lives and now, they're staring at Icirin in amazement.

Isaac was still somewhat scared, but more confused. Icirin started nudging him. "H-hey, calm down girl." Isaac talk as if he would a horse. He starts stroking Icirin's chin. The Snow Dragon let out a sound that sounded like a soft growl, almost like a purr.

"Okay. Good dragon." Isaac could hear his voice trembling against Icirin. Even if the dragon is friendly, it's still a f*****g dragon.

An apple is still an apple but you'd still duck if someone threw it at your head.

Icirin closed her eyes for a few seconds as she gently pushed her snout against Isaac's palm. She looks like she's familiarizing herself with him. After that, Icirin opened her eyes.

Strangely enough, The trembling had disappated. Isaac no longer felt scared nor threatened. He wouldn't say he felt comfortable either. It was as if he and the dragon had a mutual understanding.

Icirin roared into the skies before she flapped her wings, sending snow flying in all directions. Then, she took off to the skies and flew to the other side of the mountain.

Isaac could not fathom what just happened. One minute, Icirin was chasing him to no end. A few seconds after that, she got comfy and flew away.

"What the hell just happened?" Isaac asked as he turned to his friends. While Darius and Hillut tried to suppress their shock, Isaac could still see hints of it.

Scarlet was somewhat fascinated while Elisa looked like she was hiding something. It was as if she knew why Icirin was like that but wasn't saying anything.

"That was amazing!" Scarlet said. "I've never seen that before." Scarlet turned towards Hillut. "I thought dragons hated humans?"

"They hate everything," Hillut said. "But that was indeed intriguing.

"I've seen dragons only four or five times in my life," Darius said. "None of them have ever done that." His eyes glanced at Elisa just for a second before glancing away.

It looks as if Elisa and Darius knew something but decided not to say anything.

Whatever it might be, Isaac wasn't going to press. They had survived an encounter with Icirin. That's the big highlight of his day.

"Shall we continue?" Isaac said.