Chapter 1: Snowfire

Chapter 1: Snowfire

The coldness of the snow were as cold as ever. Its scenery gives different perspectives to everyone, depending on the scaffold thereupon.

While others may have the capacity to enjoy the beauty of the winter, there were still others whom cannot.

The snow was indeed beautiful, but still it bites. However, such thing can't penetrate this certain young man who was staring at the remains of a house he once called "home". In his eyes it was still burning and could felt the scorching sensation as he wanders around inside. The mocking laughters from the jesters who harbors the pleasure of trampling those they deemed beneath them were still annoyingly loud.

Getting trap in the void, for who knows how long, made him indeed numb. However, the emotions that were supposedly buried was slowly emerging and becoming sharp from the depths of his heart. And for once again this young man was reminded of who he "was" in this life.

As he was walking, he suddenly noticed a pendant on the floor. And when he picked it up and opened it, the scenery shifted to the current reality of the house.

The pendant contains a picture of two people: a brown-haired boy being embraced by a beautiful lady with blonde hair tied in ponytail while wearing her casual clothes. Just like how snow could bring joy to those who loves snow, they were smiling with genuine joy of having one another.

Memories floaded and filled the scenery with colors of those times. It was the time when he saw the pendant on the same place for the first time—

"Haise?"

A familiar voice of a woman called to him. And when he turned around, the scenery shifted to the reality, once again, and his gaze was met by a different yet familiar young woman.

"Lady Kaera..."

Had he engrossed himself to the memories of yesterdays? Or was it just his current state? He didn't even sensed anything upon the arrival of the young woman. Feeling the protection of a certain spell from her, the young man understood.

"You still looked the same." Said the young man as he could remember about her.

Kaera still had her long silky dark-blue hair. Despite having a petite build, her body were quite sinful for her age. She had a pair of almond-shape eyes with bright grey irises. Long and thick eyebrows that matches her eyes, long eyelashes, and face shape. She was indeed a beauty—no wonder she had this certain spell protecting her... At least, that was just one of the reasons.

On the young woman's side, confusion all she was feeling. The boy she knew too well looks different. Instead of having his natural brown hair he had jet-black hair while giving off an ethereal contrast whenever the light had the chance to touch him. His eyes and half of his face were covered by his long bangs in utter mystery. 'Since when did he changed so much? What happened to him since since Auntie Kiana died?' She wondered.

"Haise is—"

The young man lifted his arm forward, as though stopping Kaera from her approach.

"Yes... And I'm home now." He answered, knowing what Kaera was about to say.

A faint of glow emitted from the pendant. Then after, it was good as new. The young man put it inside of his spatial-inventory. It was all he could do from the little power he currently possess.

'!!!'

Kaera saw all of this and stared at the young man with both concern and alertness for the boy she knew can't perform such magic—true magic!

"I understand your confusion and concern." Said the young man. "I'm still myself so fret not. And no need to hide behind that mask."

Kaera was taken aback by what the young man said.

Sensing some uninvited visitors, the young man couldn't help but sigh.

"... They're really are persistent." He said.

"W-who?" Kaera asked.

"Let's take this little reunion of ours later."

'Huh? Where did he go?' Confused, Kaera wandered her gaze around, hoping to find the young man. However, he was no longer there as though she was alone the entire time therein.

The next moment, Kaera heard a strange noise outside. She then swiftly traced the noise and saw the young man fighting some sort of monsters. They're tall, had refined bones, and web-wings, as well as horns similar to goats.

The battle was quite odd and incomprehensible. It was as though reality itself was glitching. Everytime the young man dash against the monsters, he would just disappeared and the next moment they're all dead and missing.

...

Afterwards in a place where it was all darkness, the young man pointed the gun upward, revealing a face of a lady beneath its the handle. As it opened its eyes and mouth, the face became monstrous showing its fangs. All the blood of the monsters went to its mouth while their souls went to the young man's shadow along with their remains, causing their disappearance.

The gun emitted crimson glow, as its web-wings spread. Then after, it went back to its normal state as well as the young man's shadow.

What the young man just displayed made Kaera confused and wary of him further—confused for what she just witnessed. She was no ordinary; her instincts tells her something off. Furthermore, her gaze were set on the gun, too. She knew it was no ordinary gun. It was beyond just a magical weapon.

Kaera shook her head, escaping the chance to doubt the true existence of the young man.

Sensing the lady's presence and reaction, the young man just stared at her without uttering a single word as the gun glowed and vanished in his hand. And the way the gun vanished, it was as though he was inside of some sort of magical program where he is the master itself.

The snowfall occured again. The young man opened his hand and faced his palm to the sky to catch some snowflakes. Kaera remained standing without uttering a single word. She just watched the young man.

Soon the young man went back to the house and stopped in front of it, near the porch. He, then, began making two massive snowballs with one a little smaller and put it upon the bigger one. He then picked some pebbles and put them on it, creating a happy face.

Three squirrels approached the young man. Each squirrels were carrying a pebbles and gave it to him. It seems these squirrels had been watching him.

The young man kindly and gently accept their little help. Now only the nose and arms were missing. He, then, saw a charcoal on the porch. This could be a nose—he thought. It use to be part of the house before it got burnt down. Now only the arms were missing.

Seeing such scenery and how even the animals helped the young man made Kaera believed that the young man was still the boy she knew.

Kaera walked towards a tree and then picked two small fallen branches and gave one of it to the young man. Together, they finished the snowman. This reminded her of that time where she and her twin sister build a snowman together with this young man on the same place.

"Welcome home."