P.S= #29: Kiki Village

A man sprinted through the snow with Cory on his back, rushing towards a village. As they reached the village, curious villagers gathered around, expressing concern.

"What happened to the poor boy?" questioned one of the villagers.

The man's wife, hearing the commotion, emerged from their house.

"Huh? The boy is frozen solid," she remarked, surprised to see Cory on her husband's back.

"Get me some hot water, start the fire, and fetch some clothes to warm him up," instructed the man as he hurried into their house. His wife promptly began lighting the fire. "Come on, put him here. Where did you find him?"

"I was searching for firewood and saw him like this. Maybe Gwyneth did this to him," the man explained.

"His face doesn't look familiar," she noted, examining Cory's frozen visage.

[Elliott]

The rhythmic sound of footsteps in the snow caught Elliott's attention. TEP! TEP! He peered through the swirling snowflakes and saw someone walking towards him.

"Hey, are you from around here? Can you show me where the village is?" Elliott shouted, hoping for some guidance in the snowy expanse.

As the figure approached, Elliott soon realized that it wasn't an ordinary person but an Ayakashi, a being made entirely out of snow.

"Elliott, I have come to kill you," it declared, its frosty features contorted into an eerie semblance of a face as it pointed a freezing appendage at him. The chilling intent in its words sent shivers down Elliott's spine, and he braced himself for an imminent confrontation.

[Village]

Cory, now wrapped in towels and sipping hot soup, sat with the man and his wife. "Why is the island so snowy this time of year?" Cory inquired.

"Ten years ago, a little girl showed up on this island. One day, she went to the center of the island and did some crazy thing called 'territory,' turning the island into what it is now," the man explained.

"I guess the story Yamato told us was true, and here I thought that he was afraid," Cory muttered to himself.

"She rules over this land. Even though we are a small island, she has four strong Ayakashi with her, all of them B-ranking. She also has lower-ranking ones that wreak havoc and kill villagers," the lady added.

Cory got up. "How about I help you? I will kick her ass. You and I have some beef with her; how dare she freeze me."

"And what about the other four and the rest of them?" questioned the lady.

"Don't worry, I have friends on this island, strong ones, in fact. So don't worry. Question, do you know where I can find her?" asked Cory.

"Yes, she's in the center of this island in an ice domain," the man replied.

"Good to know. Before I go, do you have something I can wear that's warm? Because I'm so cold," requested Cory.

"Yes, sure," said the lady.

[At The Elders HQ - The Cathedral of Judgment, also known as Veridominium Cathedral]

The Elders sat around the table, their expressions serious and contemplative. Six of their members were missing, including Celeste and Ichika. On the monitor, five of the absent Elders could be seen, except for Ichika.

["How do you work these things?"] Ichika grumbled as he fiddled with the camera.

One of his Slayers, Kimmy, walked up to assist him. ["Oh, here you go, sir."]

["Much better, thank you, Kimmy,"] Ichika acknowledged.

["You're welcome, sir,"] Kimmy replied.

"Ichika, are you sure you're not too old for the Elders? Just because we're Elders doesn't mean we should be elders, if you know what I mean," Goujirou remarked.

"Watch your mouth, Goujirou. You and I both know I can kill you in a second," Ichika retorted.

["Anyways, this meeting was called to discuss Yukijinki Island, formerly known as Kiki Island, up until the Snow Ayakashi went there,"] Kohaku informed.

"Wait, isn't she an A-class Ayakashi?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes, she is. We've waited far too long not to do anything because of the villagers living on the island," Kohaku replied.

"We should dispatch over 100 Slayers to take care of things with her and the villagers," suggested Goujirou.

["No need,"] Ichika interjected.

"Huh?"

["I'm only two hours away from there, so I will go. Plus, you can't send a bunch of low-class Slayers to kill an A-class Ayakashi,"] Ichika explained.

"Hmm," Goujirou muttered.

"You're right. I will leave everything to you," Kohaku agreed. The weight of the impending mission hung in the air as they entrusted Ichika with the responsibility of dealing with the formidable Snow Ayakashi on Yukijinki Island.

[Village]

HUFF! HUFF! HUFF! Kiyomizu and Yamato, stumbled into the quaint village, their breaths visible in the crisp, chilly air. Exhausted, they leaned against a nearby building, their bodies protesting against the run through the freezing landscape.

"We finally found the village," Kiyomizu gasped, her chest rising and falling as she caught her breath. The village, with its rustic charm, provided a stark contrast to the harsh conditions they had faced in the snowy wilderness.

Yamato dropped to the ground, panting heavily. "I'm so tired," he admitted between breaths, his fingers gripping the snowy ground.

The man who had saved Cory emerged from one of the wooden structures, holding towels. "Are you guys okay?" he inquired, genuine concern etched across his face. He began wrapping the trio in warm towels, providing a comforting respite from the biting cold.

"Yes, thank you," they replied in unison, grateful for the unexpected warmth.

The man's wife joined him outside, her eyes widening as she recognized the newcomers. "Oh, you must be Cory's friends."

Kiyomizu confirmed with a nod, "Yes, we are."

"Come on in," the lady invited, gesturing toward their cozy abode.

"Wait, Cory was here?" Kiyomizu questioned, a mix of surprise and relief in her voice.

"Yes, my husband found him frozen solid," the lady explained, recounting the unusual encounter.

"Frozen solid?" Kiyomizu exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"Yes, but we melted him and warmed him up," the man added, his demeanor calm despite the bizarre circumstances.

Yamato, turning his head to look around, asked, "So where is he?"

"We told him the story of why the island was like this, and he took off, saying, 'Don't worry, I'm going to kick her ass for you and turn everything back to normal,'" the lady shared, a mix of admiration and concern in her voice.

"See, I told you the story was true," Yamato said, a strange blend of excitement and uncertainty coloring his expression.

"Are you kidding me? Are you really happy that it is?" Kiyomizu questioned him, her exhaustion making her blunt.

"Yes, no, maybe, I don't know," Yamato mumbled, still processing the surreal events.

"Oh, I forgot to ask, why were you guys running?" the lady inquired, curiosity evident in her eyes.

Kiyomizu sighed, "Oh, yeah, because of some snow things."