The Winter Wolf

Night had fallen and the vehicle was transporting Cid and Freya to a nearby town, Eryl at the wheel. Freya, a little irritated, looked at one and groaned.

"Hmph, in the end, I lowered myself in front of him again... It's getting really annoying, this guy has no consideration."

"On the contrary, my Lady, this is surprisingly the right order of things."

Freya glanced indifferently at the woman behind the wheel.

"So, he piqued your interest? But regardless, no matter how great a person's potential, you have to have some knowledge of the world and the hierarchy, if you want to last long."

She crossed her arms and looked at the passing landscape.

"He's not bad, but he's still far below too many people I know."

"Hmhm, you don't know how right you are, my lady and that's why I'm telling you: it's completely normal and even expected that you would move heaven and earth to get his services."

The vehicle passed through a tunnel, and the lights of the moonlight disappeared but in this light darkness, Freya's eyes focused on the rearview mirror which reflected the mischievous eyes of the servant glowing a haunting orange.

"What's so special about him? I heard stories about you, how you always downplayed the power of others, you said that Cid was nothing special and that no one was really strong so why are you suddenly interested in someone?"

"Hm, what I meant is... Hmm, let's just say that some people are really... Out of this world. Not a hundred, not a dozen, but even fewer. Tell me, do you know the story of the Winter Wolf?'"

"... I know it's a children's rhyme about the seasons."

"So?"

Eryl's attitude implied that she wanted to push Freya to tell the story, the latter sighed but obeyed.

"It's just a wolf that can only live in winter. The other three seasons pursue it and its life is in danger as winter recedes. But one day the wolf sets foot in autumn and the autumn becomes winter. The wolf understands that he can change the seasons just by walking on them and decides to walk in summer to punish the seasons for persecuting it, but it does not go to spring because it does not need so much space to live in. It's a story that teaches that we should not persecute people, summer and autumn have disappeared because they attacked winter and as there is no more danger, we must not be too resentful, like the wolf who decided not to step on spring."

The vehicle emerged from the tunnel and the moonlight greeted Eryl's distinguished laughter.

"Hm, that's right, that's what it's about."

"... So? What does that have to do with him?"

"My lady, how good are you at keeping secrets?"

The mood had suddenly changed in the car, the light had returned, but Eryl's eyes remained orange.

"... Is it so bad that we need so many scenes?"

"More than you can imagine."

"... Alright, I'll keep it to myself."

"Thank you, so you see, what if I told you that this story is not the true version and that the moral is very different?"

Freya, impassive, did not answer so Eryl, after a pause, continued.

"In the original version, there was not just one but two creatures. The wolf in winter and the bear in spring. The seasons were also different, autumn tracked winter, summer tracked autumn, but the spring bear didn't care and minded its own business. The wolf first walked in the autumn to defend itself, then in the summer to take revenge and as a precaution, but when it met the spring bear, it decided not to step on spring, guess why?"

"... Because the bear wasn't a danger?"

"On the contrary, miss, the wolf understood that in this world, only the bear represented a danger. This does not mean that he was afraid, but nothing else, absolutely nothing in the world could give him a future more unpredictable than a fight with that bear, so the wolf was content to stay in its winter. Now, can you guess the true morality?"

Freya, a little impatient, tapped her elbows with her fingers.

"No, I can't know what you just made up."

"Ah, the true morality of this story is not a life lesson, but a warning for survival. Don't mess with the wolf. Autumn made this mistake and disappeared. The wolf has never fought back before, but the first time it did, it turned autumn into its paradise, then it tried with summer and did it again. In this world, the wolf can do anything, but the wolf refuses to take it to the bear. The bear has never left the spring, but the monstrous wolf fears a fight. The bear is then the wolf's equal and could do the same if it left, so don't mess with the bear either."

They were silent for a little while, Freya took a little time to think about what she had heard then glanced at the rearview mirror again. The servant's eyes had returned to normal.

"So what you're trying to say is... Anesidora is the bear, and I shouldn't bother him?"

"What? No! Hahahaha, my Lady, you're taking this the wrong way. The bear and the wolf are neither of you."

"Well, maybe you should focus on driving instead of telling stories."

"My apologies, I didn't mean to make fun of you, the story was to show you the power of the bear and the wolf, the fact that they created the second version, just so as not to call the bear 'a bear' and not to offend her, is proof of their impact."

Freya looked outside, a little more irritated but suddenly, she shook her head.

"Call the bear a bear?... Wait, are you saying... They exist?"

Eryl didn't answer right away, she looked in the rearview mirror for a moment, but not for Freya, but rather for Cid.

"My Lady, you have been in high society for some time and I know of your involvement in politics. Have you ever heard of the Wolf of the North?"

Freya seemed a little worried for the first time. She looked at her knees, thinking, and slowly raised her head.

"The Empire of Fenrir?"

"I'm glad you lived up to your name."

"... Eryl, what is the meaning of all this? What did you see in Anesidora? Who is he?"

"Someone who knows nothing about hierarchy, as you said, but I can assure you, and this is advice from someone who knows a little about this world, that you do not want to be his enemy when he finds out where he really stands."

The car drove through the dark night, under a moonlight that embraced the end of this tumultuous day.