The sky was cloaked in thick clouds on the day of Claus' departure. "Lui will take you to the west edge," Rin said, watching her till she rode off into the glistening horizon. He would never forget what Claus said: "Don't protect the ones who don't care about you, but fight for the ones you love, and love you."
Just then, a fierce storm brewed in the sky. Thick snowflakes blotted out sun light, and lightning flashed on the highland like whips. Rin felt pure terror which overwhelm him as he knew a wicked evil was present beyond description. His heart pumped. Something was wrong—Claus was in danger!
☆☆☆
Rin steered his horse swiftly across the slick, icy grassland in search of Claus and Lui. The stormy wind and wild snowfall made it hard for him to see very far. Fortunately, the animal he was riding was used to such extreme weather.
After a few miles, Rin arrived at the western edge of the highland and spotted Lui lying beside a barren tree with no sign of his horse nearby.
"What happened? Where is Claus?" Rin grabbed Lui's arms and lifted him up. Lui was conscious but had broken both his legs.
"I was riding ahead of her when my horse got scared by something and threw me off. I couldn't find Claus when I looked around. She wasn't more than a few meters behind me, so she couldn't have gone far."
Rin took Lui to a rock where he'd be shielded from the snow and gave him an extra fur coat from his bag. "Stay here till I come back. I'm going to look for her."
Tracking after the hoof prints on the snow, Rin followed the path that led eastward. After a few miles uphill, his horse had completely run out of steam and could not go any further, so Rin had to drag it along as he went on foot. Suddenly, he noticed something strange lurking behind a bush: "Claus?"
He hastened to the spot and discovered Claus and her horse lying lifelessly beneath a thin layer of snow. He removed his own wool coat and wrapped it around her before checking for injuries. Miraculously, she awoke soon after, the heat of the dead horse kept her body temperature above norm.
"What happened?" asked Claus.
"It seems like something attacked you." Rin didn't find any wounds on her body, but her horse's neck was cracked by outside force. "What do you recall?"
"I was following Lui, when the snowfall intensified, and I lost my way. Then I fainted. I can't remember anything else. I'm so cold." Claus huddled in Rin's embrace.
"The snow is just too heavy for us to go anywhere. We should look for a place to stay for the night." Rin kept Claus close and pulled his worn-out horse behind him as he searched for a temporary refuge.
☆☆☆
The blizzard had turned the highland into a snowy wasteland, so Rin and Claus found an abandoned old shrine to keep warm during the night. Rin used some dry tree branches and leaves he had gathered to start a fire, despite the plummeting temperature of ten below zero. Rin meditated and became less affected by the cold, while Claus sat near the flames, watched it with thought.
"The snow shall stop by noon tomorrow." Rin opened his eyes and spoke.
"The storm came unexpectedly. We were trapped!" Replied Claus.
"I felt something demonic when you left the monastery; I just cannot figure out what."
"I'm just glad that I am still alive." The flame brightened Claus' face, her skin reflected in complexion of white and pink, her lips glowed in color of sunrise. "Let's just run away from here! Rin! Run away with me. Forget my family and forget yours! We will be happy together. No one will find us!"
Rin maintained his silent stare upon the fire, not saying a word in response.
"I know I'm talking insane," she said despondently, "I know how important your honor is to you; I just wish..."
"We go back to town tomorrow," Rin finally spoke, feeling guilty over leaving his friend Lui all alone. "Hope he's okay."
"Sigh! Yes, you are right, we must go back," Claus lamented softly under her breath, realizing that their fate was sealed. "It's me who have no choice."
"Get some rest," said Rin comfortingly as he closed his lit, and tears had crept down from the edges of his eyes. "It's going to be much warmer tomorrow; I promise."
☆☆☆
The following day, the storm dissipated sooner than Rin anticipated, and he was able to go back with Claus to search for Lui. After a long trip, they all returned to the monastery together.
Rin and Claus were now almost inseparable; they did everything as a unit. They even shared thoughts on sacred scriptures and Rin started having less conversation with other priests, causing rumors to spread.
"Who is that woman I see our grace constantly with?" A younger monk asked his senior counterpart while cleaning up the study room's backyard.
"Word has it she's a demon, and our grace has been bewitched," The elder monk replied hesitantly.
"Although...I can't say I blame him. She's one of the most stunning women I've ever seen."
"Be respectful! You must not speak in such a manner," The senior monk scolded.
"I apologize, but it doesn't make sense why someone so beautiful would choose to stay here," The junior priest murmured.
"Don't ask questions. Just keep working!" The superior commanded.
"Yes, sir."
☆☆☆
Claus laid her head on Rin's shoulder and settled by the glassy lake, that its tranquil surface a mirror reflecting the awakening sky. The scent of new born spring grass and the distant chirps of waterfowl filled the air as they watched the sun crest over the entire horizon, the world bathed in a symphony of colors.
"I want this moment to last forever." Claus whispered, her breath like a delicate caress against his skin as they entwined their fingers, their connection as tender as a blooming rose.
"It will live on eternally, like my love for you." Rin teased.
"No, I mean it! Let us stay young and wild forever." Claus clung to him like morning glories attached to an oak tree.
Rin fell silent, his emotion and logic had spiraled into a storm in his soul.
"We should go back now; everyone must be looking for us." He averted his arm from Claus' shoulder. His cheeks surge with embarrassment for being tardy from his duties.
"You must choose whether you want to come with me when I leave," her words were firm.
"Give me more time—I need more time..."
As the sun continued its ascent into the sky, shadows slowly stretched before the young couple. The fleeting nature showed all its possibilities and its uncertainties, their fates together was as fragile as their unspoken promises.