After receiving Agatha's blessing, the eight-man squad tasked with conquering the C rank dungeon, departed for the expedition.
Snow stood silently among the thinning crowd, his blue eyes fixed on the great iron gates of Riffy Cliffs as they slowly began to open. The thick metal groaned in protest, its frozen hinges resisting movement after days of remaining shut.
Beyond the gates lay nothing but white.
An endless, violent white.
The eight riders mounted their icebreed horses(the large, thick-furred beasts bred to survive the lethal cold of the Amada Mountains).
Rolland, the captain of the squad raised his hand, signaling for his companions to take off.
Without hesitation, the riders spurred their mounts forward and the icebreed horses surged ahead, their powerful legs cutting through the snow as they galloped toward the storm. The wind howled louder, as if trying to swallow them whole.
Within seconds, the riders were partially obscured.
Then within other additional seconds, they were nothing but faint silhouettes, until eventually they were nolonger visible.
Swallowed completely by the snowy maelstrom beyond the safety of the town.
Snow stared at the empty horizon long after they disappeared.
The gates began to close behind them until..
CLANG.
The sound echoed heavily across the plaza.
It was over.
The expedition had begun.
Around him, townsfolk quickly dispersed. No one lingered. Some returned to their homes; others resumed their duties. In times like this, work was a shield against fear.
Soon, the once-crowded plaza stood empty.
Only three figures remained.
Snow, Chief Edward and Lady Agatha.
Edward stood tall, composed—but the weight in his posture was unmistakable. Across from him stood Lady Agatha, her white robes swaying gently despite the violent wind. Her blind eyes faced forward, unfocused yet unnervingly precise.
Snow remained several steps behind his father, hands buried deep inside his coat pockets.
Edward spoke first.
"Lady Agatha."
She inclined her head.
"Chief Edward."
Her voice was calm. Gentle. Untouched by fear.
"You are certain?" Edward asked quietly.
Snow frowned.
Agatha paused before answering.
"The path before them is shrouded," she said. "But the outcome remains unchanged."
Edward's jaw tightened.
That wasn't a real answer.
Not the one he wanted.
Agatha continued softly.
"Whether they succeed or fail… today was necessary."
Snow scoffed under his breath.
Necessary.
It was always easy for people like her to speak of necessity. Easy to declare fate when it wasn't their lives at stake.
Agatha turned her head slightly.
Her blind gaze settled on Snow.
And though her eyes were clouded, it felt as though she saw him more clearly than anyone else.
"Snow," she said gently.
He did not respond.
"I hope you are well."
His expression remained blank andlooked away deliberately.
His silence was intentional.
His reaction caused Edward to sigh.
Agatha, however, only watched him with the same soft expression.
After a moment, she turned back toward Edward.
"I will return to the church."
Edward nodded.
"Thank you, Lady Agatha."
She offered a small bow and walked away, her steps steady and unhurried despite the storm. Strangely, the wind did not seem to touch her.
Snow watched her go, his eyes cold.
He hated her.
He hated her calm.
He hated her kind expression.
Most of all—
He hated the power she held over this town.
Because of her words, eight people had just walked toward death, and among those eight people was someone who was dear to Snow.
After the blind seer left, Edward remained standing beside Snow for a moment longer.
The plaza was empty now, and only the storm remained.
Edward glanced down at him.
"…You shouldn't antagonize her."
Snow didn't look at him.
"She's the reason they left," He replied coldly.
Edward didn't deny it.
"She warned us."
"She doomed them."
Edward sighed quietly.
"It's not that simple."
Snow finally turned toward him.
"It is."
Edward met his gaze.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Edward placed a hand on Snow's shoulder.
"We do what we must to survive," he said quietly.
Snow didn't answer.
Edward removed his hand.
"Come," he said. "It's freezing."
Snow almost laughed.
Freezing.
He barely felt it, but he followed anyway.
The pair of father and son walked toward the their house.
In a few moments they reached the house.
Their home was covered in a pile of snow like the rest of the houses in the Riffy Cliffs.
Edward went foward and opened the door, and snow treaded behind him.
Warmth greeted them the rune-heated air replacing the biting wind.
Edward moved toward the kitchen to prepare dinner, while Snow removed his heavy coat and tossed it aside before sitting on the couch.
Now that he was away from prying eyes he didn't have to put a front on wearing warm clothes.
Eventually time passed, and Edward finished preparing dinner.
Snow was called into the dining room by Edward who was serving the hot bean soup with rice balls.
After taking a seat Snow began to eat without ceremony.
Across from him, Edward fidgeted slightly, opening his mouth then closing it as if hesitating.
Snow narrowed his eyes.
"What?"
Edward cleared his throat.
"You will turn fifteen tomorrow."
Snow frowned.
"So?"
Edward sighed.
"So it's time to have your aptitude tested. And it's about time you begin proper hunting training."
Snow clicked his tongue.
"I'd rather die than be tested by that self-proclaimed seer."
"And as for hunting lessons, l believe you have taught me all l needed to know, l doubt that going to hunting school would be any different."
Edward revealed a tired expression.
"Well either way, you have to get tested soon and have to attend the school. It's the only way you can join a hunting party. "
Snow scoffed.
"And what if I fail the apitude test, wouldn't l become the perfect monster child for the people to mock"
Edward shook his head.
"You won't fail_"
Before he could finish though, Snow interrupted him.
"And how do you know that?"
Edward was silent for a moment.
"Your mother was a mage," he said finally. "I am a Qi warrior. That means you inherited one of our aspects. Since you failed your Qi test… it likely means you inherited hers."
Snow rolled his eyes.
In this era, humanity walked two primary paths of strength.
The path of Qi—where warriors cultivated the flow of energy through their meridians to enhance strength, speed, and endurance.
Or the path of Magic—where one manipulated mana, the world's energy, bending the elements to their will.
Ofcourse there were also those who didn't manage to gain either path and remained , ordinary.
But those people were rare, and were even known to be rarer than mages (who were already considered to be rare. )
Snow and Edward took a long moment at the table, arguing over the matter of his apitude testing, until eventually Snow gave in.
After he agreed, Edward was relieved.
He then proceeded to eat his food.
After finishing his meal he bade Snow a good night sleep before heading to bed.
Snow was left alone in the dining room with his thoughts.
His expression turned adrift as he pondered over tomorrow's apitude testing.
"So it's finally happening huh?" He muttered to himself.
"l wonder_
"Whether l will pass or not?"
Although Snow had acted like he was disinterested in the matter of his apitude testing, the truth was that it was all a front.
In truth he had been looking foward to this day, ever since he learned that he had terrible talent in qi mastering.
And now that the day had finally arrived, he was sort of apprehensive.
After all although the statics sayed that, when one had both parents as mages and knights, the child would inherit either one of his/her parent's path with absolute certain.
There was no guarantees that the child wouldn't inherit neither path of both parents.
And this was what worried Snow.
If he were to somehow be unlucky to not inherit either path of both parents, then he was damned for a lifetime.
Not only would he be unable to earn a living, but he would further solidify his nickname as the cursed child when the townsfolk learns of the news.
After sighing for more times than he could count, Snow tended to his dishes, washing them by the sink, using the warm regulated water, that was supplied to the town by a D rank elemental mage, who infused both water magic and fire magic to provide water that did not freeze instantly once supplied to the town.
Once Snow finished washing the dishes, he then went to sleep.
He entered his farmiliar room and went straight to his bed. He slept facing the ceiling and after a few moments he fell asleep.
And when he woke up he was in another world.