In the eyes of the others, Silvanus had completely vanished beyond the curtain of light.
At that mont, Silvanus was surrounded by blinding radiance, and an uncontrollable sensation suddenly seized his entire body. He opened his eyes wide, but before he could react, he was already plunging into a body of water—carried by the sa montum he had used to leap into the door.
But he was sure of one thing: whatever that strange substance had been, it had warped his destination. He was no longer in the sa place as Nana and the others!
Sure enough, what greeted Silvanus was a landscape of endless snowcapped mountains. Tiny snowflakes drifted lazily to the ground—not in thick sheets, but like the remnants of great clouds that had forgotten to shed their burden during a blizzard.
Small snow hills dotted the terrain, and in the distance, he could see faint, mist-shrouded peaks.
Yet the sky—and the very space itself—felt strange. It shimred with a pale, luminous blue, as though he were trapped beneath a colossal translucent do that separated him from the outside world.
Silvanus quickly climbed out of the water. Even though he’d only been subrged for a brief mont, frost had already spread across his clothes, forming jagged shards of ice that looked like clusters of frozen thorns.
Though Silvanus was the kind of person who rarely felt cold, a faint shiver still ran through him. The egg that always nestled quietly at his side had gone completely still, as if lifeless.
A troubling thought crossed his mind—Had it frozen to death?
He cupped the egg in both hands, and a soft light flared from his palms, enveloping it. Ti passed—long enough for him to start thinking it really was hopeless—when suddenly, the egg gave a slight twitch. A faint sound, almost like a whimper, escaped from within, and the next instant, it darted into Silvanus’s shirt like a gust of wind!
Silvanus gave it a light smack and huffed, "You don’t even know how to say thank you. Everyone here’s got a bad attitude— even the egg’s picking up bad habits."
The egg wiggled in protest, though sadly, it couldn’t talk back.
Just then, Silvanus heard sothing—a voice. It was singing, faint yet hauntingly beautiful, smooth and alluring, carrying a charm impossible to resist.
His brow furrowed, but his feet moved on their own, carrying him forward.
Then he suddenly stopped, stomping down hard enough for cracks to spiderweb across the ice beneath him.
No... this can’t be right.
A voice that seductively appeared out of nowhere—especially in a place like this—could only an danger. Yet his mind scread at him to follow it, to go toward that srizing sound.
Silvanus scowled, then abruptly slapped himself across the face, forcing his rationality back into focus. He turned around, determined to walk away.
But at that mont, the egg suddenly burst out from under his shirt. It spun and bounced wildly across the icy surface, wriggling with manic energy, as if it were about to take flight. If it had a tail, it would’ve been wagging like a propeller! Then, it shot forward, breaking through a layer of ice and springing up onto a rocky ledge!
"You stupid egg!"
Silvanus shouted, then, after a brief hesitation, decided to chase after it—though he couldn’t tell whether that decision was entirely his own or if the strange song had influenced him.
He and the egg stopped atop a rocky ledge. From there, they could see another lake below, surrounded by jagged stones.
At the center of that lake stood a glowing rock, and upon it...
In the egg’s eyes, what appeared there was—a male Beastfolk, tall and powerfully built, his copper-toned skin glistening over rippling muscles. A pair of tiger ears and a long striped tail twitched behind him, and his barely-there clothing left his chest and abs completely exposed.
Right now, the Beastfolk was blinking playfully, flashing a wickedly seductive smile straight at the egg.
The egg imdiately started to steam, two suspiciously rosy streaks blooming across its shell.
But in Silvanus’s eyes—what he saw was... a hero’s sword!
Good heavens! A radiant sword was embedded in the stone, lting the surrounding ice and snow as it shone with the brilliance of light and divine power!
A sword capable of banishing darkness and saving humankind!
Half of its blade was buried in the rock, its hilt gleaming faintly as though calling out to Silvanus, urging him to draw it forth!
Man and egg alike could barely contain themselves!
The egg leaped high into the air, then shot forward with all its might—
—but before it could go far, Silvanus snatched it mid-flight with both hands, holding it still in the air.
The egg squird and wriggled in protest, radiating its obvious displeasure.
Silvanus, his tongue bitten hard enough to draw blood, smacked the egg and barked, "You stupid egg! Since when do good things just fall out of the sky? If sothing suddenly drops from above and lands right in front of us, that can only an one thing!"
The egg went silent, as though waiting for his following words.
Silvanus raised his voice: "It ans that thing is poisoned!"
Just then, the srizing song echoed once more—soft and bewitching. Silvanus felt his mind go hazy again, the edges of his thoughts slipping.
When they looked back, the vision before them seed to be drawing nearer and nearer.
Silvanus stared at the glittering hilt of the sword, squeezed his eyes shut, and broke into a mad sprint in the opposite direction!
"Hahaha, not bad, kid. You’re young, but your will’s impressive."
A voice rang out—smooth and impossibly pleasant, yet laced with childish mischief and a cruel hint of mockery.
Silvanus didn’t dare look back. He ran with everything he had.
But then—the ice beneath him suddenly tilted.
A massive wall of ice erupted from the ground, towering so high it seed to pierce the very sky.
Silvanus gritted his teeth and steeled his resolve. Raising his hand high, a sharp, gleaming spear of light materialized in his grasp.
"Aaaaaah!"
He let out a fierce roar, then hurled himself forward with all his might. The wind and light whirled behind him, forming a blinding vortex.
Boom! Crash!
The massive spear pierced into the thick wall of ice, leaving countless cracks in its wake before bursting open a gaping hole—yet still, it didn’t go all the way through. Just how thick was this thing?!
Despair welled up in Silvanus’s heart.
"Ha ha ha, I must comnd your effort."
A mocking laugh echoed from behind him—though no matter how Silvanus listened, it sounded unmistakably like the voice of a child.
Finally, he drew in a deep breath and, summoning every ounce of courage, turned around.
At that mont, he finally saw the "person" who had been pursuing him all along. But that wasn’t a person at all...
A shimring blue tail flicked gracefully through the air, scales glinting like a rainbow under light so bright it was almost painful to look at.
The upper half of the being’s body, however, was distinctly human—a boy who looked even younger than Silvanus, with porcelain-pale skin and delicate, almost doll-like features that were flawlessly beautiful.
His hair was whiter than snow, with faint hints of blue near the tips. From the sides of his head extended a pair of long, translucent fins, glimring softly. Droplets of water—or perhaps tiny gemstones—adorned his body, making him appear all the more radiant and precious.
Those pale blue eyes, clear like crystal glass, were fixed on Silvanus with unmistakable curiosity. His lips curved into a faint, knowing smile.
He was... a rfolk.
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