The following day, at noon.
The star rail train finally ca to a stop in the Snow Domain.
Wrapped in the temperature-regulating clothing Xarion had specially prepared for her, Rory stepped off the star rail. The mont her boots touched the frozen platform, her eyes imdiately found the figure waiting outside.
Yuel.
He stood alone in the swirling snow.
No one knew how long he had been there. A thin layer of frost had already settled across his military uniform, dusting his shoulders and collar like pale ash. In the ti they had been apart, his fra had grown noticeably leaner.
Sothing in Rory’s chest tightened, as if lightly struck.
A faint ache spread through her heart.
"Yuel!" She hurried toward him, her voice filled with concern and warmth. "Have you been waiting long?"
"Not long."
Yuel pulled her into his arms the instant she reached him, holding her tightly.
Hearing the worry in her voice, feeling the warmth of her body against his own, the emptiness that had lingered inside him for so many days finally eased.
The hollow place in his chest felt full again. "Rory... I missed you."
"I missed you too." Rory wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his cheek firmly. "Yuel, look! The vine on my head has grown a lot today. It looks like the first leaf is about to sprout."
That morning, she had checked in the mirror and noticed the vine had grown longer. Tiny leaf buds had already ford along it.
The vine was no thicker than a matchstick, hidden among her hair so well that it was almost impossible to see.
Unfortunately... The one thing Yuel least wanted to look at right now was that vine.
But since Rory asked him to, he had no choice.
Gently brushing her hair aside, he revealed the vine sprouting from her head. It was already about two centiters long.
In a soft voice, he said, "The leaf has already begun forming. By tonight, it should reach its normal size."
After that, he looked at Rory with both tenderness and guilt. "Rory... I’m sorry. This is my fault. Because I wasn’t careful, you had to go through this."
Rory shook her head with a smile. "Don’t say that. Terry is the child I wanted. And I’m not suffering at all."
Since Terry appeared, the only real symptom she’d had was sudden sleepiness. Otherwise, she felt perfectly fine. In fact, because of Terry, she had even advanced smoothly to Rank Seven.
If anyone was going to suffer, it would be Yuel in the future.
As the snowstorm began to intensify, Xarion stepped forward. "Female Master, it’s getting late. We should head ho first."
During Rory’s stay in the Snow Domain, she would be living in Xarion’s house.
Xarion hadn’t returned to the Snow Domain wolf clan for a long ti. His house had likely gathered a thick layer of dust.
This ti, he hadn’t inford his father or the clan of his return either. It would be better to arrive early and clean up first. Besides, worsening snow would soon begin affecting the speed of the aircraft.
Rory nodded imdiately and took Yuel’s hand. "Yuel, let’s go to the wolf clan first."
Since she had co to the Snow Domain, it was only proper to visit the Wolf King right away.
Nix had already prepared the aircraft. Once aboard, Rory turned to Xarion. "Xarion, is your house close to your father’s place? When we arrive at the wolf clan, let’s visit your father first."
Hearing that Rory planned to visit his father personally, Xarion hesitated before answering.
"Female Master... you’ve spent so many days on the star rail. You must be tired. You should rest today. Tomorrow I’ll ask my father to co visit you."
But Rory imdiately shook her head. "That wouldn’t be polite. How could an elder co visit a younger person first? We should go see him ourselves. I already prepared gifts before coming. We can visit your father first, then go rest at your house."
Since she insisted, Xarion had no choice but to nod. "...Alright."
Beside her, Yuel leaned casually against the seat, silently watching Xarion’s reaction.
A thought crossed his mind.
Did this guy... forget to tell the Wolf King he was coming back?
Rembering how the Snow Domain wolves had practically thrown Xarion at Rory as a "gift" before, Yuel pressed his lips together.
Well... Since they were already here, they might as well face whatever ca.
Surely the Wolf King wouldn’t throw them out.
The aircraft cut through the endless snowfields.
Hours later, Rory stood by the viewing window and stared down at the landscape below. The ground was dotted with countless black mounds. From the sky, they looked eerily like rows upon rows of graves.
"Xarion... is that the wolf clan cetery?" she asked. "That’s where the wolves are buried, right?"
The place was enormous. Even from the aircraft, she couldn’t see where it ended.
Xarion replied in his usual half-lifeless tone. "Female Master... that’s not a cetery. ...Those are the wolf clan’s houses."
"...Houses?" Rory stared in disbelief.
The wolf clan’s wedding style already looked like a funeral...
And now their hos look like graves too?!
Xarion nodded. "Female Master, they’re built from black spatial stone. The exterior is extrely durable and can withstand heavy snowstorms. Inside, the space is actually quite large. If you place fire crystals purchased from the Fire Domain inside, the temperature becos warm all year round."
"Many clan mbers not only live inside them, they also raise mutant beasts and plants there."
"I see..." Rory nodded slowly.
Information about the Four Domains rarely appeared on the empire’s networks, so she had never known the wolf clan’s houses looked like this.
Thankfully, she asked beforehand. Otherwise, she might have embarrassed herself.
Yuel stepped beside her and explained further. "Rory, the Four Domains are different from the Empire. The lifestyles of beastfolk here are shaped by their environnt."
"In the Snow Domain, houses are built with black spatial stone. In the Fire Domain, beastfolk live inside mountain caves. And in the Water Domain, so live beneath the sea, while others live on islands."
"The beastfolk of the Thunder Domain build their hos from the shells of thunderfruit," Yuel continued gently. "The shells can block lightning."
Rory had already seen beastfolk from the Water Domain, the Fire Domain, and the Snow Domain.
But she had never encountered anyone from the Thunder Domain.
"What exactly is thunderfruit?" she asked, curious. "I’ve never heard of it."
Yuel opened his wrist device and searched for a mont before pulling up a photograph.
He turned the screen toward her.
In the image stood an enormous tree—so massive that it seed to tower into the clouds. Lightning constantly crackled around its branches, flashing in bright arcs.
The trunk didn’t look like ordinary wood at all. Instead, it resembled sothing closer to polished stone.
From the trunk hung countless giant white fruits, each one the size of a small house.
"This," Yuel said, "is thunderfruit."
The fruit wasn’t edible.
Aside from the Thunder Domain beastfolk, who used its shell as building material, the only other people who had use for it were master ch engineers like Nix.
Because there was so little general demand for it, very few people outside those circles even knew what it was.
As they talked, the aircraft gradually descended. Monts later, it touched down on the snow-covered ground.
"Female Master, we’ve arrived," Xarion said. He stepped out of the aircraft first.
A few wolf clan beastfolk were standing nearby. The mont they saw Xarion step down from the craft, their expressions changed instantly.
It was as if they had just seen a ghost. Without hesitation, they turned and ran.
"Oh no! The young master who was married off has co back!"
"Everyone run!"
"Help! The demon king has returned!"
"Quick—quick! Inform the Wolf King!"
"—"
Rory, stepping down from the aircraft behind him, stared at them in stunned silence.
Nix was even more shocked. "Xarion... why are they so afraid of you?"
Yuel folded his arms and sighed. "When the insectoid armies attacked, I didn’t even see the Snow Domain panic like this."
To them, Xarion seed more terrifying than the insectoids.
Yuel had always known Xarion wasn’t exactly beloved in the Snow Domain. But he hadn’t realized it was this bad.
Jasper added calmly, "Well... insectoids can be fought. They can be killed. But Xarion... can’t be beaten, and can’t be killed."
If his spiritual power ever lost control... The entire wolf clan might vanish overnight.
Standing beside Rory, Xarion grabbed her hand and looked at her with a wounded expression.
"Female Master... I’ve never bullied them." He sounded genuinely aggrieved. "It’s just that they’re all whiny babies. It has nothing to do with ."
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