A Cold Warmth
Strength 999
Speed 999
Defense 999
Intelligence 999
"Achu!" I sneeze into the blanket I find myself wrapped in.
"Currently the building is having trouble keeping up with the snowstorm outside. The heat should be back on any minute. Enjoy your day off!" A teacher says holding a lamp. She closes the room to the dorm not too soon after.
What a wonderful time to be celebrating a holiday.
The only thing not stopping me from freezing to death is Kenos. Which I will say it is nice to have someone to talk to. From what I hear from him it seems Kenos also celebrates Christmas or at least his form of it.
Sucks, we have to spend it bundled up together in a dark room. Something else I learned from him is that demons have a much higher body temperature, something like 200 F so I made sure to snag him before anyone noticed his value as a personal furnace.
I just sit next to him trying to get as warm as possible while he rambles on about himself. It was because of one of these rambling sessions I was able to learn about his useful body heating skill.
He's not terrible company, he's warm too, so I guess it's fine.
So somehow we did end up right next to each other by my bed. A blanket goes over our shoulders as we sit there Kenos talking on and on. Due to the overabundance of heat I am able to just wear a shirt and pants and be fine.
I would wear more but then there's the threat of me overheating to death. I have been unable to even do anything today so my hair stays loose.
Anyways this demon Christmas has something to do with giving gifts to loved ones and stuff but it's for a celebration of survival. So common gifts are food or magical items to help with survival into the next year.
I think it's way more sentimental than celebrating some guy named Jesus' on his birthday anyway.
I turn my head a bit to Kenos, seeing the way the dreary light from the cloudy outside makes his face shine, he looks at peace. It's a good look for him.
He notices my attention on him and smiles at me. His attention is immediately diverted to the window, so I follow suit.
The once fierce wind and heavy snow have calmed down now. It's possible the lights and heating should come back on soon. Stopping this calm moment we find ourselves in…
He turned back to me and I looked at him like why are you looking at me for?
"What?" I ask.
"You busy?" He asks like a dumbass
I looked at him with a deadpan face.
"Kenos, I've been with you all day, what makes you think I'm at all, busy?" I roll my eyes.
I can hear Kenos getting off of the bed from behind me.
Kenos chuckles, a sound that feels oddly out of the ordinary in the chilly atmosphere of the room. "True, but I feel like it's always good to be polite. Anyway wanna head outside?"
I pause looking at him. I watch as he is in the middle of strapping in his last boot. With a hint of curiosity mingling with the skepticism in my eyes. "Outside? In the snow? What for?"
He's already moving towards my boots but I snatch them from his hands and put them on myself. I'm not even halfway done putting my boots on when I see Kenos pushing the curtains aside slightly to peer outside.
"Just look," he says, his voice laced with an excitement that's contagious even in its simplicity.
I can't help but join him, curiosity winning over the cold dread at the thought of stepping outside. The scene that greets me is unexpectedly magical: the snow-covered landscape glistens under the weak but determined sunlight, each snowflake sparkling like a tiny star. It's a complete transformation from the gray, oppressive sky that had loomed over us all day.
"It's beautiful," I admit, my breath fogging up the glass. A part of me—the part that's still a kid at heart—can't deny the allure of the pristine snow waiting just beyond those walls. Is this what a fantasy world truly looks like?
Kenos nods, his eyes reflecting the snow's glow. "It's perfect for making snow demons," he says with a mischievous grin, "or, you know, whatever the human equivalent is."
"Snow angels?" I Corrected his dumb mistake. For some reason, the idea of a snow angel seems so appealing right now… Though the coldness makes me shiver at the thought.
"Yeah, those," Kenos agrees, his grin widening. "And maybe a snowball fight or two? I've heard those are traditional human activities during this season."
"Maybe for kids," I say.
It's only when I start thinking about all the snowballs I can chuck at Kenos does the thought actually starts to sound entertaining.
"Hmm fine," I say, my decision made, feeling a surprising rush of excitement. "Let's do it. But prepare to lose, demon. I've got a killer arm, to kill, demons, with snowballs… Prepare to lose!"
Kenos's laughter fills the room as we gear up, bundling ourselves in whatever warm clothing we can find. The window creaks as we open it, stepping into the cold that somehow feels less biting than before, our spirits buoyed by the promise of fun.
As we step into the snow, I can't help but glare at Kenos, his figure outlined against the bright snow, it's blinding. Not in a good way.
Especially as I'm adjusting to the brightness of the outside he throws a snowball in my face.
"What the hell asshole!'' I yell, as I wipe the snow off my face. He hunches over in laughter and a smile forms on my face as I enact my revenge by making a snowball as well and pelt it right between his horns.
His laughter cuts out almost immediately and a cackle bubbles out of me.
"HA! That's called sweet revenge!"
I watch as he stands back up straight and locks onto me with a glare and a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.
"Well now you've raged war Ren, I hope you're ready to face the consequences of your actions." He enunciates his point by casting a spell that lets snowballs float up, there's too many.
I turn and run away as snowballs start to pelt my back and laughter erupts from my mouth.
Today might be fun.