Chapter 19:The Voice of The Snow

 In Greengards, The town was full of hussle and bustle when royal knights from Risidom sent a few wagon with supplies for them. Many people swarming there to get their additional ration and supplies like medication to get through this season.

 The supply that arrived wasn't much but due to many deaths occur, it's sufficient for the rest of the town. Ekiu was bringing back a bag of supplies to the shop. Anna was there sitting at the counter. She will be staying there for sometime until the letter she sent to her sister reach her and she will come to bring Anna home.

 "Oh, Mr Ekiu. You're back." She said as she stop from cleaning the counter.

 "I'm home Anna. We get some supplies from capital. That's a relief." He step in and put the bag by the counter.

 "Can I help with anything?" She ask as she move closer to him.

 "Yes. If you don't mind, Can you call Equ? She was training behind the shop and tell her that I need her to sort keep those supplies at place. If she ask why, just say that I need to clean the working room."

 "Okay. I'll be in my way." Anna smiles as she leave to the back of the shop.

 Ekiu look at her she walk away. He can't help himself from feeling guilty everytime he look at Anna's left arm. He shake his head and walk to the working room to clean it.

 It's been a week since winter hits. He could not help but realised that this year winter is heavier and he also get dream about an old man, bald and long white beard. he say something about the prophecy that he couldn't really understand the old man's word because of he speak in mix of Melloyern Languange(English?) and Archaic.

 He had the feeling that he was speaking about how this year's winter was anomaly. There is also hint of mana in the snow so it's evident that something was altering the winter.

 Then, while he was cleaning the working bench, he saw a letter that wasn't supposed to be there. He reads the letter and his eyes wide.

 Two day later, Black Blade were tasked to get rid of the snow outside the bar. His magic couldn't really help him so he just use a more traditional method.... Known as a snow broom? he just using that to get rid of the snow.

 "It's been a while since last I did this kind of thing and the last time I remember it, I don't like it." He mumbles to himself.

 He just do the job quite nonchalantly but it just works. Then he jumped in shock when he feels someone gently taps his shoulder. He turn around expecting Codex but instead. There is no one there. He look around carefully to make sure of it and he sure no one is messing with him. Something is definately wrong there.

 "Codex? Emerald? Is anybody there?" He called but no answer.

 He quickly get a goosebumps and start to keep looking around the snowy plain and no thing there. He sigh while rubbing his temples thinking the he is out of his mind. But not long after he continue the job.

 "You... Stupid...hehehe." Someone whispering to his ears followed by a teasing giggles.

 "Who are you? What do you want?" He said still keep calm even he is visibly terrified to the situation.

 "Look at me!" The sound shout but it also sounds like a whisper.

 He turn around as the sky turn purple and the snow looks like blood red.

 "No kidding... Show yourself!" He take his core out but he feels a gentle taps to his hand that hindering him from taking it from his belt.

 "No no no...I'm not out for foul play.." He turn around to see a girl in dark magician attire smiling mischievously.

 The girl then step away still keeping the smile intact. She giggles to him teasingly and again...

 "you are... Stupid." She said seemingly trying to taunt him.

 "I am... Then what's that have to do with this? Why are you here."

 "Tsk~ Tsk~ Tsk~... You're no fun... Nakajima." She said as her expression turn very gloomy.

 Black Blade staggered as he heard the girl saying his real name.

 "How... do you know my name?"

 "Was that important? I'm very happy/sad to see you." She said as her voice overlapse with the other voice.

 "Nakajima... Is my name... You can't say it unless you are..."

 She smiled as her being looks glitched and the glitched part shows that she is crying.

 "I know now..."He looks down seemingly there is something behind this.

 "Hmm? You already wanna back down before a fight? What a sneaky magician you are~" She said as her voice slurred and overlapse with the other voice that said..'I will kill you'

 "I'm sorry. I don't want to... I can't... help it." He violently shake his head as tears starts welling in his eyes.

 The girl look at him in disgust. Walking closer to him as he kneel down.

 "Are you... really regrets? Nakajima Miyake? The seventh sibling of SINS?" She look down at him as she grab his hair and pull him up.

 "I...am."

 The girl snorts and it's overlapse with a cries again.

 "Prove it." She thrown him away as he fall into a bottomless pit.

 He's been free falling for a while and he then lands on a wagon. The wagon moves slowly on the grassy plain. Black blade could feel his frame feel smaller than he is. He look at his hand just to see it as a 12 years old boy.

 "Will you... repeat the same mistakes again? Nakajima~" The girl's voice echoes in his head before

 "Eiria! Don't put me into this again will you?!" he shout in anger and also agony.

 This is the part of the past he used to face and he even still feel the guilt of this even today.

 Meanwhile in the bar.

 "He disappeared." Codex said showing the snow rake in her hand.

 "Slow down, Codex. Tell me in detail."

 "I heard him calling for Emerald and me so I go for it and when I arrived, I heard this rake falls on the snow and only his footprint there."

 Madam Silence humms before continuing her things, wiping the wine glass. She thinks for herself before asking Codex to check the mana flow around this area a few minutes ago. Codex nodded to the command and start to flipping through her book.

 after a moment, she found an unknown mana and a spell that casted around this area. The mana and spell only visible for a second and just disappear without a trace. She presume it was a teleportation but quickly deny it when she couldn't found the same mana anywhere in Melloyern.

 "It's a dimentional rift." She said and look at Madam Silence who also hear it.

 "I'd figured as much. The fact that mana flows in the whole Melloyern is disrupted to rate of abnormal. There must be dark magician or necromancer who was taking advantage to it and make dimentional rift out of nowhere or..." She suddenly fell silent.

 "Or what?"

 "Vengeful spirit..."

to be continue.