Information About The Four Winter Labors

The next morning, the blizzard had vanished, leaving behind a serene but frigid landscape of pristine snow and glistening ice. The air was crisp, biting against the skin, but the clarity of the skies offered a rare reprieve from the stormy chaos of the previous day.

Vastarael stood at the edge of their sapphire igloo, adjusting the fur-lined cloak he had retrieved from his inventory. Runner, wrapped snugly in layers of thick wool, clung to his back like a tiny koala, her arms around his neck and her head resting against his shoulder.

"Hold on tight, Runner," Vastarael said with a reassuring smile. "We're catching up to the caravan today, no matter what."

Runner nodded, her small face peeking out from the fur hood.

"I'll hold on, Master Vastarael. You can run as fast as you need."

"Good," he replied, flexing his legs in preparation. Then, with a burst of essence coursing through his veins, he launched forward.

The world blurred into streaks of white and blue as Vastarael sprinted across the snowy terrain. Each step was a leap that carried him hundreds of meters forward, his boots barely making an imprint in the powdery snow before he propelled himself again.

The sheer speed was incredible, thanks to his enhanced Aeterium physiology and the sheer power of his essence-infused body.

Runner gasped, clinging tighter to his back as the freezing wind rushed past them.

"You're... so fast!"

Vastarael chuckled, his breath visible in the frosty air.

"This? This is nothing. If the snow wasn't so thick, I'd go faster."

For hours, he maintained an almost inhuman pace, his body a blur against the endless expanse of ice and snow. Mountains loomed in the distance, their peaks shimmering in the sunlight, but Vastarael paid them no mind. He weaved around jagged ice formations and leaped over frozen crevasses with the grace of a predator, his footsteps steady and sure even on the slickest surfaces.

The frozen wilderness stretched endlessly before them, yet Vastarael showed no signs of fatigue.

His essence reserves were vast, allowing him to push his body far beyond mortal limits. Runner, who had been silent for a while, marveled at his endurance.

"How are you not tired?"

Vastarael smirked, his curly white hair billowing in the wind.

"Let's just say I'm built differently. Besides, I have a responsibility to get you back safely. That's all the motivation I need."

By midday, the sun hung high in the sky, its light reflecting off the snow and ice in dazzling patterns. Vastarael slowed his pace slightly as the distant silhouette of the caravan came into view.

It was a long procession of sleds, wagons, and Raukerai travelers trudging slowly across the tundra.

"There they are," he said. "We've caught up. I expected them to be even further. Is something interfering with their journey?"

Runner craned her neck to see over his shoulder, her eyes lighting up.

"It's them! We found them!"

Without hesitation, Vastarael closed the remaining distance in a final burst of speed, his arrival causing a stir among the caravan. Raukerai scouts shouted in alarm, their weapons raised, until they recognized the figure approaching. Relief washed over their faces as they saw a little girl safely perched on Vastarael's back.

"Master Vastarael!" One of the caravan leaders called out, waving him over. "You found her!"

Vastarael came to a stop, his boots skidding slightly on the icy ground as he gently lowered Runner to the ground. She immediately ran toward a woman who was undoubtedly her mother, their tearful reunion drawing smiles from the surrounding Raukerai.

"She wandered off during the avalanche," Vastarael explained as the chief, Indulis, approached him. "But she's safe now."

Indulis clasped Vastarael's shoulder, his expression filled with gratitude. "You have my deepest thanks. Losing her would've been unbearable for all of us. Children are out future."

Vastarael nodded, brushing snow off his cloak.

"I'm just glad she's safe. Now, let's keep moving. The kingdom's forces are closer than you think, and this caravan won't be safe for long."

"About that... we can't."

"Huh? Why not?"

"The blizzard misdirected us and now... we're deep in a Winter Labor's Territory. We cannot move at nightfall."

°°°°°°°°

The Winter Labors.

According to Indulis, they are beings with incredible powers and control over frozen lands. In fact, they are the four most powerful beings in the Erna Frozen Isles.

The Erna Frozen Isles are a vast group of islands all covered in thick ice and snow. Mountain ranges can be found on all islands. There are nine islands in the Erna Frozen Isles.

The smallest of them all, the Island of the Lake of Miracles, was where the Runic Tribes used to live. However, due to human armies trying to hunt them down like animals, they got separated and spread out across the other six islands. The minority, the Raukerai, remained on their homeland close to the Lake of Miracles.

Now, the Raukerai are making a move to collect all the other members of their runic tribe and leave the Erna Frozen Isles. Only through migration can they be utterly safe.

The human kingdom lives on the furthest and largest island from the isles, unaffected by the frozen tundra. The other tribal members are spread out on the other remaining six.

And of course, there are dangers in the Frozen Isles as well.

There are the four beings who have complete control over the Frozen Isles, known as the Four Winter Labors. These beings are unknown but they are the main reasons why the isles are frozen as they are. According to legend, the isles were not frozen at all. However, four beings came to the isles and formed their own domain there, each being taking control over two islands.

One Winter Labor took control over the human kingdom island and the Lake of Miracles island. And at the moment, they are at the center of the Lake of Miracles island.

If they manage to survive the Winter Labor, then they will be able to cross over to the third island. However, the main reason why the blizzards appear every late afternoon is because of the being.

The being did not want them to escape its territory. That's why their movements were slowed down. They had to move early in the morning and prepare for the blizzard before late afternoon hits.

Fortunately for them, they had covered enough distance with the human army, which was approaching at a very fast rate for some reason. Now with the blizzards in the way, their advance will be slower than theirs.

So, their main focus was survival.

"You said that the other members of your tribe left this island and settled on the others. So how did they escape the Winter Labor?"

Indulis sighed as the two sat on the snow, watching the women summon Heat and Protection Runes around the camp go prevent the upcoming blizzard. He had narrated the entire tale to Vastarael as they made camp.

Thanks to Vastarael, he taught them the Protection and Healing Runes, which greatly helped them in the long run. If it wasn't for them, most of tribe would have frozen to death.

"They didn't. Instead, they approached her and asked for her permission."

"Her?"

"Yes. The Winter Labor here is a woman, a powerful being. But to be honest... if the two of you went into a fight, it would be a stalemate. She's the weakest of the four Winter Labors. You have absolutely no chance when it comes to fighting the other three."

Vastarael nodded as he asked Phaenora through their telepathic link.

'Have you heard of this story in the books you've read over the years?'

[Surprisingly, no. We don't even know which continent we're in. Spheraphase is a very vast world. If I use your memories, it's almost as big as planet Neptune itself.]

'Seriously?'

[Yes. This world is very massive. Spheraphase has a vast ocean and it contains tens of thousands of isles. It's going to be very hard for me to actually pinpoint which isle and which continent we're in. However, we're not in Anqerise.]

'Why do you say that?'

[Because if we were... then there would be no Frozen Isles. Anqerise is located at the eastern part of Spheraphase so it's a tropic continent. Even if snow falls every winter, it's mostly warm throughout the year.]

'So you're saying that since it's position is where it gets constant heat with the sun, there wouldn't be a frozen landscape?'

[Yes, unless if there are mountain ranges. And in Anqerise... we don't have ranges. Just single mountains with other one to four peaks.]

'We are in the past so maybe the landscape here is different compared to the present—'

[No. This isn't Earth, Veneri. Landscape changes take... eons to change in Spheraphase. I'm a hundred percent sure that if a natural feature exists in the ancient past, unless someone interferes with it, it will still be the same.]

'So the Frozen Isles still exists somewhere in Spheraphase in the present but no one knows where. And since the Winter Labors caused the islands to be frozen, then they shouldn't be frozen in the present.'

[Exactly. By my guess, we're probably millennia away from the present. And if the Four Winter Labors existed in the present, I would have known. But... they don't.]

"..."

[All I'm saying is that something doesn't add up. Why are we helping them migrate? And why do we have to pass through the four Winter Labors?]

This led to even more questions that Vastarael didn't want to keep thinking about.

'Doesn't matter. All we have to do is help them migrate outside the Erna Frozen Isles. And when we do, we'll get the Orchestral Vialex. If the Winter Labors will interfere with the migration, we negotiate or fight.'

[So, what's the plan?]

'Easy. We pay a visit to the Winter Labor.'