Arvenya

Sion and Jonas were reaching the top of the snowy mountain.

"Come on, Jonas, we're almost there, we're finally going to see what's on the other side," said Sion when he finally arrived, where he thought he would finally see what was on the other side.

Just stop.

"What the hell, there are just more mountains!" Sion shouted in frustration, looking at more mountains the same size as the one he was on.

They seemed endless, no matter where he looked.

But at that moment, Jonas made a noise.

'Hik-hik'

Sion looked at the fur ball and saw Jonas's eyes suddenly change again as he looked at the mountains.

"Do you want me to look closely?"

Sion decided to do what Jonas showed him, his eyes shining as a cold energy came out of his pupils.

Then, the view in front of him changed completely. All the snowy mountains gradually disappeared, and in front of him, a few meters away, a huge blue barrier suddenly appeared, blocking everything in front of him.

"How is that possible?" Sion then approached the blue barrier.

His hand approached, and just when he thought his hand would stop at the barrier, it passed through it.

Before Sion could think of anything, he saw Jonas suddenly jump into the barrier and disappear from his sight.

Sion didn't think twice and followed Jonas inside.

And then he finally saw what he had been waiting for after climbing the mountain.

Forests and more forests. Sion saw rivers and waterfalls, there was the roar of countless beasts, and even from that distance, Sion could see some that were enormous.

But that wasn't what caught Sion's attention the most. No, a long distance away, Sion finally saw buildings. He couldn't see them clearly from that distance, but there were definitely people living there.

As he stared, Sion didn't notice that someone had suddenly appeared behind him. In fact, even if he wanted to, he still couldn't sense this person's arrival.

But Jonas, standing next to Sion, felt it immediately.

Sion heard Jonas shout as he suddenly jumped back.

Sion immediately did the same as he stood next to Jonas, seeing what had scared him. Jonas then hid behind Sion's legs.

Then, the two heard a voice. It sounded cold, but at the same time, gentle. Sion didn't really understand this feeling.

"Calm down, children, I won't hurt any of you. I just came to welcome you."

Sion finally saw who had appeared without making a sound and recognized her. It was the woman he had seen before crossing the river. Sion was sure of it. Sion had only seen her back, but now he saw what she really looked like.

She was a woman, she looked to be about thirty years old, her skin was even whiter than his, and her hair was all white like Sion's. Standing there in front of him, she also looked like a ghost. She was wearing only a simple blue dress.

Her arms were behind her back as she looked at Sion.

"You were near the river. Who are you?" Sion asked, even though he knew this person was definitely strong. Sion didn't feel that she was an enemy.

"Me? Well, I am the one who protects the inner area of the Snow Domain, and I was waiting for you to show up. I just didn't expect that…" The woman looked at Jonas, who was hiding behind Sion's legs as if he were hiding.

"Little one, aren't you going to say hello to your master after not seeing her for hundreds of years?" The woman said in a serious voice that made Sion tremble.

Jonas, then seeming to have no choice, jumped forward until he was in front of the woman.

Sion saw the woman take Jonas in her arms while looking into his eyes. Then he saw that the fur ball was still, and so was the woman. And they remained like that for some time.

'What is she doing?'

Suddenly, she let go of Jonas, who went back to Sion's side, looking happy.

The woman then approached Sion.

"Well, as I was saying, I am the one who watches over the illusory barrier of snow and who protects the inner area of the Snow Domain. You can call me Arvenya."

"I was waiting for you near the river because I thought you wouldn't be able to cross with your strength at the moment, but as soon as I saw the little one with you, I saw that it wasn't necessary, so I waited here."

Upon hearing the woman, Sion finally understood.

'Arvenya? Your name is different from what I imagined.'

"Arvenya, what is this barrier? And the Snow Domain? And how do you know about me?" Sion asked everything at once.

"Calm down, boy, come, I'll take you to my house." As soon as the woman said that, Sion suddenly saw everything around him change as if he were passing at high speed.

In just five seconds, Sion was in front of a large cave in the mountain.

"Follow me," the woman said as she entered the cave.

Sion thought for a moment but decided to follow her. As soon as he passed through the entrance, it was as if he had passed through another barrier. And then, before his eyes, the interior of the cave appeared.

Inside, it looked bigger than it did from the outside, and there was a small white house that was pleasing to the eye. Next to it was a small lake surrounded by countless flowers. When Sion looked at the flowers, he felt a slight pain in his head.

"Don't look at the Ice Soul Flowers, you're still too weak."

Sion heard what the woman said and followed her into the house.

Inside, it was simple, there was only a low table with two cushions on the floor and a bed that would only fit the woman.

Everything was made of ice and snow, as Sion could feel.

"I've introduced myself, now it's your turn," Arvenya said after sitting down on the snow cushion.

Sion then sat down as well, before Jonas suddenly jumped onto his legs and decided to sleep.

Arvenya looked at that and seemed surprised.

"It's really hard to believe that the little one would like and follow someone like this. It looks like I'll have to find someone else to protect the outer region. This is going to be a bit of work," Arvenya said as she tapped the table with her fingernails.

"What? Jonas? What do you mean, protect the outer area?" Sion asked incredulously as he looked at the woman and Jonas sleeping.

"Yes, so you call him Jonas? That's a different name. Jonas is the last of his race, an ancient race that inhabited the central area. In the last war with humans thousands of years ago, almost all of them disappeared. I trained him, and now he protects and watches over the outer area from invaders who go beyond a certain distance from the domain. Well, now someone else will have to do that, since Jonas has decided to follow you."

"Then you'd better treat him well," Arvenya said with a small smile. But Sion found it strange that, although she appeared to be smiling, the only thing that moved on her face was her mouth. The rest always seemed motionless and expressionless.

Upon hearing Jonas' story, Sion was surprised by his strength, but mostly he felt sorry for him.

'It must be horrible to know that you are the only one left in this world, the last of your kind… Jonas must have suffered a lot,' Sion thought as he stroked Jonas' fur, who purred like a cat.

"I'll take good care of him, we're already good friends. My name is Sion. I woke up suddenly in the frozen forest with no memory of anything. So I don't have much to say to introduce myself."

Sion decided to use the same excuse he used with Mei Li.

Arvenya looked at his face, and Sion felt a chill, but it soon disappeared.

'Ding!'

[Warning! Someone tried to see the host's soul. Universal Will has been activated automatically.]

Sion saw that Arvenya was now looking at him more kindly, even though her face still seemed expressionless.

'He's not lying, I can see that, that's good.'

"First, I'll answer your questions from before. The barrier you passed through is the illusory snow barrier. It was created by the former Snow King to protect the inner area from intruders. Those who enter without permission will be trapped for eternity in endless mountains of ice, with no way out, and the cold inside is comparable to the central area. And that is why, to this day, the inner area is protected from humans." Arvenya said.

"I heard a human say that Spirit Lords cannot survive in the inner area. Is that because of this barrier?"

"Yes, and no. Humans from the Spirit Lord Realm would die from the climate of the inner area before they could even reach the mountain where the barrier is located. As you may have noticed, the inner area begins after the great river."

'But the barrier's strength is gradually weakening, and the cold climate warms up a little each year…'

"Continuing on, the Snow Domain is the name of the entire region we are in. Inferior humans now refer to our sacred land as just a frozen forest. But the Snow Domain was once several times larger, occupying the entire southern region of the continent. Until, after the Snow King died, our home has been slowly shrinking without a new king emerging." Arvenya said with regret.

"And about you, the supreme guardian of the Snow Domain warned me that someone special was coming. I just wanted to see for myself."

"Well, I'm satisfied for now. The Supreme Guardian is waiting for you in the central area. He will explain everything you need to know, and the little one will guide you there. But I recommend that on the way you get to know those who inhabit the inner area. I'm sure they will treat you well. Good luck, Sion." Arvenya said as she smiled at Sion.

Just as Sion was about to say something, he felt the surrounding environment change again. In a few seconds, he suddenly appeared in the same place as before, right in front of the barrier.

"I was just sent away like that? I wanted to ask more questions." Sion said frustrated, but he knew there was nothing he could do, so he started to descend the mountain toward the forest.

Shortly after Sion and Jonas began to descend the mountain, Arvenya appeared like a ghost in the place where they had been standing.

"So, this is the one chosen by the Snow Domain to be the next king after so many years? It's really strange, I can sense that he is a human… but he is also a Royal Snow Spirit. How is that possible? But if the Snow Domain chose him, there must be a reason."

"I hope that at least his Snow Spirit side wants to protect our race above all else, or else. I will end his life myself, even if he has the King's mark." Arvenya said as his eyes changed and two black snowflakes appeared in his pupils.