Many years ago.

 

Fantasia was divided into four major lands and one demonic continent. 

 

The Northern Lands was a land of snow and frozen soil, also home of the beast people. Lunaria of wolf people to the North, Wosmeowcia of cat people close to the center. There was also the major city of Flugelus, home of bird people to the West and to the East, there was the ocean. Bunny people, deer people, bear people, also lived in small villages here and there. Normally, in this world, excluding the demonic region where hell fire burns, the further one gets to the North, the colder the environment will be. 

 

However, that was not the case here. Wosmeowcia used to be way colder than Lunaria. That was because the Winter Spirit resided in the very middle of the Northern Lands. Wosmeowcia happened to be closer to it.

 

As a result, life was extremely difficult for the cat people. They could only grow crops once per year, mostly just potatoes. Transportation would cease to exist entirely in winter because of snowstorms and blizzards. Basically, when the snowstorm came, Wosmeowcia would be isolated. There was not much they could do. Wosmeowcia remained through time as just a small village.

 

But it all changed one day. By some unknown divine power, a volcano suddenly appeared near Wosmeowcia and that made the weather less cold. Winter became actually bearable. As transportation and farming improved, the village flourished. The Wosmeowcian said that it was a blessing of the Winter spirit. But… how? 

 

The Winter Spirit couldn’t use fire magic. 

 

So who put the volcano there?

 

Only they, the Royal Ones, knew the truth.

 

---

 

Back to our timeline.

 

“Fisha, we need to go now!” Mommy cat shouted, her hands packing up clothes at light speed while her daughter, Fisha, helped her by pouring milk into the leather waterskins.

 

“But Mom, this milk is still hot! I can’t!”

 

In this season, milk and fish was the primary food for cat people, as crops could not grow. Normally, cat people just drink milk directly, no need to boil. But this family was different. To prevent stomach ache and improve the quality of milk, they heated it up first, and then stored for later. 

 

They thought that they had enough time to wait for the milk to cool down, as they had planned to leave in the morning.

 

But it all changed now.

 

“Oh right,” Mommy cat said and held out her hand, pointing at the pot of hot milk. “Freeze.” Her eyes lit up for a moment.

 

Ice materialized around the pot, the milk cooled down almost instantly.

 

“Woahhhh!” Fisha exclaimed, eyes wide open, and her jaws dropped. She had never seen her mother doing something like that before. “Mommy, how?”

 

“I will tell you later. Now we need to hurry! And don’t forget Bery!”

 

“Yes!”

 

Fisha then poured the milk into three waterskins, and put them into one big backpack. Fisha was now the captain of the Milk Keeper squad, in which the members were the cat girl herself and her precious bunny doll, Mr Bery, while Mommy Cat was the captain of everything else.

 

And so, in just minutes, they were ready and left the house. 

 

Ash was still falling, heavier and heavier.

 

---

 

“Mr Garry, Mr Garry!”

 

Mommy Cat shouted, knocking on the door of someone’s house. It belonged to a cat person named Garry. It was the biggest house in the village. Mr Garry, he was not only a good friend of theirs, but also a successful business person. He and his family ran and managed a spice trade route between Wosmeowcia and Solsera, city of the Sun Elves. 

 

Mr Garry had agreed to let Fisha and her mom go with them in their own wolf carriage  instead of the community wolves pulling carts. He wanted to help other people too, but there was simply not enough space, so he donated food and clothes instead.

 

“Mrs Stevia!” Mr Garry opened the door and greeted the twos, whose hands were full of stuff. The old man, probably in his sixties, was wearing a brown winter fur cloak made from Demonic Mammoth skin. “Do you need anything?” Mr Garry asked.

 

Mommy Cat’s real name was Lily. Lily Stevia. That made her daughter Fisha Stevia.

  

Lily put down her two giant bags of supplies. 

 

“We have to go now, there is no time!”

 

“Huh? What do you mean?” Mr Garry looked confused. “The weather just got better. Relax, we will leave in the early morning together with everyone else. Everything will be fine!”

 

“No!” Lily suddenly raised her voice. “This is bad! Look at all the ash falling down!”

 

“Ashes? What’s wrong with that? It’s just Mount Pyria.”

 

“But why now, Mr Garry?”

 

“Isn’t it just a coincidence?”

 

“It is not! Urrghh!” Lily shook her head, frustrated. “Mount Pyria doesn’t activate itself randomly. It produces volcanic ash only in spring for people to grow crops. But it has always been quiet in winter! Unless...” 

 

“Unless?” Mr Garry asked, as what Lily said made sense to him.

 

“Something is triggering it!” 

 

“Nonsense!” 

 

Suddenly, someone else shouted, interrupting the conversation. 

 

“Mrs Stevia, please be reasonable and wait until dawn like everyone else. Mount Pyria is the blessing of the Winter Spirit, how can anything else trigger it? My wife and the kids are resting, while me and my siblings are still busy packing things up. I know you’re ready, but we still have a lot of things to do.”

 

The man was John Garry Junior. He was Mr. Garry’s son. John was a tall man who was always wearing luxurious things. Still, like his father, he was a good guy, always giving back to the community. He was a little bit hot headed though.

 

“Listen to me John, this is not the Winter Spirit’s doing! This is something else, powerful and angry. The mountain is shaking, crying, I can feel it in my core! We need to leave!”

 

“No we don’t!” John raised his voice, and shouted back. “I don’t want to hear about your imagination! Furthermore, the Garry family is in charge of leading the evacuation. Are you saying that we have to abandon our people just for the two of you?”

 

“Please, John, trust me!”

 

“Like I said, no!” John stepped forward with his face turned red. “If what you’re saying is true, then why can’t other people feel it? Why don’t I feel it? You think you’re so special? How? Who are you telling my family what to do? We are the people landing you a hand, not the other way around!”

 

“Enough!” Mr Garry stopped John’s angry talking, trying to cool things down. He then turned to Lily, and said politely. “Mrs Stevia, please excuse my son for being rude, but we just can’t do what you said right now.”

 

“Mr Garry… please...” Lily was still begging, with Fisha holding onto her dress.

 

However, it all seemed futile. Mr Garry didn’t want to hear it anymore, and shut the door. Lily and her daughter were now left alone.

 

They were now covered in ash.

 

…

 

“Mommy...” holding onto Lily’s arm. Fisha said, “I'm cold.” Her voice was trembling.

 

“Huh?” hearing that, Lily startled and looked down. Oh my, she didn’t notice. Fisha’s nose was now red, her face almost lost all color, and her body shaking. It was just no more than five minutes since they left home, and Fisha was already…

 

“Here,” moving her hands to her neck, Lily took off her necklace, and shortened the string. It was just a simple necklace, with a single gem. However, the gem was beautiful. It has this clear, bright blue color. 

 

Lily gave the necklace to Fisha. Upon wearing it, the gem shone dazzling lights. 

 

“Wooooow!!” Fisha was bewildered. She knew that her mom had this nice accessory, but she had never seen it majestically shining like that. 

 

And not only that, color had returned to Fisha’s cheek. She was no longer shaking. 

 

“Feeling better?” Lily asked.

 

And Fisha smiled. “Yes mom!”

 

But still, the real situation was not resolved at all. The ground shook, Mount Pyria started to rumble. That volcano was very far away, but Lily could now hear its noises clearly. 

 

“It seems that I don’t have another choice. Fisha, stand back my dear.”

 

Lily said, raising her hand and pointing her two fingers at Mr Garry’s door in a gun shooting gesture.  

 

As a good child, Fisha stood back five steps.

 

“Further, Fisha. Ten more.”

 

“Yes mom!”

 

Like a bunny, Fisha hopped her way and stood far away from the house. 

 

“Good girl!” Lily smiled at Fisha, then turned her head around, facing the door. Her eyes now again, glowed. Her black hair changed its color. An icicle formed at her fingertips.

 

 “I’m sorry…” Lily murmured  “Dry ice… BLAST!”

 

The icicle expanded and launched itself at the door with high speed!

 

BOOM!

 

The door and surrounding walls exploded! Everything was shattered. Although this was an ice type of spell, it caused an explosion!

 

Mr Garry and his family inside the house looked at Lily, their faces frozen in shock. Lily just stood there between the rubble, staring at them menacingly.

 

“L...Lily?” Mr Garry stuttered. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. 

 

This was no longer the Lily Stevia he knew. At this moment, she wore on her a whole different identity. Hair as white as snow, the shape of a snowflake shone in her eyes, it was the symbol of the Winter Spirit.

 

Ah… there she was, a Royal One!

 

“Bellmond Valorious Garry Stillwater!” Lily raised her voice and spoke.

 

“Prin… princess!?” Mr Garry asked with a shaking voice. For some reason, seeing Lily like this, tears started to form in his eyes. “So it was you, all along?” 

 

“You know, Mr Garry?”  

 

“Yes… Yes! The Stillwater bloodline never forgets! My princess! You’ve returned!”

 

“Dad? What’s the meaning of this?” John wasn’t aware of the situation, hence he asked.

 

“Shut up you fool!” Mr Garry shouted at his own son. “If you still remember what I told you when you were young, then bow, bow down right now!”

 

“What? This woman… she… she is...”

 

“Yes,” Lily smiled, and put her hands down. “My name is Lily Birken, known as the Winter Princess. Nice to meet you again, Mr Garry and family. Now, we shall leave.”