Snow took his time checking all his daitai¹Literally dai (light) + tai (mark), or Holy Markings, considered Heavenly Blessings. They’re the source of power., one at a time, making an effort to correct what he knew was wrong, trying to erase what he knew that didn’t belong there. He even took a look at his wind daitai, even though he still hadn’t learned to control them. But, like before, he didn’t dare check his other daitai. He wouldn’t know what to look for, anyway. He’d have to ask ZaiWin²Literally zai (blade) + win (chaos). if there was any way to seal them for good, he decided.

When he opened his eyes again, it was completely dark, so much so that he wouldn’t be able to see his own hand even if he were to wave it right in front of his eyes. In the deep silence, all he could hear was the wind, blowing outside, and the soft breathing sound of the person lying right in front of him.

Even though ZaiWin still had his arms around him, they felt heavy and listless, which told him that he was probably still asleep. Tentatively pressing a hand against his chest, Snow took a deep breath and closed his eyes again.

He must have been really sick not to have noticed it before, he concluded, half scolding himself. But now that he felt much better he didn’t even need to look for it or focus that hard. The darkness inside him was so dense, so thick, that Snow was sure that if were to look at him without his crystal bracelet, the dark monster that he was would fill that entire space.

So that was how he had been helping him … that idiotic person. No wonder he was so sick that he could hardly move. In fact, how he had managed to stay alive this far was the greatest mystery. But now he could return the help, Snow decided, forcing himself to overcome the fear of using his daitai again.

Snowflakes … He would make more of that soft golden snow that could purify everything it touched. Maybe it could even help him cleanse some of the dark spots that had remained on his own icy daitai.

It felt strange, he concluded, when the first golden flakes fell on his cheek. Like a small drop of warm water that didn’t wet his skin. If nothing else, they brought him a comforting, peaceful sensation. And they allowed him to see again … to see him again, their small golden glow softly illuminating ZaiWin’s sleeping face.

The arms around him held him tighter, breaking his concentration, and ZaiWin took a deep breath.

“I see you’re feeling better …”

“Contrary to you,” he replied tartly and ZaiWin chuckled, the large hand on the back of Snow’s head pulling him closer, so that he could press his lips to the top of his head, making him cringe.

“I’m feeling much better, thanks to you …”

“I thought you said you were not going to lie.”

A warm breath warmed his head.

“I’m feeling better, that isn’t a lie … And you should be resting and replenishing your energy. I can deal with this on my own.”

Could he really? How?, when MenTar had almost died just from being exposed to that foul, tainted air. When he himself still felt sick to his stomach as if he’d swallowed something rotten? How could ZaiWin stand all that dark energy flowing through his body and still joke about it?

“How were they …?” ZaiWin asked in a much more serious tone, and Snow nodded.

“Better, like you said.”

“But not as they were.”

“No, not yet … And the others … I didn’t look at them.”

“I don’t feel anything different, when I touch them,” he declared and a hand Snow had forgotten it existed slid across his back, leaving him immediately tense, sending shivers running down his spine.

ZaiWin chuckled again and Snow grabbed his arm, effectively pushing it away from under his clothes.

“I know already! So stop touching!” He felt his cheeks heat up and silently thanked the darkness that kept his embarrassment hidden from sight. “Don’t you need to sleep? Then sleep!” he commanded and ZaiWin smiled.

He had noticed it before. The more he teased him, the more Snow seemed to forget that he had to whisper all the time, his voice sounding clear and determined. As always, VinWei³Literally vin (hard) + wei (crystal) had been right. The more he heard it, the more he thought it would probably sound beautiful if he were to sing.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said. About what I want to do next,” ZaiWin suddenly declared and Snow went immediately quiet, his heart beating faster, the anxiety eating away at his insides. “The mountains outside, they are very similar to the mountains of Nox⁴Literally nox (night). Nox is the name of the Clan (family name), also the name of a Province. ZaiWin uses it because he is the Governor of Nox. And yet, I am certain we’re not in Nox. So we must be in Pon⁵Literally pon (mountain). Where Pon is the name of the Clan, also the name of a Province.. Like Sur⁶Literally sur (plain). Where Sur is the name of the Clan, also the name of a Province., Pon is an ungoverned Province, but it is much more dangerous than Sur. Besides, it will take a few days until I recover completely. And you also need to rest and reestablish your balance. So how about we go to Nox? I know of a few villages where we’ll probably be safe. It would also be easier for ZenTar⁷Literally zen (silent) + tar (wind). to meet up with us, since he knows the land. And you … you would be able to meet the people that you’re supposed to bless.”

Snow’s heart jumped at that. Yes, he wanted to go to Nox. Wanted to learn more about the land and the people that that cold, selfish man had dedicated his life to protecting. But, at the same time, he couldn’t help feeling guilty, MenTar⁸Literally men (lake) + tar (wind)’s words weighing heavily on his chest.

“Now that I’m alive … won’t they all end up suffering because of me?” he whispered in a shaky voice and ZaiWin frowned.

“Where did you get that from?”

“Isn’t it true? The people in the Palace, they won’t like that you’re a Chosen One, even if you were chosen by an … abnormal Tien’Elhar⁹Literally tien (Heaven) + el (supreme) + har (girl child). The Heavenly Beings also known as Celestials in the common language. like me. Won’t they threaten the people of Nox in order to make you obey them? Do you intend to sacrifice them all? Or are you thinking of accepting your own death when the time comes?”

ZaiWin blinked in disbelief, his thoughts scattering for a brief moment before everything came together in his head. Was this the reason why Snow had made such a desperate decision?

“Who … told you all this …?”

Snow averted his gaze even though ZaiWin couldn’t possibly see his guilty expression.

“Does it matter …? Is it a lie?”

ZaiWin sighed deeply and pulled him closer against his chest.

“It isn’t a lie. It’s true that the royals have no love for me and, if not for a few inconveniences, they would have probably sentenced me to death a long time ago. It’s also true that they will not see the whole Chosen-One-thing with pleasant eyes. And that there is a big possibility that they will use my Province as leverage, to force me into obedience. They will probably try to kill one, or both of us, even before we get to that point.”

“Reason why you wanted to break this bond.”

“That’s right.”

“But now …”

“Now I’ve changed my mind,” he simply declared in that arrogant tone that immediately irked Snow.

“How can you say that? This is hardly the same as changing your mind about what to have for breakfast!”

“Which, now that you remind me, would really come in handy just about now,” ZaiWin replied with a wistful sigh, and Snow frowned.

“Please be serious!”

“Fine, fine,” ZaiWin sighed again. “Of course it goes without saying that none of the scenarios you’ve described pleases me in the least. One thing I’m certain of, though. I will not involve the people of Nox in this. Even if I have to force them all to move to other Provinces so that, by the time they invade my territory, the only thing they will find is a deserted land full of abandoned houses. The people of Nox lived for generations in a barren land, infested by feimao¹⁰Literally fei (raging / furious) + mao (beast / monster). Raving beasts that appear in unbalanced, ungoverned lands. They possess destructive markings that in turn corrupt the land even further. Hard to explain in just 2 lines -_-; Anyway. Bad, vicious things that need to be killed., ruled by groups of murderers and thieves. They’ve known famine, disease and fear since the day they were born. I am confident that they will be able to survive in any other Province, if need be.”

Snow released an imperceptible sigh of relief. Not that he had doubted his own conclusions about the character of the man lying in front of him. But it was still reassuring to be clearly told that he had been right in his judgment of him.

“As for the part where I obediently walk to my execution … I feel no inclination whatsoever to do that either. Not that I fear death. I’m sure it's much more peaceful on the other side than here. But, throughout the years, even without wanting or choosing, I’ve incurred a lot of debts. Many lives were sacrificed because of me, with and without my consent. And I believe it is my duty to honor the intentions behind those sacrifices. When someone sacrifices their life so that you may live, how can you not cherish the life they tried so hard to protect?”

Snow lowered his gaze, his heart aching. He felt the same. It wasn’t as if he had any attachments to this world. Not that he had something he wished to attain or some unfulfilled dream to keep him going. But Sand had sacrificed everything to make sure he lived. And so he had made sure to fulfill her wish. It was the least he could do.

“Of course, even though I have no intention of willingly walk to my own execution, I cannot assure you that I won’t be dragged there anyway. As things stand right now, it’s actually very probable that that’s exactly what will end up happening anyways. And no, I still haven’t thought of a way to work around this problem. So yeah, I guess I should apologize. Even though I brought you back, I’ll probably end up getting you killed anyway. But at least you’ll have a fighting chance! I’m not wrong in this, right? You do want to live.”

Snow nodded and ZaiWin sighed, warming his head again.

“Then come to Nox with me. When we were in Weiin¹¹Literally wei (crystal / precious stone) + suffix in (center), meaning the center of the Province of Wei, in other words, Wei’s Capital. All Capitals of all Provinces are named as such. I transferred the government of the Province of Nox to the Nai Calzai¹²Literally nai (transparent / translucent) plus cal (bright) + zai (blade), or Blade of Light. It can be translated in common language as Invisible General, one of the military leaders of the Empire. Each Province has it’s own Calzai. To distinguish them they were given different colors. The Nai Calzai refers to RimMyu from Wei.. It is something that all Governors can do, in case they may need to temporarily step down from their obligations. This temporary government can only be prolonged for a maximum of three months, though. After which the El’Dur¹³Literally el (supreme) + dur (ruler). Name given to the Emperor has the right to investigate the cause of the Governor’s inability to perform his duties and, should he deem so, replace them. I still have at least another month. Let’s take this time to rest and recover, and to carefully think things through.”

Snow nodded again and felt him move around. A soft red light lit the small space and ZaiWin placed the crystal on the ground, just above their heads, its warmth breaking the ice-cold temperature of the air.

“It’s the last one,” he informed and grabbed Snow’s hand, rubbing it gently, making him feel embarrassed again. “You always feel cold, but I never know if you’re actually cold or not.”

“Right now, I’m not …” he whispered back, trying to delicately pull his hand free, but ZaiWin pretended he hadn’t noticed, holding it against his chest.

“They say that some elemental markings can change one’s body temperature and offer their bearer some innate resistance to said element. Those who carry a lot of fire markings, for example, always feel warmer to the touch and have a better tolerance to high temperatures. I suppose it’s the other way around for you.”

That may be so. And yet ZaiWin always felt really warm, even when it was freezing cold outside. And, as far as Snow had been told, he didn’t possess any fire markings, unlike ZenTar, for example.

Silvareiel

I guess that now Snow will have to get used to being taken care of ... ?️ Well, no one has done that ever since he lost Sand ?