The autumn of Gastaria is about to end, making way for the coming cold winter. The sun shines on the Delisbourg Plain, but it cannot melt the ice left on the bare tree trunk. Snow began to pile up layer by layer, making people very heavy with every step. However, there is still a pair of fast-moving legs, running through the snow without any difficulty. They belong to Ayen, a light purple-haired girl. She is heading toward the Misty Forest, where there is a special fruit that only bears in winter. This fruit is called Vriaquila.

Vriaquila is a popular fruit, most of which can be found in the forests in the south of Gastaria, but they only reach maturity in late autumn and early winter. Its size is about the palm size of adults, and its color is light orange. Their leaves are big, square, and dark green. As a defense mechanism, Vriaquila usually hides behind leaves and on high treetops. The bark is sticky, which makes it more difficult for people to harvest.

Ayen knew every corner of the place like the palm of her hand and soon began the process of harvesting fruits. For other workers, they may take a long pole to bring down Viriaquila. But for Ayen, she chose a more dangerous way, which is to climb.

Through some basic maneuvers, Ayen reached the first branch without difficulty. She reached for the fruit and put it in the basket, then continued her work. One, two, and another one… Soon, she filled the basket with warm orange Vriaquila. Ayen sat on an uneven branch to rest. It’s kind of dangerous, but that was the ideal height to overlook the whole Misty Forest. The blue of the sky gradually darkened, indicating the coming of night. It's a beautiful afternoon, Ayen thought. It might be a good time to go home before it was too late. But wait... is that Snow Deer?

With white fur and crystal blue horns, it is both magical and majestic. No wonder people often say that it is a symbol of purity and rebirth. It stood proudly on the rock and walked towards an unknown direction in the forest.

Ayen turned her eyes to him with interest and observed. With the curiosity of a newly grown child, she shouted the animal's name without knowing that it would make its escape.

“Snow Deer, this way!”

As expected, the Snow Deer was startled and turned away. It dashed quickly with strong legs, leaving Ayen behind. But she is also the kind of stubborn person who slides down the tree and starts chasing. The strong attraction from this mysterious creature made Ayen desperate to catch up with it. While on the other side of the hillside, the sun was slowly setting. Every time she felt that she was approaching, the Snow Deer accelerated its speed, and the distance between them became farther and farther.

Focused on the rear, Ayen accidentally tripped over a huge tree root in the middle of the road and fell to the ground. She stood up in a hurry, brushed the snow off her clothes, and frowned. While Ayen was struggling, the creature disappeared into the dense forest. As a natural reaction, she looked at the damned root and realized that it belonged to a big tree in the middle of the forest. It doesn't look like any tree she had ever seen. The tree has a white shell brighter than birch, and the trunk is smooth without roughness. Looking up, its leaves are big and wide, like the hall in a luxury castle. The light it emits is both mysterious and majestic.

It took a moment for Ayen to realize that the big tree stood alone in a clearing as if all the other trees were retreating, paying tribute to the king's greatness. Her imagination was interrupted by the rustling sound behind the trunk. Ayen hesitated and pulled out the dagger from her waist before she dared to approach slowly toward the sound.

It was emanating from an old rag, there were also some movements in it that aroused Ayen's curiosity. She gathered her courage, turned the cloth over, and quickly backed. Her hands trembled slightly, but she still held the dagger.

A man? No, it's a boy of the same age as Ayen appeared. The bright pale face gradually emerged from behind the messy black and white hair. He has big blue eyes, a unique blue, which seems to be a combination of all other blues. He was a little thin and curled up in a huge black cloak, must have been in the woods for a few days. He raised his big round eyes and looked straight at Ayen, making her raise the dagger vigilantly.

“Don't look at me like that! Who are you?”

The boy didn't answer, confusing Ayen wether he could speak or not. He slowly reached up to Ayen and raised his hand as if to touch her. She instinctively stepped back, still holding a knife in her hand.

“Hey, let's go home. Do you know what time it is?”

Behind Ayen was a tall young man with orange hair and tan skin. He has green eyes and frowns at her. That's Robyn Cain, a man who can be said to be her brother. It seems that he had just returned from hunting or trading, and he is carrying a long sword behind him. He wore a sweater inside and a leather jacket outside. His trousers and belt are brown, a little dusty, and he wears steady boots on his feet, which is easy to move in harsh terrain.

“Robyn, why are you here?!”

“Why not? Look around and see what time it is now?” Robyn held his hip with one hand and pointed his finger at the sky with the other. His face is not satisfied with the person in front of him at all.

“Ah...” Ayen was surprised as she realized the sky was dark. “But there is a boy lying there. Shouldn’t we help him?”

Robyn looked askance at the boy Ayen said. The boy was behind her now. He rushed towards her, but Robyn pulled Ayen out and kicked him away.

“You mean him? He doesn't look like someone who needs help.” He looked at her sarcastically. 

While the two of them were arguing, the boy picked up a branch that fell from the tree and started to attack. This kind of wood is extremely durable. It collided with Robyn's metal blade without being damaged. Ayen took a step back. Catching a glimpse of Robyn's struggle made her feel nervous. His opponent is as fast as a squirrel, with a branch in his hand. He lunges and retreats in a hurry and is very flexible. Although it did not cause much damage, it must be admitted that it is very troublesome to be constantly poked. Robyn became more and more impatient. Due to the advantage of size difference, he grabbed the boy's arm when as he lunged again, and hit him on the head with the sword handle, making him lie on the ground and lose consciousness.

“Don’t you think you’ve gone too far?” Ayen ran to him.

“No, not at all,” he replied coldly as if he was sure of what he had done. He looked carefully at the boy lying on the ground. “He just got knocked out.”

Robyn turned away as if he had no intention of taking the boy with him. Ayen strongly objected, and she angrily pulled Robyn’s hand.

“Hey, where are you going? We should bring him with us.”

Robyn sighed and his eyes crisscrossed with frustration. “This boy is dangerous. Who knows where he comes from and what kind of person he is.”

“Come on, we are told to help others! Don't tell me you are so cruel and selfish now.”

“All right, all right!” Robyn waved and reluctantly agreed. “The condition is that we tie him up until we take him home. We can only untie him with everyone's consent. In addition, you must tell me what happened tonight.”

“Agreed!”

Ayen showed a loving smile. She quickly got up and picked up her fruit bag and skittered on the way home. Although Robyn was not very happy with the person he had fainted earlier, somewhere on his face there was still a little satisfaction.