"Can you please stop?? And also, you've been torturing me since a week ago; can't you just tell me what's up?" she said, still walking back and forth. The unique sounds of her footstep were the only thing, aside from Nieves' counting, that disturbed the peace and quiet place.

"One thousand... wait, how many was it already? Uhh... Nevermind. Can you please sit down? Don't you feel tired from what you were doing?" She tapped on the seat beside her. She still couldn't believe that it would reach thousands and still be counting. Everything that is happening was already expected of her. She's not irritated by her or any other negative emotions; instead, she's half as excited as well. She's also waiting for the right time, which is not that far from now.

Marikit sat beside her and started tapping the table.

"By the way, it's about time, right?" Marikit asked.

"Yes. Any second now." She stood up from her seat. And I walked towards the entrance of the place.

Once she was out, she could see the whole horizon with only a dark night sky. But on one spot on the horizon, a light is on the verge of breaking the darkness. It started with a tinge of yellow until it slowly ate up the darkness and occupied its place with its warm colors. These colors got warmer and warmer as the cold breeze slowly increased in temperature at the same time. It's beauty mezmerized the two. They have seen it how many times, but this occurrence only happens a single time every year, which makes it anticipate each year.

Finally, the warm color bloomed on the horizon as it showed itself for everyone to see; it's might that could counter the cold breeze.

Marikit, on the side, stood up and bowed. If you could hear her mumbling, she whispered, "I'm very sorry."

Nieves took a deep breath and extended her hands. "Give way!" She shouted.

What happened next was a spectacle for all to see. The event that everyone was waiting for.

The veil lost its power, and it finally showed the beauty of the mountain. This was the sign that the mountain had finally welcomed them for the whole month. It is time for the next generation of kids to find their path; it's time for the farmers to find new seeds and harvest the seeds they tried to cultivate under the influence of the mountain; and it's also time for some people to send their thanks in the form of food and other stuff to give back the blessing they received to survive the next year.

Everyone rejoiced; Nieves could see it from her location. It is time for their new prosporous year, for the people of the Taw't tribe.

...

A certain part of Central District, which is usually not populated as much, was currently having a big surge of people this day. Why? Everyone on the frozen lakeside was starting to prepare their things for the Sal'bung Ritual that they will do at the foot of the mountain where the veil of hail borders.

Out of the thousands of people around, Eigh and Ford were there to help as well. They each held a bag on their backs, which contained their necessary things for camping. Both were just standing on the side, just 10 meters away from their group. The last instruction that was given to them was to meet together with their group at this place. So they all could only wait for further instructions.

"I didn't know we're going to be back here. I thought this place was just something that has no use aside from getting fresh water for us to drink," Ford said to Eigh, who's silently watching the things going on in the place.

Eigh didn't reply to Ford's monologuing and just continued observing the things happening around her.

There were men who were taking care of crates with live animals in them. Some of them were petting their livestock's bodies and even feeding them by hand. They took care of them as if they were a child who needed a lot of care and attention.

There were some who were fixing the ropes that were attached to their cattle to a sled and checking if the ropes were in good condition.

There were other kinds of people who wore thick garments and came from a local religion who were going to lead the rituals.

There were also some newborn babies carried by their parents and mothers who had bumps on their stomachs. They were also joining the ritual for the blessing of their offspring.

There were giant sleds as well that looked like carriages for some elites being guarded by lots of their bodyguards, and also some sleds that had different purposes, such as one that had a kitchen on top of it for the people who got hungry on the way to have access to food for themselves.

Even after not getting an answer for Eigh like always, he still tried to start a conversation with her. "I really thought you weren't coming today. I was surprised when I saw you waiting outside our house."

"I thought as well, but there's something I want to know. And I have to go for me to find it out," she replied. She had been curious about the feathers that never left her reach. For almost a week now, she has always kept the feathers in her pocket or in her book that she always carried around. For some reason, the comfort that the feather gave her was addicting. A minute of leaving it somewhere made her feel like it was being called upon to keep itself near her. It acted like a baby that needed its mother's touch.

"Which is it? The thing you want to find out."

Seconds passed, and Eigh didn't reply. From Ford's pov, Eigh was just looking at the mountain veil from afar, standing there with her hands in her pocket, deep in thought about whatever she's thinking about. Every time she was like that, he knew that he should just shut up on the side, take care of the things around them, and not bother her about the thing that was occupying her thoughts.

Ford was correct in every assumption of his except for one; Eigh actually heard his question. But she prefers not to mention anything about it. Not because she wanted to find the secrets about the feather she's holding in her pocket alone, but for some reason, she felt like there's no guarantee that whatever it was would be safe for them both. She knew that if Ford knew about the thing, he would be joining even if she forbade him. He would force it upon her for her own safety. So, she better hide it from him and proceed to the unforseen danger alone.

Ford didn't bother her anymore and just guarded their surroundings. He also positioned himself on her back so that she would always be in her peripheral vision of his. He was afraid that she would start to wander around and get lost again.

Time passed by enough for the moisture in Ford's eyebrows to freeze from the cold temperature bombarding their bodies. Thankfully, their clothes were working as intended. But it was a different story for parts of their bodies that were not covered; there was nothing to block his face. The worst thing about that place was that the temperature in this place was twice as cold as in their place.

While he was patting his face to keep it warm, a group of familiar people came towards them. They were all garbed in a garment that gave everyone an idea of who they were and what their standing was in the tribe's society. These people were the intructors and teachers in the academy. The profession itself was not the reason for everyone's exclamation around the area; the thing that made them special was that they were all powerful celestials. For every society in this world, might conquers all. The only thing that could be equal to might is money. Elites can buy might, and the wealthiest can buy guardian kingdom might.

"Oh, if it isn't everyone, how are you all? It's been almost half a year since I've seen all of you. I hope you guys kept yourselves warm."

A familiar female voice woke everyone up from their freezing problem. Even Eigh, who was staring nowhere, was woken up by this voice. For their group, this voice was their beacon. The voice reminded them of their second parent.

Ford and everyone in their class looked in the direction where the voice came from.

It was none other than the teacher they had before she was substituted due to her pregnancy. It's been a long time since they heard and saw her, and they long for the motherly care that she infuses in her classes.

Emotions started to take over. Everyone missed her so much that some of them started to tear up.