Swoosh.
A palm-sized flame appeared before Zion's eyes.
Zion stopped abruptly from running.
Rachel stopped in front of Zion, leaving just about five steps away.
It had been a long time since she had run, so she could barely breathe. Rachel gasped for breath, struggling to catch her breath.
"Hey, Zion, you..."
"Warm..."
Zion was gazing at the flames before his eyes with an ecstatic expression.
Rachel let out a hollow laugh. It seemed that fire was the best way to soothe this simple wolf.
Rachel took off her hat to wipe the sweat dripping down. The cold northern air seeped through her black hair.
'I finally feel like I can breathe again.'
Her rough breathing subsided. Rachel straightened her hunched body.
"I told you not to take off your hat whenever you want, didn't I?"
It was when she approached Zion and covered him with the hat that had slipped down.
"...Dire?"
A strange voice landed on the children's heads.
The children's movements came to a sudden halt. The sound of footsteps grew closer.
Rachel forced her stiff head up.
"You know how to handle fire?"
A man with unfocused eyes, appearing as if he were drunk, was looking down at them with a smirk.
Jeez.
The damp sound of the snow lingered in the children's ears.
'You have to wear a hat. If you wear a hat, it will be hidden and won't be visible.'
Rachel forced her trembling hands up and pulled her hat over her head. It was to hide her red eyes and black hair, which were different from those of the Northerners.
But it was already too late.
"Did you do this?"
The man drew out the end of his sentences to the point of goosebumps and laughed so hard his mouth stretched wide.
Zion trembled uncontrollably at the fear he was experiencing for the first time. He couldn't even cry.
The same was true for Rachel. It was the first time she had seen eyes without focus. She got goosebumps.
But Rachel moved. Taking hesitant steps, she stood before Zion as if to protect him.
"Ruby..."
Zion's trembling voice carried her name. Rachel reached out her hand without answering.
A heat hot enough to spew fire at any moment swirled in her palm. At the same time, the ring on her thumb sparkled.
The ring that was given to Eve as a gift and then returned. It was a symbol of the South.
"Huh? That's..."
The man, having hiccuped for a moment, staggered toward the children. Zion gripped Rachel's dress even tighter.
“Don’t come closer.”
"I've definitely seen that ring before..."
"I told you not to come near!"
He shouted as if to warn, but the man was not in his right mind. Rachel's ring shone particularly vividly in his blurry vision.
It was clearly the same ring that the snake oil salesman was wearing.
The smirking smile snapped. Rachel involuntarily flinched.
"Ah... that guy did this back then..."
The man looked down at Rachel with bloodshot eyes.
"To think you dared to bring a dragon to the North..."
Incoherent words flowed from the man's mouth. His footsteps staggered even more, but the murderous intent in his eyes remained as clear as ever.
It was a precursor to an attack.
Rachel's fingertips trembled. Although she possessed fire strong enough to keep a wolf from making a sound, the terrified child could not move an inch.
Meanwhile, the man was approaching them.
"This is the first time I've ever seen a real dragon..."
"Don't come closer..."
"That's right. They're still just kids, so you can sell them for a high price."
The man, laughing creepily, reached out and grabbed Rachel by the collar.
The small body floated up into the air. As Rachel thrashed about in pain, her hat slipped down.
The man let out a hollow laugh upon seeing the black hair and red eyes.
"Let go of me...! Ow...!"
"How dare you come here? What do you think you are? Huh?!"
A foul odor wafted out every time the man shouted. Rachel grimaced in pain. She could not breathe properly.
"You, you bad guy! Let Ruby down!"
Zion clung to him and shouted something, but Rachel couldn't hear him clearly.
"This?!"
The man pushed Zion away as if he were annoyed. Zion tumbled, flopping onto the grass, seeds, and dirty snowflakes.
His hat came off, revealing his unusually light silver hair, which stood out in comparison to Rachel's.
Zion recoiled and stepped back. He was so terrified that his wolf ears sprang out on their own.
“You two...!”
As if thinking it was a meeting between a hybrid wolf and a dragon, the man's face turned dark with anger. He tightened his grip on the collar even more.
Rachel's vision was gradually blurring. It was just as her eyes were about to close.
Hwareuk.
A large fire instantly engulfed the man's body.
"W-what is this?!"
The startled man released his grip on her collar. Rachel slumped weakly onto the floor.
Cold air rushed into her lungs. Because of this, Rachel could barely gasp for breath. In the meantime, Zion hurriedly supported Rachel.
“You’re cocky.”
A spine-chillingly low voice was heard. Rachel recognized the owner of the voice. She lifted her eyelids with difficulty.
“Brother..."
A faint voice flowed from between the small lips.
Noelier approached the children. Then she took off her cloak and draped it over their shoulders.
Red eyes and black hair identical to hers, and unchanging, gentle eyes. Although she had never once touched him before, at least that look in his eyes remained unchanged from back then.
Rachel's eyes welled up with tears.
"Aaaargh! Fire, fire!"
Meanwhile, the man engulfed in flames was thrashing about frantically.
Noelier approached the man without blinking an eye.
What should I do about this? Should I burn them to death?
Since it's a wolf that doesn't know its place... wouldn't it be okay to kill at least one?
The fever, which had subsided thanks to Eve, was running wild as if nothing had happened.
It was just as Noelier was about to release his strength without hesitation.
"...Ugh."
A cold temperature touched Noelier's fingertips. It was a body temperature different from Eve's. Startled, Noelier lowered his gaze.
"Brother. H-h-don't do that. I'm scared..."
Zion was shaking his head while sobbing.
Upon seeing the face filled with fear, the flames that had consumed the man quickly subsided.
“Zion, I..."
He could not easily continue speaking.
He was used to the fear of others. But this child, at least...
As Noelier hesitated, Zion fumbled and tightly grasped his index finger.
As the flames completely died down in that brief moment, the man hurriedly ran to the snowdrift and threw himself onto it. As his fever subsided, he let out a barely aching groan and sobbed.
"...Sorry."
Noelier muttered quietly. The blue eyes looking up at him were filled with fear.
He tried to kill others with the sun that the child had mentioned.
Blinded by the brief peace he experienced, he forgot who he truly is.
Noelier, having returned to reality, took a step back.
Just then, the man, having barely regained his senses, struggled to get up.
"You, You're trying to kill me!"
The man started running while shouting.
It was a serious matter. If things went wrong, it could have led to a fight between a wolf and a dragon.
Of course, fighting the wolves, his enemies, was exactly what he had hoped for. But...
'Eve.'
He muttered her name softly.
Eve might also be afraid like Zion if she saw him.
The mere thought of it made his one and only heart sink. It was then that Noelier hesitated in confusion.
Tak!
A dull sound rang out.
The man who had been running away stopped abruptly. The gazes of the three people turned simultaneously toward the source of the sound.
Thud!
The man's body tumbled to the floor. Then, what had struck him rolled over and revealed itself. It was none other than...
'Apple?'
It was a frozen apple.
Noelier, Zion, and Rachel. The three of them stared blankly at the apple, forgetting even their fear.
“You crazy guy!”
Just then, an angry voice rang out. They suddenly raised their heads.
Eve ran toward the man, making angry stomping sounds.
She looked as if she had fainted. Her eyes were unfocused, but Eve didn't care and grabbed the man by the collar.
"How dare you! How dare you! Huh? I knew it from the moment I started doing drugs. You bastard!"
"...Eve?"
“Die! Die!”
Eve shook the man by the collar hard. She seemed to have lost her reason. Puffing away, she picked up the fallen frozen apple. Only then did Noelier come to his senses.
"Eve!"
He ran over in a hurry and snatched the apple from Eve's hand.
"Give it back! This kind of bastard needs to be killed!"
"Eve, calm down.”
"Die! I said die! Why on earth are you alive?"
"Eve "
"Why does it keep turning into a bleak novel? I like fairy tales! Aaaah!"
Eve seemed not to know what she was saying.
Noelier wrapped Eve's hand, which was gripping the man by the collar, around him and pulled her toward himself. A chilling cold rushed into his body, and he involuntarily flinched.
He was so confused, but Eve didn't seem to be. She was still panting, trying to calm her excitement
He couldn't do it.
"Eve."
"This crazy..."
Noelier mustered the courage to reach out. He cupped her cheek and turned her toward him, hoping that her emotions would subside, just as he had.
Their eyes met. Eyes as blue as a lake. Noelia froze like a child caught doing something wrong.
"..."
A face contorted with rage faced a chillingly handsome face.
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