The moon hung high in the sky as Frost stood alone on the great stone balcony overlooking the monastery. The night wind gently stirred his black cloak as he gazed upon the illuminated towers and silent gardens below. A trace of nostalgia flickered in his emerald-green eyes.
Soft, measured footsteps echoed behind him. Frost turned around.
Master Eldrin, the head of the monastery, approached. He was a man in his sixties, with a neatly trimmed white beard and a gaze both kind and piercing. He wore a dark blue robe embroidered with silver—an emblem of his long-earned wisdom.
"Master Eldrin, you're here?" Frost asked with a respectful smile.
The old man stopped beside him, also looking out over the sleeping monastery.
"I hear you're planning to leave. So I came to say my farewells."
Frost let out a soft, almost melancholic chuckle.
"These aren't farewells, Master. I'll come back… I just want to help them defeat this malevolent entity and save everyone. And at the same time, I'll be contributing to the monastery's safety."
Master Eldrin nodded slowly, a faint, amused smile on his lips.
"Yes… yes… until you meet the one your heart chooses."
Frost let out a light laugh, shaking his head.
"Master Eldrin, you know very well I've never been interested in that sort of thing. Otherwise, I would've already found someone. After all, aren't there plenty of beautiful young women among the monastery's mages?"
The old man looked at him with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"That's precisely the problem. Sometimes, the one meant for us isn't where we expect. We must find them… elsewhere."
Frost crossed his arms, amused but skeptical.
"I don't believe in that kind of thing."
Master Eldrin placed a hand on his shoulder, his gaze suddenly deeper.
"We'll talk about it again when you return—with your wife—to visit me."
Without giving Frost time to respond, the master turned and walked away at a calm pace, disappearing into the monastery's dark corridors.
Frost remained alone on the balcony, perplexed. He ran a hand through his blond hair and sighed.
"What is he talking about this time…?"