The boat swayed gently over the sparkling waters under the bright afternoon sun, Astra, curled up inside the boat's corner, shifted slightly as the movement stirred her from sleep.
A dull, heavy ache pounded in her head the hangover finally kicking in and she let out a low groan, her fingers clumsily clutching her forehead.
"Ugh… why does my head feel like this?" she muttered weakly.
Slowly, she pried her eyes open, only to be blinded by the bright blue sky above, dotted with cotton-like clouds lazily drifting across it. Her eyes widened in confusion.
No roof….No walls…Just… the open sky.
Shock shot through her veins, and she jolted upright only to smack the side of her head against the boat's wooden edge.
"Arghhh—!" she clutched her head in pain, rubbing the spot furiously. Tears welled up at the corner of her eyes from the sting. She grumbled under her breath and turned around and then froze.
"Arghhh—!" She clutched her head in pain, rubbing the sore spot furiously. Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes from the sting. Grumbling under her breath, she turned around and then froze.
There, sitting behind her, was Daita…. arms folded tightly across his chest, his gaze sharp and unwavering. His left eye twitched slightly, as if barely holding back a sigh or a lecture.
Astra blinked. Then blinked again, slower this time. Her confused gaze swept around the boat was gliding steadily over a vast, glittering river, no city walls, no buildings in sight. Only a hazy mist-like cluster of clouds hovered far ahead, and the boat was gently drifting straight toward it.
Her heart began to pound. Confusion twisted into panic.
She slowly turned back to face Daita, her mouth opening slightly in horror as realization dawned.
A long, heavy beat passed between them.
And then—
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
The scream exploded from her lungs so violently that Daita flinched, his hand slamming down to grab the boat's side to stop himself from toppling into the water.
Astra immediately backed away, jabbing a finger at him accusingly.
"You! You, you, you!" she stammered, her voice shrill with panic. "What am I doing here?! D-Did you kidnap me?!"
"What?!" Daita confused, barely managing to balance himself as the boat wobbled dangerously under her sudden movements.
"Oh no….answer me!" Astra cried, clutching her head in horror. "Where am I?! Maybe Kaen was right, I shouldn't talk to strangers—ahhh! Look, now I got kidnapped! This is why! Hey, Raita! You! you planned this from the start, didn't you?! That earring! The whole returning-the-earring-thing! It was all a trap to approach me, wasn't it?!"
"Shut up! It's Daita, not Raita!" he snapped, his voice sharp with offense. His face, now without the his usual fake smile mask, clearly showed just how genuinely offended he was.
"I've had enough of your nonsense! Stay quiet for a moment and what did you say? Unbelievable! it's like you forgot. Listen I'm not the one who kidnapped you!" he growled, arms crossed tightly across his chest. "You're the one who followed me! You clung onto me stubbornly insisting I take you along!"
Astra blinked at him, confusion still all over her face.
"W-What are you saying…?" Astra squinted at him, still massaging her aching head. "Ugh… what even happened last night…?" she muttered, eyes squeezed shut. She tried to recall, but the pounding headache only got worse.
Nothing came clearly to mind… except,
"I remember we were all sitting… and drinking…" she mumbled slowly, her brows furrowing. "Yeah, and then… nothing." She blinked again and stared at Daita. "Did I drink that much?!"
Daita sighed and got up, walking to the other end of the boat. With a dramatic flop, he sat down and muttered, "You know what? You are a trouble-marker, a complete disaster. A clingy, chaotic, noisy disaster."
Astra stood up, wobbling a little, her hands on her hips. "Excuse me?! You should've dropped me back, not dragged me out here! And now you're calling me trouble?!"
Daita ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. "Dropped you back?! I didn't have the time to walk all the way to the city again carrying you like a sack of rice! I'm on an important mission,I had no choice but to take you along. Also…..wasn't it you who kept yelling that you wanted to see snow?!"
Astra tilted her head slowly, her expression blank.
"…Snow?" she asked, blinking in slow motion.
"Yes. Snow," Daita said, pointing a finger ahead.
She turned her gaze and gasped slightly. The boat had drifted into the thick mist of clouds, and ahead lay the towering silhouette of a snow-covered mountain, its peak barely visible through the haze.
"That's Mount Baiyunya," Daita said, half-sarcastic. "Your snow paradise."
Astra's eyes immediately lit up at the mention of snow, the moment she saw the towering, snow-draped mountain. Her whole face brightened instinctively, but she quickly caught herself, coughing awkwardly and forcing her expression to turn serious.
"But still!" she huffed, jabbing a finger at him. "I was drunk when I said that! It's not like I really meant it! I might've just blurted it out! You didn't have to kidnap— I mean, take me along!" she corrected quickly, crossing her arms. "You could have just left me alone! Why are you blaming me now after taking that risk yourself?!"
Daita didn't look at her. Instead, he dipped his hand into the water beside the boat, letting it glide through his fingers as the current moved them steadily forward.
Astra fell silent then quickly turned her head toward the mountain again, her gaze locking onto the endless, gleaming white covering the peaks. The afternoon sun kissed the snowy surface, making it shimmer like a dream.
A small, genuine smile tugged at her lips.
"…Yeah I like snow," she said quietly, "…..and i want reach there fast."
Just as Astra stood there, gazing at the snow-covered mountain with gleaming eyes, Daita's voice cut through the quiet.
"Hold tight."
"Huh?" She blinked and looked over her shoulder at him.
"I said hold onto something tight," he repeated,"So that you won't fly away."
Astra frowned in confusion, not quite understanding what he meant, but she did as he said anyway, gripping the wooden edge of the boat cautiously.
Then she saw it, that tiny, almost smug smirk tugging at the corner of Daita's mouth.
Before she could question it, a sudden gust of wind slammed into the boat, surging it forward with shocking speed. The boat sliced through the water like an arrow.
"WAAAH—!" Astra screamed, gripping the edge for dear life as her hair flew wildly in all directions. Her eyes squeezed shut against the wind, trying and failing to keep them open as the rush of air turned her into a complete mess.
"You said you wanted to reach there fast," Daita said coolly, barely affected by the speed, arms folded like he wasn't the one wind-blasting a boat across the river.
"NOT LIKE THIIIIIS!!" she wailed over the roar of the wind.
The boat surged forward, slicing through mist and water until, finally, it slowed near the stony edge of the mountain's base, where a jagged path greeted them like an ominous stairway into the clouds.
The moment the boat bumped to a stop, Astra leapt out, stumbling as her boots hit solid ground. She staggered a few steps before collapsing dramatically onto the frost-covered earth, arms spread wide like she'd just survived a war.
"Ughhh… I can't feel my face…" she muttered.
The chilly wind swept past, sharp and merciless. The clouds above were thick and low, casting a pale grey over everything. There wasn't even a trace of the sun—just mist, cold air, and the soft crunch of frost beneath her fingers.
Astra shivered, goosebumps prickling across her skin. "It's freezing…"
Daita stepped off the boat with a calmness that almost looked smug. His boots landed on the ground with a soft thud, and he walked over to where she lay sprawled out like a fallen leaf. He stopped just in front of her, arms folded.
"Well?" he said, voice casual but teasing. "Are you planning to keep sleeping here, or…?"
Astra pushed herself up, hair a mess, glaring at him through narrowed eyes. "How did you do that?" she snapped, stabbing a finger toward him. "That boat—it moved without you touching it! You didn't row, you didn't steer…..nothing! That wasn't normal wind. You…You lied to me before, didn't you? That means you do have spiritual powers, don't you?
Daita knelt slightly, clearly amused. "Tch. So sharp all of a sudden." He leaned closer, the corner of his lips twitching. "Yeah. I lied. I do have spiritual powers. But as you can see, There's no point in hiding it anymore….especially since I brought you with me on this mission where… I might need to use my powers And maybe even yours."
Astra scrambled to her feet, her brows furrowed in frustration. "Why would you lie about something like that? And what kind of mission is this? And….using my powers?" She suddenly started laughing loud, half bitter, half amused. "My powers? You want to use them? They're useless even to me! I was supposedly 'blessed' by some god, but I have so little spiritual energy I can't even make a leaf fall off a tree or light a fire!"
Daita didn't respond right away. He simply stood there, watching her with that same unreadable look somewhere between amusement and intrigue.
Interesting...., How quickly her mood changes One moment, she's a storm… the next, a Chill breeze.
Daita gave a lazy shrug, his tone as casual as ever. "Maybe you're weak, sure….but at least I can make use of the information in that brain of yours."
"Huh? Hey! I'm not weak!" Astra snapped, puffing up indignantly. "It's just my powers are less, okay? Get that straight! And you still haven't answered me!"
But before she could finish, Daita had already turned on his heel and started walking toward the winding path that led into the thick, mist-draped folds of Mount Baiyunya.
"That," he called over his shoulder, "I don't need to answer right now. Just follow me."
He paused for a moment, glancing back with a sly glint in his eyes.
"Because as you said last night… there might be lots of demons in this mountain."
Astra's eyes widened as she quickly looked around, the mist and eerie silence making her shiver slightly. Without wasting another second, she rushed after him though her pace didn't stop her mouth from continuing.
"Wait—demons? Are they big? Can they smell fear? hey! Answer me, Raita—I mean, Daita!"