Hearing Shelyn's words, Hifung looked startled and confused.
Hifung: Eh??
Shelyn: I'm cursed.
Shelyn said it with a weak, dispirited tone, but Hifung seemed skeptical.
Hifung: Cursed?
He gave a faint, disbelieving smile. He thought Shelyn was joking.
But Shelyn looked him straight in the eye with a serious gaze, causing Hifung to feel uneasy.
Then, he decided to listen to her story in earnest.
Shelyn: I was born into this world... but my father never liked me. He's now in the Seventh Realm... but before he left...
Shelyn looked down, her expression filled with sorrow as tears began to fall. Seeing this, Hifung couldn't help but feel her pain too.
Shelyn continued between sobs.
Shelyn: My father was powerful. Before ascending to the higher realm, he cast a curse on me.
Hearing this, Hifung was stunned. He hadn't known such curses existed.
Shelyn: Because of that curse... if I touch snow... I'll suffer for three years before my heart stops beating.
Hifung's eyes widened in shock.
Hifung: What the hell!? Why would your father do that!?
Shelyn responded between broken sobs.
Shelyn: He hated me. He didn't want me to be happy. He gave me this curse... because when I was little... I used to love the snow.
Hifung's disbelief only grew.
Hifung: Then what about your mother?
Shelyn: She passed away not long after my father left for the higher realm... I've been alone ever since.
She lowered her head further, her sadness deepening.
Shelyn: I never thought... I'd die this young.
She burst into tears again, sobbing quietly, wiping her tears with both hands.
Seeing this, Hifung felt a deep ache in his chest.
---
Meanwhile, back at Jister Academy, Yuita, Kobayashi, and Ray sat in the headmaster's chamber, still thinking about Hifung and Shelyn.
Kobayashi: The snowstorm's still raging. If this keeps up, they could starve to death.
Ray: We need to do something.
Hearing this, Yuita stayed silent for a moment while Kobayashi and Ray stared at him.
---
Some time later, the snowstorm still showed no signs of ending.
Shelyn had stopped crying, her head bowed in deep thought.
Hifung, wearing his cloak, kept an eye on her from near the earthen barrier sealing the cave entrance.
After a moment, he walked over and sat beside her.
Hifung: So... is there really no way to end or break your curse?
Shelyn wiped her tears and replied softly, still looking down.
Shelyn: When my father cast the curse... he told me of a few ways to break it.
Hearing that, Hifung felt a glimmer of hope.
Hifung: What are they?
Shelyn answered in a weak and quiet voice.
Shelyn: The easiest way... is to kill me.
Hifung recoiled, shocked.
Hifung: That's insane! That's not saving you!
Shelyn: The second way...
She hesitated, her face flushed slightly with shame.
Hifung: The second way?
Shelyn: The second... is to be intimate with someone of the opposite sex... who truly loves me.
Hifung's eyes widened, stunned and confused.
Hifung: Huh!?
Shelyn lowered her head, eyes shut tightly in embarrassment.
Seeing her like that, Hifung felt a pang of guilt and pity.
Hifung (in his heart): "What am I supposed to do...? What should I choose?"
---
Back at Jister Academy, the storm had finally begun to subside.
Kobayashi: The storm's dying down. We have to act now—this is our last chance!
Kobayashi looked tense and worried, afraid Hifung and Shelyn might not survive.
Yuita, however, remained silent, gazing out the window at the edge of the clouds.
---
Back in the forest, Hifung peeked outside through a small hole he had made in the earthen wall.
The storm had lessened. He turned to Shelyn, who was still sitting quietly with her head down.
He knelt in front of her, gently taking her right hand.
Hifung: Shelyn, the storm's letting up. We have to leave—now.
Hifung: As for your curse... we'll figure it out later, okay?
Shelyn opened her eyes, wiped them with her left hand, and lifted her head slowly.
She looked at Hifung with uncertainty and a trace of fear.
Hifung: Ready?
She nodded.
But as she tried to stand, her legs trembled uncontrollably.
Seeing her struggle, Hifung offered his shoulder.
She accepted, and he carried her on his back.
He wrapped his cloak around both of them for warmth and protection, then stepped toward the earthen barrier.
Hifung: Huh.
He took a deep breath, then exhaled.
With a determined glare, he kicked the barrier with force—shattering it.
Outside, the snow had stopped falling.
With Shelyn on his back, Hifung began walking forward—out of the Deko Forest.
As they walked, Shelyn nestled her face against his shoulder, wrapping her arms around him.
Hifung blushed slightly at the gesture—but then a thought struck him.
He remembered Micyl.
A pain pierced his heart, but he didn't stop walking.
He pressed on, carrying Shelyn through the snowy forest.
His eyes slowly filled with tears—he missed Micyl deeply.
---
Back at the academy...
Kobayashi: Sir... we must go now. If we wait any longer, they won't make it.
Ray stared at Yuita, calculating every possibility in silence.
Yuita, however, was focused on the edge of Deko Forest—the place where Hifung and Shelyn should emerge.
Suddenly, his eyes widened in alarm.
Ray: What is it?
Yuita looked frustrated.
Yuita: The storm... it's coming back!
Ray and Kobayashi gasped, panic setting in.
---
Meanwhile, deep in Deko Forest, Hifung was still carrying Shelyn on his back.
Suddenly, a rumble echoed behind them.
They turned—and were horrified.
Another massive blizzard was racing toward them.
Hifung: Damn it! The storm's not over!?
He ran as fast as he could—but the blizzard was too fast.
Just before it reached them, Hifung raised a protective earthen wall with his magic.
He set Shelyn gently on the ground to focus his energy.
But in slow motion, he saw it—a single snowflake had slipped through and landed on Shelyn's skin.
Instantly, agony tore through her.
Shelyn: Argh!!
She screamed in pain, and Hifung panicked.
Hifung: What!?
Shelyn: W-why... does it hurt so much...?
Hifung: S-so you really can't touch any snow at all!?
Shelyn looked at him with helpless eyes, her body growing weaker from the pain.
Outside, the storm grew fiercer, and Hifung struggled to maintain the barrier.
He clenched his fists, overwhel
med with frustration and fear.
Hifung (in his heart): "What do I do now!?"
Hifung (in his heart): "Damn it!! If only Ray were here, he could help me!"
Suddenly, Shelyn collapsed—unconscious.
Hifung's despair deepened.