[Before the meeting]
Before going to Kazdel, the Scholar traveled north first.
To Ursus.
Snowstorms swept across the frozen tundra near the border, winds howling over dead forests and abandoned watchtowers half-buried beneath ice.
The Scholar walked through it alone.
Unhurried.
As if the cold itself avoided touching him.
For a long time, the only sound was the crunch of snow beneath his boots.
Then—
He stopped.
A quiet breath left him.
[Scholar]: You've been following me for three hours.
Silence.
The wind howled louder.
His gaze remained fixed ahead.
[Scholar]: So let me ask this once—
A slight tilt of his head.
[Scholar]: Are you going to leave…
A pause.
His voice lowered.
[Scholar]: …or do I need to remind the new generation what happened to the old one?
The air shifted.
Heavy.
Ancient.
[Scholar]: Because I promise you—
The wind grew colder.
Then—
He smiled.
Small.
Cruel.
[Scholar]: I still remember how to kill gods.
A pause.
[Scholar]: So a bunch of half-assed demons are nothing.
The presence behind him vanished instantly.
The Scholar watched the empty snowfield for another moment.
Then sighed again.
A beat.
His expression flattened.
[Scholar]: I really hate Ursus.
And he kept walking.
A brief silence passed before he muttered again—
[Scholar]: Of all the lands we could've built Farewell City in… it had to be here—
He stopped mid-sentence.
His eye twitched.
[Scholar]: Can you stop staring at my ass, you [Ancient Sarkaz curses]?
Slowly, he looked back.
And froze.
A small Caprinae girl stood several meters behind him, no older than four. Curled sheep horns framed her head as she stared at him with wide, completely unafraid eyes.
The Scholar blinked once.
Then sighed.
Deeply.
[Scholar]: …I know there's a legend about Caprinae and me, but don't you think this is getting out of hand?
He pointed at her.
[Scholar]: Every single time I enter Ursus, one of you appears out of nowhere.
A pause.
[Scholar]: Do I look like I eat children?
A voice answered from somewhere behind the snowstorm.
[???]: You do eat them.
The Scholar immediately looked offended.
[Scholar]: That was a very long time ago.
A beat.
[Scholar]: Ursus wasn't even called Ursus back then.
Silence.
Then—
The little girl tilted her head.
[Caprinae Girl]: …So you do eat people.
The Scholar stared at her for a long moment.
Then looked up at the sky like a man questioning every decision he had ever made.
[Scholar]: I miss when children feared ancient horrors.
A quiet crunch of snow echoed behind him.
The unseen presence finally stepped closer through the blizzard.
Tall.
Wrapped in heavy furs.
Watching him with poorly hidden amusement.
[???]: And I miss when ancient horrors had shame.
The Scholar snorted.
[Scholar]: If I had shame, half this world would still be on fire.
A pause.
His smile widened slightly.
[Scholar]: How have you been, Graveyard? Still hiding in the cold like an oversized corpse?
The man called Graveyard stood motionless, a shovel resting across one shoulder. Thick bandages wrapped around most of his body, but beneath the torn fur cloak, patches of blackened necrotic flesh were still visible between the seams.
Snow gathered around his boots.
Never melting.
[Graveyard]: Nachzehrer prefer the cold.
A beat.
His dead-looking eyes shifted toward the child behind Scholar.
[Graveyard]: Now explain this little thing.
Another pause.
[Graveyard]: Did you kidnap another child?
The four-year-old Caprinae immediately pointed at Scholar.
[Caprinae Girl]: He smells weird.
Scholar looked offended.
Genuinely offended.
[Scholar]: That's medicinal alcohol.
A brief pause.
[Scholar]: And poor life decisions.
Graveyard stared at him in silence.
Long enough to be judgmental.
The Scholar sighed dramatically.
[Scholar]: The Emperor's Blades threw her at me so I wouldn't kill them.
A beat.
[Scholar]: Honestly, I respect the strategy.
Graveyard's expression didn't change.
[Graveyard]: And did you almost kill them?
The Scholar looked away.
[Scholar]: That is not the point.
Silence.
Then—
[Scholar]: Besides… you know how I used to be.
The wind howled softly across the tundra.
Graveyard's grip tightened slightly around the shovel.
A pause.
[Graveyard]: I remember when you used to crack open skulls just to eat the brains of children.
The little Caprinae froze.
Slowly—
Very slowly—
She looked up at Scholar.
Scholar immediately raised a finger.
[Scholar]: In my defense—
A beat.
[Scholar]: I was going through a phase.
Graveyard stared at him.
The child stared at him.
The Scholar sighed.
[Scholar]: A very long phase.
Snow drifted quietly around the three of them.
Then—
The little girl took one careful step behind Graveyard.
[Caprinae Girl]: …I don't wanna get eaten.
Scholar looked deeply wounded.
[Scholar]: This is slander.
[Chapter end]