Chapter 8
Kayaku took the map from Atoi and carefully opened it, holding it tight against the wind. His eyes moved across the parchment, studying every line and marking. But after a moment, his expression changed.
There was no clear path.
No marked route.
Only the drawing of the land itself . No directions.
No guidance.
Kayaku frowned slightly.
"There's no trail marked," he said quietly. "It's just the map… without a path."
The cold wind blew harder around them.
Now the snow mountains felt even more dangerous. Atoi guided his horse closer to Kayaku. Without saying a word, he reached out and took the map from Kayaku's hands. The parchment fluttered slightly in the cold wind. Atoi narrowed his eyes and studied it carefully. After studying the river line carefully, Atoi still could not understand anything from the map. There were no signs, no hidden markings, nothing that showed the correct direction.
His frustration began to rise.
Suddenly—
He let out a loud scream into the cold air.
His voice echoed across the snowy mountains, breaking the heavy silence around them. Frustration burned inside him. Without saying a word, Atoi turned and began climbing toward the top of the mountain. His boots pressed hard into the snow as he moved upward, ignoring the cold wind that pushed against him.
Kayaku and Dodo watched in silence as he climbed higher, his figure growing smaller against the vast white slope.
He didn't stop.
Not until he reached the top. At the top of the mountain, Atoi stopped.
Before him stretched a vast ice valley, shining pale under the cold sky. Far away, more snow-covered mountains stood like silent giants, their peaks hidden in drifting white clouds. There was nothing else.
Only snow.
Only ice.
Only endless white silence.
The wind blew strongly around him, pulling at his cloak.
Slowly, Atoi dropped to his knees in the snow.
He lowered his head. His breath came heavy in the freezing air as he knelt there, surrounded by the vast, empty world of ice. Dodo and Kayaku stood behind Atoi, watching him kneel in the snow. Neither of them spoke. The wind howled softly around the mountain peak, but they remained silent, giving him space.
Then—
Dodo's eyes narrowed.
"…Wait."
she noticed something strange.
In Atoi's hand, the map began to glow.
A faint golden light shimmered across the parchment, spreading slowly along the river drawn on it.
"Kayaku… look," Dodo whispered.
The golden light grew brighter against the white snow, reflecting softly on Atoi's face as he knelt there, unaware. Kayaku's eyes widened when he saw the golden light.
"Atoi!" he called out sharply.
His voice cut through the wind.
Atoi slowly lifted his head.
The map in his hand was glowing brighter now, the golden light spreading along the river drawn on it.
Kayaku stepped closer, his expression serious.
"Atoi… look at the map." When Atoi heard Kayaku's voice, he blinked and looked down at the map in his hands.
The golden light shimmered across the parchment.
Slowly… letters began to appear.
Not drawn in ink.
But glowing.
Atoi's eyes widened as the words formed clearly before him:
"In the land where light fades, the Black Shadow with two tails waits." The wind seemed to grow quieter around them.
Kayaku and Dodo stepped closer, staring at the glowing message.
The map was no longer empty.
It had given them a clue. When they finished reading the sentence, silence fell between them.
The golden words still glowed faintly on the map.
Slowly, Atoi lifted his head.
Kayaku looked at him.
Dodo swallowed and shifted slightly in the snow.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
They just looked at each other.
The meaning of the words hung heavily in the cold air.
Something was waiting for them.
And now… they all knew it. Atoi's face slowly formed a smile.
Not of relief.
Not of comfort.
But of certainty.
"The map wasn't empty," he said quietly.
His eyes lifted toward the distant ice valley.
"We're on the right path."
Kayaku studied him for a moment, then nodded.
Dodo exhaled slowly, the mist of his breath fading into the cold air.
The golden light on the map dimmed, but the message remained in their minds.
Ahead of them, beyond the frozen valley…, The three of them mounted their horses once again.
Snow shifted under the hooves as they turned toward the valley ahead.
Atoi tightened his grip on the reins.
Kayaku moved first. Dodo followed close behind. Without another word, they rode forward into the frozen land, the cold wind rushing past them as they continued their journey.
Alone in the silent throne hall, the old man remained seated on the cold stone floor. His eyes were still closed. The sword rested quietly at his side. After a long, heavy silence, his lips moved slightly. He murmured, almost like a breath carried by memory—
"Ermine…"
The word echoed faintly through the empty chamber.
Atoi, Dodo, and Kayaku moved slowly through the mountain valley, their horses stepping carefully over the thick snow. The cold air wrapped around them, and the only sound was the soft crunch beneath the hooves.
None of them spoke.
Each was thinking about the words that had appeared on the map. The sentence echoed in their minds as they walked deeper into the white valley. The mountains rose high around them, blocking much of the sunlight, casting long shadows across the snow. As they continued forward, they did not notice how much time had passed.
Slowly, the sun began to go down.
The light started fading from the sky.
The bright white snow turned pale gray.
The horizon darkened, and long shadows stretched across the valley.
The cold grew heavier.
Still, they kept moving.
Still, they kept thinking about the words from the map. The sky had grown darker, and the cold was becoming sharper.
Dodo looked around at the fading light, pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders.
"Kayaku Sama….. we need to find shelter before it gets completely dark," she said, her voice steady but concerned. Kayaku nodded and scanned the valley ahead carefully.
"You're right. We can't travel in full darkness."
Atoi remained silent, watching the last light disappear behind the mountains.
Night was coming fast. Dodo and Kayaku found a place to stay for the night. It was an open area in the valley, surrounded by a few tall trees that could block some of the wind.
"This will do," Kayaku said.
The three of them led the horses toward the trees and tied them securely to the trunks. The animals snorted softly, their breath visible in the cold air. Dodo began gathering dry wood from beneath the trees, brushing away snow to find pieces that could still burn. Meanwhile, Kayaku and Atoi worked together to set up a small tent, fixing it tightly into the frozen ground so the wind wouldn't tear it away. Soon, a small fire flickered to life. The orange flame danced against the dark snow. Night had fully arrived in the valley. Dodo prepared some tea over the small fire, holding the metal cup carefully as the water began to boil. The steam rose into the cold night air, warming her face.
They laid out their food near the fire.
There was frozen meat, which they slowly warmed over the flames.
Some bread.
A few dried supplies they had packed for the journey.
The fire crackled softly as they sat close together, letting the warmth push back the freezing mountain night.
The fire burned low as the silence stretched between them.
Atoi's eyes stayed on Kayaku.
"Why do you hate the Lora Kingdom?" he asked more directly.
Dodo looked between them, But Kayaku said nothing.
He simply picked up a piece of bread and began to eat quietly.
His face showed no emotion. Kayaku chewed slowly, then finally lifted his eyes toward Atoi.
The firelight flickered across his face.
"Why are you going to Mist Rain?" he asked quietly.
Dodo paused, holding her cup near her lips. Kayaku looked at Atoi steadily,
"You didn't tell us everything," he said quietly.
His voice was calm, but firm.
"Some things you said… they're not true."
The crackling of the fire filled the silence that followed.
Atoi did not answer.
He simply smiled.
Not wide.
Not loud.
Just a small, quiet smile. Atoi slowly stood up from beside the fire.
Without saying a word, he walked forward, away from the camp, toward the front edge of the mountains.
The night air was cold and still.
Then he stopped.
Above him, the sky shimmered.
A soft green aurora danced across the darkness, moving like flowing light between the stars.
Atoi's eyes widened slightly.
"Dodo…" he called gently.
His voice carried through the quiet night.
"You need to see this."
Dodo walked quietly to Atoi's side.
She stood beside him and looked up at the sky.
The green aurora flowed like moving silk across the darkness, its light softly reflecting on her face.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Atoi did not turn around.
He kept his eyes on the glowing sky.
Then he spoke calmly—
"Kayaku… you will get all your answers at the final destination."
His voice was steady.
Certain.
The aurora shimmered above them as the night grew deeper around the mountains.
After a long while, they finally prepared to rest.
But they did not sleep all together.
Only two would sleep at a time.
One would stay awake to protect the tent.
After some hours, they would change the guard.
Kayaku took the first watch.
He sat near the fire, his back straight, eyes fixed on the dark valley beyond the trees.
Inside the tent, Atoi and Dodo lay down to sleep, wrapped tightly in their cloaks against the freezing air.
The fire crackled softly.
The mountains stood silent.
And Kayaku remained awake, guarding them through the cold mountain night.
In the middle of the night, the cold grew heavier.
Kayaku's body began to feel the weight of exhaustion.
His eyes slowly started to close.
He tried to stay awake.
He tried to control it.
But the tiredness was too strong.
Finally, he stood up and walked toward the tent.
He pushed the flap aside and stepped inside quietly.
"Atoi…" he called softly. "Wake up. Your turn."
Atoi stirred from his sleep as Kayaku prepared to hand over the watch.
Atoi slowly got up and stepped out of the tent into the freezing night air.
Kayaku, exhausted, lay down inside and quickly drifted into sleep.
Outside, the fire had almost died, leaving only glowing embers.
Atoi walked to the front of the camp and sat down on the cold ground near the fire.
He pulled his cloak tighter around him.
His eyes moved carefully across the dark valley.
Watching.
Listening.
The mountains were silent. Time passed slowly in the frozen silence. The embers glowed faintly. The wind barely moved. Then Atoi felt it. Something. A presence. Like a shadow passing behind him. Very close. His eyes shifted slightly, but he did not turn around. He did not react. He simply continued looking forward into the dark valley. As if he had expected it. As if he knew it was there. And chose not to care. Sometime later, the presence behind him disappeared.
Sometime later, the cold wind suddenly stopped.
The snowfall ceased.
The air became unnaturally still.
But Atoi did not notice the change.
He was lost in thought, thinking about the words from the map.
Then
Something caught his attention.
On a distant snow hill, there was a black shadow.
Standing alone.
Atoi narrowed his eyes and looked deeply toward it.
The shadow's silver eyes blinked once in the darkness.
Slowly, Atoi rose to his feet.
His movements were calm.
Careful.
His gaze never leaving the figure on the hill. Then Atoi slowly stepped out from the camp and walked into the open space of the valley.
The snow lay untouched around him. He stood there openly, no longer hiding near the fire or the trees.
Across the snow hill, the black shadow remained still.
Its silver eyes fixed on him.
Watching.
The two figures faced each other in the vast white darkness.
Neither moved.
Neither looked away.
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