-The next day-
Cool morning breezes woke Ether from his rest. He looked down at his arms, realizing Jakery was balled up inside.
During the night, the young one found comfort inside his brother's grasp. Tempting him to get closer, until he fell asleep inside his arms.
As the minutes went by in silence, Ether slowly got up. Gently rocking his brother to the point of his return. They stared at each other, confused but safe.
"Yana tu, Shojoro, (Good morning to you, Jakery,)" Ether whispered.
Jakery yawned. "Yana, Shora, (Good morning, Ether,)" Jakery replied.
He escaped from under Jakery's weight, slowly scanning around the area. Beside Gloria, Oria rolled out from under her puffy feathers. She shivered, trying to remain asleep.
Ether's motherly instincts drove him into warming her up the best way he could: holding her in his grasp. He wrapped his arms around her, and went still.
Away from the main group, Valentine watched the sunrise. His hand held his mask, while the other slid down a thin plate of armor from the left side of the heart.
Beneath it were two small books. One read 'Book of Will' and the other 'Paranormal Creations,' two books written by different authors. One was a Zegus, the other a Thawed.
He kept these smaller edition books in his mask at all times, just in case he got bored. At times, he would read them just for fun. Learning more about growing stronger beyond just muscle and what different unnatural entities could do according to theories.
As he fidgeted with the mask's plating, he noticed Ether and Oria's little interaction. Which surprised him. Curiosity filled his mind, wondering if it was possible his student found a new interest in her.
Valentine smiled at the chances of that. A friend he knew since his acceptance into the Light Legion becoming the one that caught his student's heart was an interesting tale. One he didn't want to believe yet.
Some more time went by. During that period, both siblings were fully awake. Their bodies quickly got to work on fighting back all the unnerving cold they felt throughout the entire night.
Oria chirped, sounding happy she woke up in another day. And even happier to see someone was showing her some affection. She hugged Ether back as a thank you.
"Thought we were supposed to begin our journey forward. Not our journeys into each other's hearts," Valentine commented.
Both Variants knew what it meant, causing them to break apart in an instant. While Ether began to brush off the last remaining shards of drowsiness, Oria began to blush hard.
Her cheeks got red and hot. Signaling she was feeling well, nothing was wrong with her body. The more she woke, the hotter they got. Until her full body warmth was restored.
"Okay, 'leader,' what is our goal for today?" Valentine asked Ether.
In response, he blankly stared back at his former Sherpa. "Uh... what? Why did you call me leader?"
Valentine felt taken aback by his response. "You're the leader of this Legion. It explains itself."
"No, I am Ether, don't call me leader or anything like that. I am not in more power than you!" he ordered.
"Well, it's your wish. Ether, what will be our goal for today?" Valentine corrected himself.
Ether stared off into the distance, where a mountain loomed over the horizon. "Go back and prove your loyalty to Frosticus. If we want to survive, we need allies. They are our best bet right now."
He stepped aside, letting Valentine see Jakery and Oria. "Us three will be going back to the city. We should look to getting better armor and finishing the Legion up."
"In that case, board Gloria. I am going to bring you three there and meet you there once I am done. However, there is no guarantee that I'd return. After all, I left Frosticus," Valentine reminded.
-Two hours later-
After leaving the trio in the city, Valentine stepped back onto Digon's surface. Snow crumbled beneath his boots as he reintroduced himself to his native mountain.
Gloria screeched, showing hesitation of being there. Her feathers weren't designed to support the cold climates, unlike the Storm Chaser's cousins.
Valentine pointed above the clouds, ordering Glora to hide herself amongst the clouds. There, she would be hidden from sight, but could still hear his whistles.
She understood. Her four wings spread and leapt up into the skies. Kicking up snow and rocking trees around them. Leaving Valentine's attire half-white.
He took a deep breath of the forest he was in. This was Green Jaw, named after the Ferals that once lived there. Each one long gone, mindlessly drifting through Imbushko.
Digon let out a mighty sigh, pushing cold wind through Valentine's armored clothes. He felt the cold sneak into his bones, making him feel whole again.
With that, he took his first step. Then the next, then the one after that. Until he was marching up the quicker but rougher path up to his original home's gates.
-Thirty minutes later-
A dark shadow cast its surroundings into darkness. These were Frosticus' mighty walls, the barrier that defended their people from the outside world.
Valentine crossed his arms while staring up at the bronze gate. Right in the middle of it, Frosticus' official symbol rested.
It was two mountain peaks, resting beside each other. Representing the divide between Victory Breach and Digon's Ascended, the two highest peaks of this mountain.
A black circle surrounded the peaks, making it clear it was focusing on those two points alone. Everything else was their foundations.
His heart began to beat quicker, showing his true emotions. Despite seeming relaxed, he felt nervous about continuing. He was aware neither of the twins would take him in so easily.
But that brief moment of questioning caused his mouth to move. "FROSTICUS!"
In mere minutes, archers lined the walls. Their crossbows hot in their hands, pointed directly at the unwelcomed visitor.
"Who are you?" one called out.
Valentine stepped back while opening his arms. "I am Valentine Tavious, bowing to the Infinus Legion. I came here hoping to reason with the twins."
Some archers glanced at each other, questioning if they were hearing this correctly. And they were. The same archer lowered his crossbow to get a closer look.
"Yeah, you really are that V. Tavious one that left. Why do you want to reason with the twins?!?" he replied.
All the yelling caught the attention of the siblings. The twins made their way through the snow-paved roads of their city. Thawed and the rare few Zegi stepped aside, letting them through.
One of the siblings gestured to open the gates, which the guards did. Like muscle memory, more guards rushed to their sides. Keeping the twins secure just in case the visit was a trap.
Valentine continued to step back. His eyes were fixed in the middle of the advancing crowd. Looking for the twins. Right in the heart, they marched alongside their warriors.
Once the gate was fully opened, several guards surrounded Valentine. To this, he stopped moving. Allowing them to surround him, giving them the upper-hand in the situation.
"Huh, it's true. We were hearing that correctly!" one of the twins announced. "What do you suggest we do with him, Quill?"
The other sibling stopped in his tracks. Fists by his sides and eyes narrowed, as if he was meeting a long time rival. Ready to batter them into submission.
Except there was no rivalry. Only a bitter memory. One Valentine wanted to make right.
"Why did you come back?" Quill didn't waste time in idle chatter.
Valentine crossed his arms. "Because my people need your help."
Quill scoffed. "Has the Light Legion failed? Did Breckus come back to finish their crusades against your big and mighty Legion?"
"No, no. I left the Light Legion because my students were about to be killed for no reason at all. For that alone, we are on high alert and know any moment could be our last," Valentine replied.
The other twin, the sister, stepped forward. A wide smile plastered across her face as the hood of her white robes covered most of it.
"Now that you say that, you'd be right. They are probably looking for you as we speak. For that we have one thing to say... good luck, have fun!" she laughed.
Valentine glanced up at Digon. "Maybe you want me to endure that condition alone. But I know Digon wouldn't allow that. So I have an offer."
Quill turned to face his sister. "Suth, this is your job."
She nodded, before investing her full attention onto Valentine. It was what he was hoping for, the twins showing interest.
"If I complete my Rite of Approval, Frosticus becomes allies with my new Legion. Is that a deal?" Valentine offered.
Suth shrugged. "Seems fair to me. You'll end up dead, probably. I don't know the rest, Quill this is your job."
Quill stepped aside. "Prepare for a lengthy ascent, Valentine."