Several massive birds, with creepy long necks and sharp beaks swooped down on the prison square. Almost touching the ground, they soared upward again, but without the riders that immediately rushed into the fray.
There were only a few of them, but each one was a mage, wearing a tight white robe with the mark of the snow lily on their chests. Soon enough, their clothes were covered with the blood of slaves resisting and trying to finally gain their freedom.
One of the birds, the biggest one, slowly descended to the highest tower and extended its massive wing - allowing a tall silhouette to pass into the tower through the hole left by the explosion.
The man glanced at the twins hiding in the corner, nodded slightly, and walked slowly towards the girl lying on the floor.
Shards of glass cracked under his heavy footsteps, echoing deafeningly around him.
"Astrid... My daughter." Rukand muttered, unable to believe his eyes.
"Father..." Astrid wheezed, rolling over onto her back with her last effort. Not a single person should notice the scar on the back of her head.
Seeing his daughter's face, Rukand was taken aback, such a gruesome sight he had never seen in all his sixty years.
"Who did this to you? Where did they go?"
"He's definitely not in prison anymore... It was an evil spirit knowing the demonic art..." Astrid whispered.
Rukand's face darkened, after a long moment he uttered, "I see... I will try to find him."
Then, he caressed Astrid's cheek with his palm, "It's hard for me to say this, but I think you know how your mother will react to this... She definitely won't let you be the heir, and I can't change her mind."
"I don't care..." Astrid said through gritted teeth, making Rukand startled. He knew that his daughter dreamed of becoming the head of the family, gaining power from her mother.
Astrid's gaze changed, becoming darker, it seemed that her blue eyes had turned granite.
"If I can make him experience the same, then I will be satisfied. That and only that matters now... If my mother is so stupid then let her make my bitch sister the heir. She won't last long anyway." Astrid squeezed Rukand's palm tightly, unknowingly so hard that he winced.
...
The cold wind, like a guardian of the snowy mountains, tried to drive away anyone who dared to enter this land by sending torrents of sharp blades of frost at them.
The three persons walked slowly upward, wading with difficulty through the snow, which was as high as their knees. It wasn't easy for anyone: Klaus was helping Hana as best he could, while Evan was finding it harder by the minute to keep going, his weak body a big problem.
"Shit! Klaus, another half hour, and we'll turn into ice sculptures!" Evan exclaimed, covering himself with his hand against the blizzard, barely able to distinguish anything ahead.
"Just a little more! Last time I was here a hell of a long way back... Here! We can take shelter here!" Klaus exclaimed, recognizing the silhouette of a sheer cliff. He took Hana's hand, and with his last strength, he rushed forward.
Evan covered himself with his coat as best he could, taking the last few steps before they finally took shelter from the storm behind the cold rock.
"I... I can't feel my hands..." Hana muttered, looking down at her trembling palms, her fingertips long ago covered in a thin layer of ice.
Evan felt bad too as shadows began to move in his eyes again. However, very soon he shook his head. If he used the power of a demon wielding fire, then given the power of this demon he would have to sacrifice his entire lifespan.
'We need to find a way to get warm right away.' Evan thought, looking around, 'But where? Even the strongest campfire won't be able to withstand this storm...'
"Here." Klaus looked away, into a deep cave that seemed to run through the whole mountain, however, it was so long that there was no light visible at the end, only darkness.
"I take it we won't be alone in there?" Evan glanced at Klaus.
Klaus nodded, "Bears. There are just as many of them as there are other animals. At first, I thought I'd try to take shelter closer to the prison, where it's not so cold, but with this..."
Klaus looked at his rapier, the purple crystal glowing just as it did in Evan's sword.
"We can handle any beast and use their hides for ourselves." Klaus stepped forward, entering the tunnel. Hana tentatively followed him, trying to warm her palms, breathing on them frequently.
'Hmm, looks like the Einrich Family is dangerous... I'd rather be in a bear's den than in their hands. That's straining.' Evan pondered as he made his way into the cave.
They were no longer in the center of the blizzard, but given their clothing and temperature, they were still slowly freezing. There were only two things that could help them - a fire or someone's warm hide.
"Hush."
Klaus hissed, moving closer to the sleeping bear. It was also one of the few places for them to take shelter from the blizzard, so meeting a bear was no surprise.
Evan and Klaus stopped near the turn leading deep into the mountain, the bear was right in front of them they just needed to dash in front of the passage and attack.
"Ready?" Evan whispered, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly.
Klaus nodded.
Then, Evan rushed forward, quickly crossing halfway down the passage. A little more and his sword would have fallen on the sleeping bear, unsuspecting.
At the same moment, a huge silhouette emerged from the passage like a waiting shadow, only its blue eyes were visible as well as the glint from its sharp, long claws.
Whoooooooooooosh.
Without hesitation, driven by instinct, Evan jumped aside.
"What the hell...?" Klaus muttered, staring at the black bear, which was several times bigger than the one they were about to kill.
"Klaus... It wasn't an adult bear... it was a cub..." Hana muttered, with a shiver in her voice.
Before Hana could say anything else, Klaus pounced on her, knocking her off her feet and dropping her to the ground.
A massive paw whizzed over them, smashing into the wall and shaking the entire cave. Five long claws, sliced through the cold stone, leaving long streaks behind them.
"ROOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!" The furious roar of the mother bear, rang throughout the cave, sending terror into those who chose to attack her child.
"Klaus! Use everything you've got! We have to kill her right now or she'll eat us!" Evan exclaimed, ready to activate his sword ability if necessary.
However, Klaus didn't need a backup. He knew how to use the catalyst, so very soon, a cruel lightning bolt pierced the bear's head, tearing it apart. Crystal turned pale again just as Klaus had - completely exhausted.
The huge carcass fell to the ground, raising a cloud of dust, and only the cub bear was worried about the fate of its already dead mother.
With the help of his small nose, the cub tried to pick up his mother but nothing worked, and very soon he lost all hope.
"Arkh!" Klaus spat out a clot of blood, picked up his rapier from the ground, and headed towards the cub.
"No... Can't we spare him?" Hana pleaded, her heart breaking with grief.
Klaus jerked his hand away, "I don't like it either, I'm doing this because alone he won't survive. Better to die now, next to his mother than freeze in misery."
The cub understood everything, escape was impossible, so he only had one chance - Evan, who looked at him thoughtfully before smirking.
"Wait. Hana's right. We'll let him go." Evan pronounced in an excited tone.