Cold.
Freezing.
Then numb.
"There's a survivor!"
Those were what the child had suffered, shivering helplessly as his body was buried under a blanket of pristine, white snow.
"Pull him out of there, hurry!"
It was surprising how a child—especially a small and fragile one like him—could survive the avalanche that occurred a few days ago, still breathing.
What a wonder.
"There's another one here! But..."
The child didn't suffer the ill fate alone.
Judging by their high-quality gear and emblems etched into their armor, the soldiers, or rather, the knights, found another victim of the avalanche.
Unfortunately, Lady Maille didn't grace the other child with her blessing, unlike the fragile one.
Discovering the state of the unlucky, the commander could do nothing but bite her lips to bleed.
Looking at the surviving child, the commander ordered her knights:
"Take them to the fortress. Have Anetta tend to the fragile one. Meanwhile, we will give the unlucky a proper burial."
Before the surviving child finally depleted his last tenacity, he glanced at the unlucky child, who had the same snow-white hair as him.
Then, as darkness consumed his vision, the commander's face served as his last memory of that cold night.
"You'll be fine..."
The child couldn't quite grasp what the commander had said back then. But he was sure it was something along 'protect' and 'life,' judging by how her lip moved.
...
"Niveus!"
Having been kicked out of his past, Niveus found a crimson-eyed girl donned in silver armor that was a mix of mage robe and knight armor a few paces away from him. Despite being someone whose job dealt with swords, magic, and battles, her appearance was relatively clean, like a noble lady who spent their time lounging with tea and ball parties.
"We've found it! The Ittey!" The knight girl reported her finding excitedly.
Ittey was a demonic beast that lived in the kingdom's northern region, Salhju County, where snow fell endlessly. It said Ittey was like a giant human but with thick fur enveloping its body.
Niveus nodded.
"Good work."
The knight girl's eyes widened, and her face warmed at his praising words.
Noticing something was missing, Niveus tilted his head.
"Where's Alphonso?"
Eliana stern once again. It was only a month since Eliana was stationed in Salhju. But she was quick to adapt, though old habits die hard.
She was making a mistake in how she should present herself. Out of habit, she placed her hand in front of her like a noble lady instead of in the back like a soldier and a knight should.
However, that was to be expected of her as she was only stationed in the fortress not too long ago due to some circumstances.
"He said he will watch the target while I take you there."
Tapping the full-face helmet's side, Niveus gestured for Eliana to lead him.
Eliana was absent from her mind momentarily as her gaze lingered on Niveus' helmet of black steel with silver plating.
For a month since she arrived in Salhju, she had never seen the face behind the cover. She wondered what the guy who had been helping her adjust to her life in a new place looked like.
It was quite a shock when she met Niveus for the first time. He wore a finely crafted mask with slight, delicate features painted with swirling blue colors against a smooth white surface; his calm tone when he introduced himself matter-of-factly; the silky snow-white hair reached to his waist; and his lean build that quickly gave off the impression of frailty that caused Eliana to perceive him as a feminine.
If not for the commander calling him her younger brother, Eliana would have thought Niveus was a girl.
Since then, Eliana had been curious about her enigmatic acquaintance.
'However, that can wait,' she thought.
It certainly could wait.
At least until they finish their task of subjugating the Ittey.
Eliana retraced her steps, leading Niveus to where the Ittey and their other companion, Alphonso, were last seen.
"Al—"
"Shh..."
Alphonso, spying on the Ittey with his Forte, put a finger on his lip when he detected two friendly figures approaching him, demanding their silence.
"Be quiet, lest you want that thing to escape or rush at us," Alphonso said, pointing at the 10-foot-tall humanoid beast.
Eliana immediately covered her mouth. Meanwhile, Niveus, who was always quiet, only nodded his head.
Looking ahead and observing the humanoid beast covered in white fur, Niveus smirked behind his helmet after he spotted the injury in its right eye. The wound he had inflicted a long time ago.
'Finally...'
Niveus unsheathed his sword, stepping out of his hiding.
Surprised at Niveus' unexpected move, Alphonso gritted and grabbed his friend's wrist.
"Where are you going?!"
Raising his eyebrows, Niveus looked at Alphonso questioningly. His friends didn't know what expression he had right now, though.
"Slaying it. What else?"
"Are you crazy?! That's a tier 7 beast!"
Freeing his wrist from Alphonso's grasp, Niveus turned around.
"I know. That's why I brought her today," Niveus said, glancing at Eliana over his shoulder.
Soon after Niveus saw Eliana's surprised reaction, he dashed away from the group toward the white beast like a bolt.
Alphonso clicked his tongue. "That guy, why is he suddenly like that?"
He sighed, choosing to ignore the question in his mind. Instead, he turned to Eliana.
"I'll help him," Alphonso said. "Meanwhile, prepare your strongest fire spell."
"Understood," Eliana nodded solemnly. Her eyes burned with passion.
Eliana observed the fight between 2 knights and the white beast in the distance.
The white beast, Ittey, just like Alphonso said, was a tier 7 beast. According to the Alliance Omnibus, a tier 7 could ravage a small village single-handedly, assuming it was unguarded by professionals.
Eliana couldn't help but worry about her companions, knowing they were novice knights. But to her surprise, both of them handled the situation very well, especially Niveus.
He moved as though he could see where the Ittey would attack, then countered with a quick slash or stab to its vital point, draining the beast's vitality.
When the Ittey went into a frenzy and began attacking randomly, Niveus and Alphonso changed their approach. They switched from attacking to defending.
"Eliana, get ready!"
Eliana closed her eyes, standing in the open area defenselessly. She drew mana from her Heart Ring and channeled it into her hands. Opening her eyes, she examined the battle before casting her spell.
When Eliana finished her magic casting, the Ittey was already immobilized by Niveus and Alphonso.
"Hurry! I can't hold it anymore!" Alphonso screamed.
On the other hand, Niveus was more relaxed than Alphonso.
He might be lean and look feminine, but his strength was equal to that of ten adults combined. This was evident by how loosely he gripped the steel rope but still held the Ittey in place.
A crimson flame sparked in Eliana's hand. Soon, it blazed volatilely. Eliana flinched when her own spell grazed her cheeks. She raised her hands skyward and shouted:
"Phoenix Form: Flaring Arrow!"
The flame released from Eliana's hands, transforming into a phoenix while soaring into the sky. The sizzle sounded like a phoenix's screech when it flew toward its target, the white beast.
The phoenix-looking fire arrow penetrated the white beast's body. Soon, the flame engulfed it whole.
Niveus grinned. Meanwhile, Alphonso and Eliana looked confused.
The Phoenix Flaring Arrow looked like a potent spell because of its visuals. But in actuality, it was only a tier 9 spell that most novice mages could learn in about a month or two if they were less talented.
And for a tier 9 spell to deal that much damage, even killing a tier 7 beast, was unheard of. Moreover, it was a fire spell cast in the snow or cold regions like Salhju County, which could reduce its effectiveness.
Of course, that was if the said tier 7 beast wasn't an Ittey.
'Although the environment doesn't help and weakens the fire spell instead, as long as it can graze the Ittey's inner fur, it will spread and slowly burn its core,' Niveus said inwardly.
All beasts had a core to sustain their lives, and it acted as their heart. Even the strongest beast couldn't avoid death if their core was destroyed.
For tier 7 beasts and above, the core usually contained an element or essence. In the Ittey's case, its core had an ice essence. So, it was very susceptible to fire.
However, the information about Ittey was minimal because it could only be found in the Northern Salhju. So, only a few, or worse, no one, except Niveus, knew about the beast's weakness against fire.
Also, even though people knew it was the Northern Salhju's snowfield, Tundra, Ittey was a beast that was rarely seen despite its size. The last time it was seen was 13 years ago.
It was a rare, lucky encounter that the three aspiring knights found the Ittey.
Niveus looked at the white beast's remains.
'I don't know how this creature got rated as a tier 7. But if it's this weak, shouldn't it be at the same tier as the tier 8 Goblin Warrior, at best?' Niveus thought, side-glancing in Eliana's direction, but he didn't look at her.
Turning his attention skyward, Niveus smiled behind his helmet.
'Anyway, with this, I hope you rest peacefully up there, brother.'