Yuno, with his messy white hair and sharp eyes, looks at Sara with a serious look mixed with worry. Despite his smile that he tries to appear confident, the trembling of his breath in the cold air betrays the harshness of the weather. He kneels before her inside the dark cave, where the small fire casts a pale light on his tired features.
"Listen, Sara…" he says in a low but firm voice, pulling his thick coat over her shoulders. "Stay here by the fire, don't go outside. The frost is getting worse, and the storm might blow you away."
Her eyes, wide and filled with worry, follow him as he stands, tightening his scarf around his neck in preparation for leaving. But before she can address him, he turns around, smiling a reassuring smile despite the snowflakes that have begun to cling to his eyelashes.
"I'll be back soon, just don't even think about following me." Then, with determined steps, he charged into the snowstorm, leaving his shadow fading into the white mist.
Sara sat by the fire, trying to absorb its warmth, but the coldness of anxiety was harsher than the frost that surrounded her. She watched Yuno's shadow drift away into the storm, and every time he took another step into the unknown, she felt something inside her scream.
Her trembling fingers pressed against the coat he had left her, but it wasn't enough to dispel the turmoil in her heart. The sound of the howling winds was enough to make her imagine the worst-case scenario—what if he was lost? What if he never came back?
She stood up suddenly, her legs stiff from the cold, but she didn't care. She ran toward the entrance of the cave, where the wind was howling like a hungry beast. "Yuno!" she shouted, but her voice was drowned out by the roar of the storm.
She didn't think twice, she didn't let fear paralyze her. She rushed forward, ignoring the snow that was beginning to penetrate her clothes, following his footprints that were quickly being erased by the ice. She knew he had asked her to stay, but he didn't realize how much harder it would be to lose him forever.
The wind slapped her face harshly, the snow clinging to her eyelashes, but Sara didn't stop. Her feet sank into the ice more than once, her breathing heavy and shaky, but she kept running. Yuno's footprints were almost disappearing under the storm, but her heart guided her to him.
Then, amidst the white fog and falling snow, she saw him—standing with difficulty, trying to move forward, but the cold was suffocating him.
"Yuno!" she shouted hoarsely, as if she wanted to tear apart the wall of wind between them. He turned to her, his frozen eyes widening in surprise. "Sara?! What are you doing here?!" His voice was tinged with anger, but he didn't hide his concern.
Before he could scold her or push her back, she rushed towards him, throwing herself into his arms tightly, as if trying to make sure that he was real, that he wasn't lost in this white hell.
He felt her body trembling in his arms, the heat of her breath mixed with the cold, her trembling voice as she whispered, "Don't leave me alone…". For a moment, he forgot about the cold, forgot about the storm, he just pulled her closer to him, placing his hand on her head to protect her from the wind.
"I'm sorry…" he whispered, burying his face in her frozen hair. "I won't leave you, I promise."
The wind was still howling around them, snow piling up on their frozen clothes. Despite the warmth of their first embrace, it wasn't enough to combat the bitter cold. Sara, whose body was shivering violently, lifted her head slightly to look at him, her cheeks flushed deeply, not just from the cold, but from something else as well.
She hesitated for a moment, then muttered in a voice barely audible through the wind, "Yuno… If… If we hugged each other closer, we could warm each other up…" Her words were broken by the shivering, but they carried with them a dose of shyness that made her lower her eyes immediately.
Yuno's eyes widened, his face heating up for a moment, despite the ice accumulating on his eyelashes. "W-What? No, no need for that, we'll be back soon!" He said in confusion, trying to dismiss the thought.
But when he looked back at her, he saw how she was trembling violently, her lips barely moving as she tried to maintain her consciousness. Only then did he realize that stubbornness wouldn't work here.
He sighed softly, then approached her without another word. He placed his hands on her trembling shoulders, and pulled her gently towards him, enveloping her small body in his arms. He could feel her rapid heartbeat, and the heat of her flushed face against his chest, but he ignored his shyness this time.
"Don't move…" he mumbled warmly as he wrapped his coat around her, blocking out the cold wind. Sara felt warmth slowly creeping into her body, not only from the heat, but from his closeness as well.
"Thank you…" she whispered, a bit of relief mixing with her shyness.
Yuno, despite his face still burning with embarrassment, tightened his arms around her a little, as if to make sure she wouldn't freeze in his arms. "Just don't tell anyone about this… especially Dante…" he mumbled, but there was something gentle in his voice, and something else he didn't want to admit yet.
As time passed, Yuno and Sara continued to walk through the snow, their eyes searching in all directions, hoping to find something to hunt. The wind was howling around them, and nothing but icy silence surrounded them. Their steps were digging into the deep snow, but they had to move on.
"It seems like we're far from the cave, huh?" Sara said in a low voice, raising her head from the ground to look at the cloudy sky. "I think we should head back soon, the sun is about to set."
"Yes, we're close to our usual hunting ground. Just bear with it a little bit." Yuno said, his eyes still searching for prey on the horizon, but he could feel the weight of the atmosphere growing harsher as time passed.
A few more minutes passed as they walked silently, the wind howling around them. The whole place looked like a sea of ice, far from any civilization or life.
"Do you think we'll find anything today?" Sara asked, trying to break the silence.
"I hope we find something before it gets dark. We don't want to stay here after dark, especially with the storm." Yuno replied, wiping the snow off his coat.
But suddenly, Sara stopped and closed her eyes for a moment, as if she felt something strange in the air. "Yuno… did you feel that?"
Yuno stopped his steps and walked towards her, his eyes searching the space. "What do you feel?"
Before she could answer, strange sounds flew overhead, and a huge group of griffins, with their huge and terrifying wings, swooped down and surrounded them in a tight circle. The whirring of the wind grew louder with the rustling sound of the large wings, and in an instant the entire atmosphere was filled with the echo of that terrifying sound.
"It seems we're in trouble…" Yuno whispered, his eyes looking around, unable to escape or attack at this moment.
But as if fate was watching them, a group of centaurs suddenly emerged from the snow, their heavy feet swiftly cutting through the ice, and their warriors armed with bows and arrows appeared in the blink of an eye to repel the griffin's attack.
In an instant, the birds retreated upward, leaving Yuno and Sara in safety. But soon enough, they heard footsteps approaching, and the centaur leader appeared before them, standing still with sharp eyes, watching them closely.
"𐌠𐍅𐌖𐍄𐍂𐍃 𐍃𐌙𐍁? (Who are you?)" the leader asked, his voice deep and serious, his breath rising in the cold air.
"𐍃𐌙𐍁 𐍄𐍉𐍆 𐌠𐍅𐌖𐍃𐍂?
(Where did you come from?)"
As the centaur leader spoke in a strange language, Sara couldn't understand a word he said. Her gaze darted between Yuno and the centaur leader, trying to catch any clues to the situation. The leader watched them warily, his sharp eyes following their movements carefully, while Sara stood silent, tense and unable to respond.
But suddenly, Yuno spoke in the centaur language, his words smooth and clear, as if they came from the depths of his understanding.
"𐌖𐍄𐌡𐌘 𐌡𐌷𐌙𐌠𐌡 𐍁𐌠𐍗𐍔𐍃 𐌷𐌡𐍁 𐌗𐌙𐍁𐌡𐍅 𐍀𐍗𐌉"
(I'm sorry to trespass on your territory, but we were looking for something to hunt.)
He said in a calm voice, there was a touch of respect in his tone.
When the centaur leader heard the words, a look of surprise appeared on his face, his gaze changing from caution to curiosity.
"𐌡𐍃𐌗… 𐍁𐍅𐍉𐍒𐍇 𐌷𐌙𐌠𐌡𐍉?"
(You… speak our language?)
he asked, amazed at Yuno's ability to speak fluently. Then, with a slight wink, he pointed at Sara and said,
"𐌷𐌙𐌠𐌡𐍉 𐌡𐌷𐌙𐌙𐌠 𐌖𐌙𐍃𐌙𐍂 𐌡𐍁 𐍅𐍆𐍔𐍇, 𐍅𐌖𐍑𐌙𐍁, 𐌗𐍁𐌠𐍅 𐌖𐌠𐌡 𐌷𐌙𐍂 𐌡𐍂 𐍁𐌙𐌠𐌡𐍉"
(Since you haven't caused any harm, we'll spare you. You can come with us to our kingdom.)
Yuno nodded in thanks, while Sara felt relieved when the griffin finally started to move away from them. They started walking together, the storm had calmed down a bit, but the cold was still there.
On the way, Sara would whisper to Yuno every now and then, asking him to ask the leader some questions. Yuno would turn to her, and answer as she asked. Sara had been avoiding speaking to the leader directly, since she did not understand their language.
The centaur leader noticed this, and raised one eyebrow in question.
"𐌷𐌙𐌠𐌡𐍉 𐌡𐌷𐌙𐌙𐌠 𐌖𐌙𐍃𐌙𐍂 𐌡𐍁 𐍅𐍆𐍔𐍇, 𐍅𐌖𐍑𐌙𐍁. 𐌗𐍁𐌠𐍅 𐌖𐌠𐌡 𐌷𐌙𐍂 𐌡𐍂 𐍁𐌙𐌠𐌡𐍉"
(Why doesn't your friend ask you what she wants herself?) he asked Yuno, looking at Sara gently, thinking that she might be shy to talk to him.
"𐍃، 𐍆𐍊 𐍃 𐍁𐍅𐍉𐍒𐍇 𐌷𐌙𐌠𐌡𐍉"
(No, she doesn't speak your language) Yuno replied with a slight smile, continuing to walk beside the leader.
Sara looked down shyly, feeling a bit embarrassed at her inability to interact normally. But the centaur leader didn't seem angry or uncomfortable. On the contrary, he seemed understanding.
"𐌷𐌙𐌠 𐍅𐍖𐍒𐍇𐍄 𐍇𐍀𐌠."
(That explains it.)
He said in a calm voice, then added,
"𐍃 𐍇𐌖𐍇, 𐍅𐌖𐍑𐌙𐍁 𐍅𐌘𐌠𐍇 𐌷𐌙𐌠𐌡𐍉 𐍁𐌙𐌠𐌡𐍉 𐍖𐍆𐍇 𐍅𐍂𐌙𐍃."
(Don't worry, we will teach her our kingdom's language if she wants.)
It was a relief to Sara, but at the same time she felt the need to learn this language quickly, so that she wouldn't be in this strange situation all the time.
The centaur leader suddenly ordered his group to stop, then turned to Yuno and said in a calm yet decisive voice,
"𐍇𐍂𐍁 𐍅𐌖𐍑𐌙𐍁."
(We have arrived.)
The words were laden with a tone of desire for peace and tranquility, as if arriving at the kingdom meant something more than just the end of the journey.
As Yuno and Sara looked ahead, a very majestic sight unfolded before them. The kingdom's gate was massive, rising into the sky like a giant wall of wood and copper, decorated with strange carvings on its walls. The colors blended beautifully with the darkness that was beginning to cover the horizon, and faint rays streamed from behind the gate, adding magic and majesty to the place.
The two guards, standing at the kingdom's gate, watched them silently. Then, at a signal from their leader, the guards moved to open the gate heavily, as the door slowly opened, with a deep, wooden sound, allowing them to enter.
As they passed through the gate, Yuno and Sara noticed how the entire centaur group stopped moving for a moment, and a few eyes began to turn towards them curiously, then they began to whisper to each other. Everyone in the kingdom was noticing them; Yuno and Sara were the only non-centaurs in this place. They looked strange, different from the rest of the creatures around them.
Despite the confusion that the centaurs were feeling, their leader remained calm, then turned to Yuno, saying in a soothing voice,
"𐍃 𐍇𐌖𐍕𐍇, 𐍃𐌙𐍅 𐍆𐌙𐍂𐍇 𐍅𐍂𐌙𐍃𐍉𐍂, 𐍅𐌙𐍃𐍁 𐍆𐍄𐍇𐍃 𐍁𐌷𐌙𐌠𐍂𐍇 𐍅𐌙𐍃𐍁 𐍇𐍂𐌙𐍁𐍇𐍅"
(Don't worry, you're not unwanted, they're just surprised that you're here.)
The centaur leader then added, pointing to the dark sky,
"𐍇𐍂𐍁 𐍅𐍂𐍕𐍇 𐍄𐍃𐍂 𐍈𐍁, 𐍅𐍂𐌖𐍂𐍇 𐍅𐍂𐍇𐍙𐍇 𐍇𐍂𐍁. 𐍈𐍂𐍙𐍄𐍇 𐍅𐍂𐍇𐍙𐍇 𐌠𐌙𐍅𐍁 𐍇𐌠𐍂𐍇𐍛𐍇, 𐍅𐍂𐍇𐍙𐍇 𐍈𐍂𐍁 𐍅𐌖𐍄𐍁𐍂 𐍉𐍄𐍇 𐍇𐍂𐍁. 𐍆𐍄𐍇𐍃 𐍅𐌖𐍄𐍁𐍂 𐍇𐍂𐍙𐍇 𐍁𐌷𐌙𐌠𐍂𐍇 𐍇𐍂𐍁 𐍇𐍂𐍁𐍙𐍇 𐍅𐍂𐍇𐍙𐍇. 𐍃 𐍇𐌖𐍕𐍇, 𐍆𐍁𐍂𐍇 𐍇𐍂𐍙𐍇 𐍅𐍂𐍇𐍙𐍇 𐍇𐍂𐍁 𐍃𐍇 𐍀𐍅𐍂𐍙𐍁𐍇 𐍇𐍂𐍁𐍇."
(It's night now, and you two should stay here. We are to be guests in our kingdom, and we won't leave you in this harsh atmosphere. I'll ask that you get used to this place for as long as you stay here. Don't worry, the kingdom isn't as strange as it may seem at first.)
Sara was feeling confused and surprised, but the centaur leader's words were comforting. She took a deep breath as she tried to adjust to the new reality, while the centaurs began to return to their usual activities, some of them giving them short greetings as they passed.
The kingdom looked strange yet beautiful at the same time. Everything reflected the strength and maturity of the Centaurs, from their towering buildings made of solid rock, to the bridges spanning across snowy valleys. Yuno and Sara were in a completely new place, surrounded by mystery, but now they felt relieved to be in a safe place after a long and difficult journey.