Dmitri kneeled down and clutched his chest, bidding respects for his dead brother. All this time, Rin was mourning his life away for his dead family. Rin placed a beautifully crafted pinwheel on the edge of the well. There were more of these scattered around the trees planted on the ground. If Dmitri could see these from afar, assuming they were all standing together, they would look like a garden in winter. Regular plants wouldn't grow at this kind of weather, but the pinwheels looked enough like flowers.

Their peace was disrupted by a group of angered villagers with spears, rakes, and spades.

"There they are!" A man hollered from the back. Rin and Dmitri turned around. He was mainly pointing at Dmitri.

Dmitri felt his stomach pit again. Vlad clutched on his leg for safety.

"Explain this, trickster!"

A villager tossed his satchel across the snowy path. The flap opened, revealing his crumpled brown map that was written everything in Kivan, along with his original white garments.

As the villagers crept closer and closer, Dmitri took steps back. His body is shaking, numbing. Everywhere, Dmitri started to see fires. Everywhere. He could hear the trees crackle and everything becoming pitch black like it was night time. The shouting of men and women echoed louder in his ears, then slowly he sunk. Dmitri tried to drown himself with the angry shouts and curses. His eyes began to water as he hastily shook his head. His nightmare surfaced once again.

Please don't do this to me..!

Please don't..!

I didn't choose to be this way..!

Help me, please..!

A large gust of cold wind whipped his thoughts away. Rin stepped forward and walked towards the trashed satchel.

"Stay away, Rin! We want the foreigner! He doesn't belong in this country!"

He didn't listen.

The man gripped his pitchfork tighter. His face was red and wrinkled and veined. He took a deep breath as he jumped and launched at Dmitri, attempting to swerve away from Rin's guard.

Rin stopped and balled his hands into fists. The atmosphere became even colder, and the villagers trembled. The icicles on the trees grew larger and larger, like tendrils and teeth of beasts. He sent another breeze, instead, this was even thicker and filled with sorrow and anger. The wind swept his feet off the ground, levitating him while freezing his dirtied sleeves and skin to pure white. The villagers looked up, eyes wide and jaws gaping.

"He's..! He's the snow woman's son!" A woman cried while she shouted.

Aia pushed through the crowds to see the commotion. When she saw Rin, she was silent.

Rin hid his anger for years. The villagers claimed to treat everyone who comes with respect. However, all these years that he and his younger brother were left without parents, he was forced to take it in his own hands to raise his young brother till death. Where was the villagers' help when his brother was dying sick? How could they have forgotten that he was the snow woman's son in this small village?

"Hey brother, you know what we should do after I get better?"

"What is it?"

"We should go on an adventure. You and me, meet new friends. I heard Kiva's always snowy!"

The frozen ground cracked loudly. Pikes of ice grew behind Dmitri and around Rin, rising higher and higher. The frost trees grew thicker roots like encased shells. The wind howled louder and eerily as if screaming. The elements crept towards the villagers as they shrieked. They attempted to escape, however, they were surrounded. All there was at the moment was fear and malice.

This isn't right... This isn't Rin!

Dmitri shifted back to his original self and quickly ran to face Rin. His hands spread wide and looking at him on the eyes. His own eyes trembled at the snow spirit.

"Stop it, Rin!"

Rin halted. The ice broke and shattered to dust by the sight of the boy's worried face. His hands and breathing trembled.

"I don't think... I don't think she would want that."

Rin slowly lowered himself down, keeping his head low as he walked towards Vlad. Vlad cleaned up Dmitri's satchel. He raised his little arms to Rin to give the satchel. Rin led himself towards Dmitri, slinging it around the boy's body, and placed his hands around his shoulder, walking away together from the villagers. He didn't say or looked back at them. The anger was still there, Dmitri could sense it clearly.

"Rin..?" Dmitri looked at him.

Rin was trying to run away.