Vivia had her face pressed to the carriage window, utterly mind-blown by the view outside.

The town of Nethermoor lay on a hilly area with a twisted road that led through a dense forest she could only imagine in her dreams. The trees towered high, their canopies so vast that daylight cast a twilight below. Strange flowers bloomed along the path and unfamiliar creatures darted through the undergrowth, unlike anything she had seen in the Human Realm.

Despite the long journey, she didn't feel bored even for a moment as new discoveries about the Demon Realm kept her pleasingly occupied, as if with just one blink, she would risk missing the magic.

“Oh, that leaf just bared its fangs right now!”

“Is that owl perched on that branch? It looks so different from the ones I’ve seen back home.”

“That’s a glimmerpetal! I was just talking to Sir Doloros about it.”

Despite it being daytime, the forest was so thick it felt like night. The glimmerpetals illuminated the darkness, their colors shifting and gleaming like tiny auroras. Vivia held her breath, enchanted.

“The colors are so pretty. This reminds me of the auroras in the Realm of Harmony.”

“Do you like it? The glimmerpetal?” Zerath asked.

“Oh, yes. Who wouldn't?”

Zerath knocked against the coachman’s side. “Stop here for a moment.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The carriage halted, and the other ones following behind fell in line. Lucian leaned out from the second carriage, his brow furrowed. “Is something the matter, my lord?”

“Just a moment.”

Vivia craned her neck curiously. She watched as he disappeared into the bushes, rustling among the leaves. Before long, he returned, sliding into the carriage with a smile. In his hand glowed a soft, vibrant glimmerpetal.

He offered it to her. “For you.”

“Me?” She blinked, surprised.

“You said you like them. I thought it wouldn't hurt for you to keep a memento of my realm that would remind you of this place once you leave,” he smiled.

Vivia’s cheeks warmed by his thoughtful gesture. She carefully took the delicate flower in her hands.

“Thank you. I really appreciate it. But you didn’t have to trouble yourself. You have plenty glimmerpetals in the royal garden too.”

“They are kind of domesticated. The glimmerpetals in the wild are tougher and they have a more beautiful glow to their petals. They also have a longer lifespan with little sunlight and water. So…the flower here would accompany you for a long time.”

Vivia slightly clutched the flower tighter, strangely conscious of his deep gaze locked onto hers.

“Or…” Zerath took a meaningful pause and asked with a hint of deviousness glinting in his eyes. “Would my lady rather prefer to have my cloak as a memento?”

Vivia swore she would have stumbled off balance had she not been seated.

What does this crafty demon want to imply?

“Of course not, Crown-”

“Zerath. Call me Zerath.”

The spacious carriage suddenly felt smaller to her as if the distance between them now was close to nothingness.

Does he think that calling him by his name will make me falter?

She sat tall. “Of course not, Zerath. This lovely flower is enough.”

“I see. I wondered since I'm yet to receive my cloak back,” he chuckled.

Her brow twitched violently. “Are you implying that I'm a thief?”

Resting his chin on his knuckles, he smiled lazily. “You might be.”

“I'm not a thief! Yes, as Vivia I lacked money, but I still had my principles. I will return your cloak as soon as we’re back at the palace,” She glared.

Despite her indignation, she wasn't truly offended. But she refused to yield.

“If I'm a thief, then you are a liar too.”

“When did I ever lie to my lady?” he asked with interest.

“Yes, you did. You said that if I walked south west, I’d find a garden of lilybells that would interest me.”

“Indeed.”

“But I have been visiting the south west part of the palace. I didn’t see any flowers in that area or any kind of sounds resonating anywhere.”

He burst into a chuckle. “Well, I might’ve not given you complete information.”

“Aha! I knew it,” She folded her arms.

“The lilybells chime like bells, but they only bloom or chime when they’re feeling happy.”

“But I never heard the flowers chime. Are they sad in the royal garden?”

Zerath's brow twitched.

That is one unneeded way to look at it…

He coughed. “I mean the flowers need constant entertainment which is a little difficult to give every day and at all times of the day.”

To think that even flowers get bored…huh.

“If you entertain them, they chime for you.”

“Ah, I see. Understood! I’ll try again tonight.”

“They’re hard to please though.”

This attitude feels more human-like than flower-like, the corner of her mouth twitched.

Suddenly, the sky darkened. Heavy clouds blanketed the horizon and a chill swept into the carriage. In the distance, Vivia could just make out the faint, misty outline of a hill.

Zerath said, “It’s a good time to wear your coat now. The weather is a sign. Nethermoor is not far away.”

—

Vivia shuddered against the cold. Even though wrapped snugly in a thick overcoat, the chill she felt was harsher, different from any winter she had known before.

She lifted her hand, watching a delicate snowflake land atop her palm. It sparkled for a fleeting second before melting against her warmth. Gazing up, she saw the dark sky gently showering pristine snow upon the town. The flakes blanketed the rooftops and roads until it covered every inch of Nethermoor in an endless stretch of white.

Where Zerath and Vivia stood right now was supposed to be the town’s bustling market. The streets that once echoed with the lively chatter of the hard working demons were now only filled with howls of cold and icy winds gusting against the empty and barren walls.

Zerath looked surprised. “It's only snowing today.”

“What do you mean?”

“The weather here is generally filled with snowstorms and blizzards. It takes a long time for them to calm down before anybody could even step out. But…” his gaze lifted to the sky, thoughtful.

“I’ve never witnessed such a gentle snowfall before. It's…strange.”

Vivi asked, “What all possible reasons has the royal family looked into, if I may ask?”

Lucian curtly replied. “Theories like magic going wrong or a curse that befell Nethermoor. We also explored natural imbalances that might have created some rift, but our mages ruled it out. We scoured every suspicious site, yet found no intentional tampering.”

Zerath smiled. “But we won't give up. Lucian, have all the provisions been unloaded?”

“Yes, my lord.”

Following Zerath and Vivia’s carriage were three more wagons filled with supplies like food, water and warm clothes.

“Does the royal family regularly send supplies here?” Vivia asked.

“Yes. Most young families have already moved to either Umbra or Whivil. Only some old families refuse to move out. Their health doesn’t permit them to frequently go out of town and stock up on necessities.”

“Not even water?”

Zerath pointed toward the upper slope of the hill. The town itself lay at its base.

“There is a lake up there which is Nethermoor's source of freshwater. But with more than twenty years of continuous winter, it's now completely frozen. The mages periodically try to melt the lake with fire magic, but it doesn’t work to any larger extent. Besides, the melted water gets frozen up right again. So it’s fruitless.”

Vivia's heart ached. To see their lively town turn into such a frozen stillness was truly saddening.

As they approached the heart of the town, she quickly realized that her presence was unwelcomed. The reactions were the same: shock first, then burning resentment.

“How dare a human step into our town!”

“This is unacceptable!”

“How can the royal family allow this! Get out of our town, you despicable human!”