Nestled beneath swirling snowstorms, a mansion perched atop a hill, its winding steps twisting toward a welcoming entrance. Inside, the lingering heat from last night's Fire Spire mingled with the gentle glow of the fireplace, wrapping the rooms in a cocoon of comfort.

This was neither a moment for violence nor for idleness. At last, Asahi stood on land he could truly call his own. The past five days had pressed on him with relentless urgency, but today, he allowed himself a rare pause. He had earned this quiet, hard-fought peace.

. . .

And so, the six people dwelled in the house, changing their rooms, cleaning dust mites, and just generally making the place feel more homey. Some had moved the shelves, while others brought in chairs. It was a house not too far from Blacksmith Haven, but at the same time, it wasn't too close to Erkunshinkdle City, close to a frozen river.

Asahi slowly settled his bottom onto the couch. He took a deep breath, took off the armor, and just relaxed. He softened his grip on the chair, embracing this moment of serenity. After all the misadventures he had endured— seeing the corpses and everything —now was a moment of peace.

. . .

Then, something sizzled. It wasn't the fire outside, nor was it the fireplace from inside, but a sizzling coming from none other than the kitchen. The windows exposed lights that shone on the surface, bringing in captivity in the long run. Asahi was daydreaming when he settled on the couch. With the glowing eye of Paxon attached to his body, visions started flickering into his brain.

. . .

A destroyed academy blazed with fury. A pink-haired girl ran from the incoming storm of flames, crying with tears of regret and sorrow.

"Mom... dad..." She was so young that she hadn't realized that her parents... were dead on the floor, slain by cloaked figures that shunned and struck. Her eyes bulged wide in shock before falling down to her knees, cold and alone.

"Mom..." She bit her lip. "D...Dad."

But no one but the snowflakes had answered. Then it raced five days after the attack. She was left all alone, just like Asahi, but this time she truly was alone. With no one but the screams of the people from the academy resounding in her mind, she looked over and felt a rumble quake the earth. From above, an avalanche the size of the academy itself crumbled and collapsed onto the building, entombing it with snow and ice.

Primrose, watching everyone die in front of her, was left alone to be eaten. The Mimic Bears that invaded the academy devoured the victims whole. It then screeched and cried as it raced over to the hopeless pink-haired girl, ready to devour her. But just before the girl was gobbled,

(SHING)

A blade cut through its many sets of teeth. A dragon the size of five horse carriages emerged and growled, before transforming back... Her cyan eyes widened at the face that saved her life. Standing still and proud was a man clad in black, with two gleaming turquoise eyes. He quickly grabbed and held onto the pink-haired girl, running from the approaching Mimic Bears.

"You will be safe," the man said as he carried the little girl on his back.

. . .

"Huh?!"

Asahi's eyes widened in disbelief as the memory washed over him. He shot upright, breath coming in quick bursts. The vision had struck without warning, shattering his fragile peace. An inviting aroma drifted through the air, grounding him in the present, yet he knew he could never look at Primrose the same way again. This memory was not his own but...

"Primrose," Asahi said, scratching and taking deep breaths. "What have you been hiding? What was that academy?" Asahi's mutters were too quiet to be heard. So instead of raising his voice, he turned his gaze toward the other side of the room.

His gaze shifted to Trid, the cyan-eyed savior of the pink-haired girl.

In that instant, Trid's greatest secret was laid bare.

Through Paxon's eye, Asahi saw not just a man, but a dragon in disguise.

He wondered why Trid had hidden his true form for so long, but the silence offered no answers.

Then, he let the lingering aroma guide him deeper into the heart of the mansion. The sweet smell of...

"Pancakes?" Primrose said, mouth watering at the delicious food in front of the table. "Sign me UP!"

In less than two hours, the cook, Ignatius, had made several pancakes on the stove, serving them with decorative fruit and, of course, syrup. Primrose dumped all the syrup onto the cakes without thinking, spreading it all over the table. Trid sighed and cleaned her mess, staring at Primrose with an annoyed look, before consuming his plate. A smile crept up his face as he tasted its beautiful content.

"Delicious."

Then came Stone-faced Stephen, who had smelled the enticing scent. At first, he resisted, but after one bite, he began devouring the meal. Asahi, glancing his glowing eye, found yet another memory carried in ice.

. . .

The ship was cruising through the waters, with two figures standing at the edge. A teenage boy did a few exercises before meeting his parents outside. From there, they saw the distant island settled at the sandbar of the frozen shore. A boy seeking adventure hurriedly grabbed his sword and dismounted the ship, swimming with absolute carelessness. He was a reckless child, one who had talked and trained, but no matter, he was a caring boy.

Sitting at the bonfire, little Stephen watched as cloaked figures screamed out to the snowy horizon.

"Oh, almighty Adtraic, shall we offer you a human sacrifice?"

The Adtraic cult. Although never asked for, it was given anyway. Asahi tried to wrack in disgust at his actions, but that's when little Stephen's smile transformed to a frown. He watched and tried to fight the cult members, but was tossed and kicked, and shoved before nearly burning alive. At that time, his parents had wielded hammers, as per their lineage. But when they were unrightfully sacrificed to the Adtraic, that's when little Stephen turned cold.

Before Stephen could escape, the cultists cried out in twisted awe and offered his mother to the silent Owners of the world. Then, one seized Stephen, pressing a moon shard into his back until it fused with his skin. He writhed on the snowy ground, the molten fragment burning him, until at last his face went numb and cold.

. . .

Asahi screamed again, powerless against the flood of memories.

Each of them had endured heartbreak and trauma. The people watched before eating once more. Yet there was still one final torrent of memories, waiting to surface before he could taste the pancakes and syrup.

. . .

"What have I done?"

A shrill voice emerged from the fog of his mind.

"What have I done?"

Short orange hair and deep blue eyes. She saw her parents engulfed in the fire she could not control.

"What have I done?"

. . .

Then another memory.

A dragon who got harassed, getting played at, and overall surrendering his life to the dragonic world. Suddenly, he was surrounded by invaders, crafting a summoning circle before thrusting him into the world of Gincad.

"Where am I?"

. . .

Lastly, before the King of Obrus reached...

"I shall slay you all, damn it!" A young man with bright blue hair and green eyes, his gaze fixed on the chanting choir, trying to stop its orchestra. But it had gone too far. Just as he had touched the step, getting closer to the King of Obrus, he heard his gentle wish.

"I wish death to all kings, except the King of Snow. Make him age and never die. Make him feel pain and suffering."

Suddenly, the world folded in on itself as the beacon of light struck the young man; gradually, wrinkles formed, and his hair turned gray.

"Damn it all!"

. . .

Asahi once again hyperventilated at the memories, seeing each and every person in this room with different eyes. Not once had he understood their motives and how they kept going, but deep down, there was the curiosity to think differently. Amongst this table, each one carried a story that they could hardly surface. As they chew on the pancakes, Asahi saw that each of these faces contained a story. But that wasn't what he wanted. Asahi wanted to savor this moment not for the delicious food, but for the friends he made along the way.

Friends that carry deep backstories.

Friends that share traumas and hope.

He had not wanted to share.

There was hope that Asahi got up from the pit. It wasn't hope itself that chained him up and pushed him away from the pit, but determination, respect, and lastly, love.

If he had wanted to stay down, by all means, he would. But that wasn't what he desired. No. He desired a happy ending, a tale of no suffering and peace. An adventure worth fighting for. He did not want to ruin people's lives, far from it, actually. If he wanted to say Primrose, Trid, and Grandpa will die in five days, he would. But he cherished this day, before the onslaught would eventually come in to consume him. After eating five pancakes smeared with syrup stacked on each other, Asahi made one deep realization that came before him...

He WAS the Prince of Hope. Hope and longing for a future and a goal shaped him into who he was.

Now with everyone on his side, including the ones he betrayed, Asahi felt more than a chain lift him up. But moreover, an entire hand, guiding him through the darkness.

After deep pondering and covering his glowing eye, Asahi said something he should have said to them long, long ago.

"Thank you, everyone."

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