"I can't believe you're doing this.", you growled through clenched teeth as you climbed up the wall of the fortress alongside Bi Han and Kuai Liang.

Dust and ice had wrapped themselves around your fingertips and made it harder to grip firmly with every metre. It was snowing. Small flakes fell on your face, making your skin burn with cold.

Baobao was right below you. One advantage bears had: most of them were very good climbers. And although it was a lazy piece, the panda did surprisingly well on the climb.

Next to you, a little further away from the wall, Tomas was hovering. Thanks to his smoke powers, he could effortlessly lift his own weight into the air. Now he made it easy for himself while the rest of you had to climb.

"I could try to give you a lift.", he offered.

The smoke had swallowed him up to his waist in a cloud. Small swathes brushed your legs and arms from time to time. The touch felt strange, warm but not like sunlight, scratchy as if it were sand. So real and yet unnatural.

You knew that magic had many forms and even more possibilities to unfold. And even if you possessed abilities yourself, it was always strange to feel those of others.

"Two of us will be too heavy.", you said and climbed on.

Above you, Bi Han slammed one of his ice kunai into the stone to pull himself up. It was surprising how fragile and yet resistant his magic could be.

"I could try.", Tomas put a hand on your shoulder, but the fear that he wouldn't be able to do it made you shake it off.

"Save your strength. We are almost at the top."

Kuai Liang shimmied up the chain of his sickle. He made sure he stayed between you and Bi Han.

Now he glanced down at the two of you. Confusion was reflected in the brown of his eyes. The same brown colour as Bi Han's and yet so different.

Tomas had blue eyes, but he wasn't very similar to the two brothers in other ways either. Something you appreciated about him.

When your gazes met Kuai Liang's, you shook your head slightly. The question hadn't been asked, but you didn't have an answer either.

"Climb.", you urged him.

The exertion was already noticeable in your muscles. It wasn't far to the top. The air seemed thinner and yet colder. As if every breath was filling your lungs with snow.

At the top, Kuai Liang was the first to make it over the edge of the wall. Then Bi Han leant down and offered you a hand. Without hesitation, you accepted the offer, grabbed his hand and let him pull you back to safe ground.

Your feet stumbled. Out of reflex, your hands lifted to seek support and fell on his chest. Immediately there was an arm around your waist, pressing tightly against it.

The beat of his heart filled your ears. All at once, the cold was forgotten. There was only your body against his.

"When the time comes, my burden will pass and you will be free.", he whispered to you, his voice rough as stone. "Then you will be able to leave if you want to. Or remain. But father's written destiny will burn and set us both free."

The words made you frown.

"Every conversation we have seems to be the same.", you whispered. "And yet they all end in a result that neither of us seem to want. Or understand."

Your gaze lifted to catch his. He shook his head almost imperceptibly.

"I know what I want.", he replied. "And it's always been like that."

Your fingers clutched at the blue fabric of his uniform.

"Then talk to me, Bi Han.", you hissed. "Make sense of all the things you say and do."

"Everything I do is for you. Us."

"And I don't question that. Traditions are traditions and don't always have to remain, but know that I would have married you even without your father's will.", you broke away from him. "Because I love you. And it's not fair that you push me away from you and pretend it's the best thing for me."

As your words filled his mind, his eyes suddenly widened. Then he frowned, confused and with so many questions demanding answers.

His gaze briefly jumped back and forth between you and Kuai Liang, who was waiting for Tomas at the edge of the wall. The grandmaster's breath came out of his mask in white clouds.

He seemed to be shivering. But he couldn't be cold. Bi Han was never cold.

"You don't know?", his voice trembled as his gaze fell on you again.

You frowned.

"That the grandmaster wanted to marry me off to preserve my abilities?", you raised your shoulders. "Of course I knew that. Or have assumed it. If my parents suffered the same fate, why not me? My powers far exceeded theirs."

His whole body seemed to tremble. His muscles contracted as he sharply stopped breathing.

"Mûdān.", the word was like a plea from his mouth. "He never spoke to you?"

"Who?"

"Father! Father never spoke to you directly? I thought you knew."

You rolled your eyes, annoyed.

"Know what?", you asked, a little more sharply than intended.

All of a sudden he grabbed you by the shoulders. It was so rough that it awakened the magic in your blood. Your fingertips immediately tingled.

But before you could say anything back, a deafening scream shattered the tense silence between you two.

Torn from your conversation you both looked up just in time to see a red shadow charge from the sky. Directly at Tomas, who had just made it to the edge of the wall.

A shiver of fright chased down your spine.

"Tomas!", you called out.

But it was already too late. Not even Kuai Liang managed to fight back the strange creature as it landed two blows mid air.

Unable to concentrate any longer, Tomas lost his grip on his magic. The cloud of smoke around him faded. And with it his stance in the air.