Purgis, a world that has been trapped in the eternal winter for 10,000 years by the hand of the king: Alexander Noelius IV. And although the king's magic extends to all places where snow falls, there are areas beneath the earth where Noelius is not king, and old magics still live, waiting to return to the unwary.

The train stopped in a forgotten place. Simma nudged Evein, who had fallen asleep.

"Evein, here is where we get off. " said Simma in her calming and solemn tone.

Evein yawned and got up from his seat, he was surprised to find no one else was in the wagon. The boy looked out the window, they seemed to be in a city. The skies were darkened with black columns of smoke rising from the chimneys, and the buildings were made of concrete, a style different from the rest of the buildings in the cities and towns of Purgis; they looked more brutalist.

"Where are we?" asked Evein.

"Kohlesburg," said Simma.

The two got off the train and walked through the streets. The city looked very empty, but what surprised Evein the most was the industrial air the city emanated. If everything in Purgis had a magical air, Kohlesburg was the opposite. It reminded Evein of the industrial area of Ström. And for a moment, he felt nostalgic for his home; after all, that city seemed to be the most modern thing in that godforsaken world. For him, it had been a week since was sent to Purgis, but at home had only passed 10 minutes.

"Where now?" Evein asked Simma.

"To the wild and untamed north," replied Simma. "Beyond Alexander Noelius's jurisdiction, to find the guerrilla."

"The wild and untamed north?" Evein asked. "You have such poetic names for everything here."

"Well, after 10,000 years of winter, there's time to come up with original names," replied Simma.

As they walked through the streets, Evein noticed that despite there being businesses and shops, the place seemed abandoned. But what surprised him the most was that there was electricity, unlike the other places that used oil lamps and fire to illuminate the interiors of houses and establishments; in that city were bulbs shining in the streetlights.

They continued walking until they reached the public square, where in the middle of it stood an enormous iron tower, and short and sturdy half-men were pulling coal carts out, which they carried to a cargo tram on the other side of the square.

"I don't want slackers; we're almost done for today, lads!" announced a sturdy man with a long black beard and jet-black hair.

"Dwarves," Simma said quickly. However, by her tone, she seemed disgusted, and an expression of repulsion was written all on her face. "Let's go; we need to ask when the next train leaves."

"Hey, you with the megaphone! Could you help us?" Evein asked the dwarf.

The dwarf then turned around and looked at Evein. "Who the hell are you?" the dwarf asked.

"Oh, I'm Evein Coaster, and she's Simma-Ron."

"Simma-Ron? A cardinal? I thought they were extinct."

"Unfortunately for you, there are still a few of us roaming around," replied Simma, angered by what the dwarf said.

"Calm down, girl. Here, we're all friends. We've set aside old customs and now just try to be efficient and modern in our work," replied the dwarf. "Snorri Betelson," the dwarf announced and extended his hand to Evein and Simma; Evein accepted the greeting, but Simma did not.

"And where are you heading? This isn't a 'tourist' place, as you can see," Evein asked.

"We're heading north. Do you know when the next train will leave?" Evein asked.

"To the north? Kid, this is the north! Beyond this city, there's nothing but forest, beasts, and savages," replied the dwarf. "The Trans-Siberian won't return until next week, but it won't go beyond this place. In case you didn't know, Jack Frost has rebelled against King Alexander; the bastard cut the railroad lines from here to the city of Frostgrad. I'm sorry to say, from here the trains will return to the capital city in Ren-Var."

"Jack Frost?" Evein asked. "As in the Jack Frost, the guy who controls snow and frost?"

"Yes," replied Simma. "But he's not the kind of ally you'd want on our side, Evein. Jack Frost is a sadist who likes to make ice popsicles out of his victims."

"Alright, Simma," replied Evein.

"Well, thank you for the information," Simma said to the dwarf. "Let's go, Evein; we must continue our journey north."

The cardinal took Evein's arm. Evein's body reacted once again to Simma's feminine and gentile touch.

"Oh, I wouldn't recommend you go out in these conditions. We received a weather report on the radio. A snowstorm is coming tonight. It's advisable not been outside until the storm passes."

"I'm a cardinal; I can control the wind and weather. I won't have a problem handling the storm."

"Yes, you may be able to handle a snowstorm, but this won't be an ordinary snowstorm. This is acidic snow; breathing it can burn your lungs and make your skin sick," said Snorri.

"It's not in the nature of snow to be acidic; that's because of the factories you've set up all over the area," replied Simma. "You're the ones who have caused all this trouble."

"You can't blame us; we're just workers here. If you want to file a complaint, you'll have to talk to Mr. Scrooge in Ren-Var," replied Snorri. "He's the one who owns all of these, you can stay at the downtown hotel. You'll have heating, electricity, and hot water at no cost."

"That's suspicious," replied Simma. "Nothing is free in this world."

"Miss, I know you don't like me. But this is dwarf hospitality. I might not be likable, but every time a traveler arrives in dwarf lands, we extend hospitality. I ask you not to tarnish it, please."

"You call dwarf hospitality to..."

"Thank you very much!" exclaimed Evein, interrupting Simma. "Of course, we accept your hospitality."

"Good, go to the hotel and tell the manager that foreman Snorri Betelson sent you. He'll have a room prepared for you."

The two left Snorri and walked through the city.

A tall brick building with bulbs spelling the word "HOTEL" shone among the nearby buildings. The two travelers approached; when they entered, a dwarf at the reception gave them a key to one of the rooms on the upper floor. The two went up in an old elevator and entered the room.

There were certainly better rooms; the room was simple, with a bathroom at the back and two single beds. Evein leaned San José against the wall.

"It's not the Taj Mahal, but here in Purgis, what else could it be," said Evein.

However, Simma didn't say anything, just stayed silent.

"What's wrong, Simma? You've been upset since we got off the train," replied Evein.

"You wouldn't understand. How could you? After all, you're human."

"I don't understand," replied Evein.

Simma then sat on the bed.

"Have you noticed how many people are amazed when they realize I'm a cardinal?"

"I've noticed a few times, but I thought it was because of your appearance; you're very beautiful," said Evein.

However, Simma ignored the compliment Evein tried to give her.

"Years ago, there were many like me. Cardinals were known for bringing benign winds to Purgis and making winter less harsh. But... cardinals also had another function," said Simma with a sad tone.

"What function?"

"Many people accused us of being responsible for keeping winter in Purgis. And they began to hunt all of us. At best, they just killed us, and at worst, they put us in cages and forced us to work for our captors. Freedom is everything to a cardinal. If they take that away, it's like dying while still alive. But the dwarves were the cruelest of all," replied Simma. "They put us in cages and forced us to work in the mines; if there were toxic gases, they made us disperse them. Something that could take hours and countless lives. Many of my sisters died down there in the mines."

"Oh... I'm sorry, Simma. I didn't know."

"No, you didn't know. But winter took everyone I knew, my family, my friends... my people. You don't know what it's like to be completely alone," replied Simma. The cardinal wiped the tears from her eyes and then got up from the bed. "I'll take a shower; we've been on the road for too long."

The girl then entered the bathroom and locked the door. Evein looked out the window. Yellow snow had started to fall from the sky.

Evein approached the bathroom door.

"Don't say anything," Simma replied from the other side of the door.

Evein nodded.

The boy sat on the bed. For a moment, Evein thought of Yavine; his little sister had been kidnapped by Santa Claus. And all because Evein wasn't strong enough to defend her, and while she was trapped inside the Astral Castle, Evein kept moving further and further away...

The latch gave way, and Simma came out of the bathroom. Her curls were still damp, and her skin steaming, only covered by a towel. Evein's heart raced instantly; after all, he was just a teenager.

"What's wrong?" asked Simma.

"Hey! No, nothing."

Then Simma reacted and rushed back into the bathroom.

"Don't misunderstand!" Simma replied.

"No, of course not."

"It's just that I forgot that you were here too."

The girl then got into the blankets and covered her face.

"Simma... I just want to say that I agree with you. Tomorrow morning, we'll leave here to wherever you say," replied Evein. "This winter has taken everything from you, just like it wants to take my little sister."

Simma peeked her head out.

"Evein, you have my word. we won't let your sister be sacrificed at midnight. We're in this together," said Simma; the girl got out of bed and hugged Evein. "You're the hero that Purgis needs, and whether you believe it or not, you're my hero too, Evein Coaster."