After breakfast, everyone saddled up their gryphons once more to depart on the last stretch of the journey to the Dwarven North. Hongjoong took Jongho and Buddy by teleport as far as the magical barriers that protected the dwarves would allow him, and the rest followed on the gryphons.

The snow and ice greeted them with ferociousness. Thick flocks whirled through the air as the gryphons cut through. Beyond the mist, the towering peaks of the mountains loomed in the distance.

Since Seonghwa didn't easily get cold, he was more concerned about the health of the rest of his family. He checked that Wooyoung was cuddled into his green scarf that Yeosang wove for him in remembrance of the old one Seonghwa gifted him, which he lost in the Night of Starfall. Yunho and Aodhán marvelled at their breath showing in the air, the sun elf shivering pitifully, but Morana handed her cloak to her brother, running hot enough not to mind the cold. Everyone else was somewhat doing fine. Hongjoong brought his warm cloak for this journey and Seonghwa looked forward to seeing him in it.

The gryphons didn't mind the snow. The cold couldn't penetrate their thick feather coats and they rushed through the whirl of white without ever slowing. Soon, their familiar purple flame signalled the border to the Dwarven North.

Jongho had a pile of snow on his head and shoulders, he was sitting so still. When the gryphons dug their talons into the snow to find footing, Seonghwa smiled at his mage, snuggled into his fur-rimmed coat that matched his usual fancy and sleek fashion. For now, he clung to the warmth of his magic, but he would soon lose that advantage.

The dwarves were non-magic users. Magic wasn't inherent to their blood and couldn't be studied by pure-blooded dwarves, either. Their natural immunity made them the ideal trading partners for dangerous magical materials and items. It also meant they were able to forge magic-repressing artefacts. Back when the orcs attacked the Crystal Sphere, Yongguk used those dwarven weapons to suppress the power of the mages and shatter their shields.

The entire Dwarven North was covered in the same magic-repelling items. Used to protect their people and shut out magic users, such artefacts guarded these mountains.

Hongjoong and Aodhán wouldn't be able to use their magic here. Even Seonghwa might feel the resonance in his soul. A dangerous gamble, coming to Veg Boldhir, the dwarven capital, after years of strained relations without the easy escape route of Hongjoong's magic. This was precisely why Seonghwa was nervous about bringing his kids here. If they were attacked, they had to fight their way out of the mountain.

But through their letter exchanges, the current dwarven king, Nozzuri Greyback, had expressed his interest in trade with the recovering empire. Since the orcs offered little profit from their side of the war, the dwarves followed the jingle of coin, as always.

So Seonghwa could only hope the dwarves kept their promise and didn't wait to capture him and his husbands to sell them out to the orcs. In that case, San and Jongho had a few tricks up their sleeves. Their troupe might not flee the prison inside the mountain, but they would rather die trying than lose everything they had left to the orcs.

His anxiety gnawed on Seonghwa when they sent the gryphons their way and stepped over the invisible border on thick the bed of snow.

A moment later, Hongjoong huffed, rolling his shoulders. The immediate restriction to his power irked him, echoed in his body where magic usually fuelled him. The faint illusion that cast an ever-permanent shine to his hair and jewellery wore off, but he might just be even more handsome without it.

To Seonghwa, it felt like his connection with the world around him was getting dulled. As if there was suddenly more distance to the stars, to his kids. He could still feel them, could read their souls through his born abilities, but he couldn't communicate the same way.

Aodhán nervously grabbed Morana's hand. Pebble marched ahead of them while Buddy dug his snout into the snow, most unbothered of all. Both of them came up with white spots.

"These mountains have many stories to tell. Years of observing and changing," Jongho muttered as Seonghwa checked with Yeosang. The dryad shared a similar discomfort as him, but he occupied himself with herding everyone close so they could leech off of Mingi's heat and no one would miss a step on the treacherous snow bed.

The mountain scape seemed endless from here. Giants covered in white, more spectacular even than the majestic golems of Jongho's home. Their history was ancient, as these mountains were here long before the elven forests, long before the first tribes of the water. They witnessed the battles of the gods and the titans and they reached for the stars as the skies spun the fate of all living beings.

"I bet," Yunho muttered, stunned by their height. They seemed impossible to climb, and no one would dare try, either. Nature wasn't meant to be dominated by the creatures nursing from it. Seonghwa respected the cold stone mountains as much as his forests.

Morana looked as if she wanted to take the challenge and see if she could reach the highest peak, maybe find a treasure there, but their steps sloped her further away from the nauseating cliffs.

Soon, they reached the street covered in snow. It curved into the mountains, splitting through towering cliffs of stone. It led deep down, forming a narrow gorge through the ice. The snow here wasn't as high since it couldn't fall through the gap, but the entire area was clad in pale blue ice.

"Where are we?" Mingi whispered, disoriented by their dulled steps and the lack of wildlife to provide background noise. The occasional bunny dashed by in the distance, a few birds of prey. But otherwise, only the kids, Pebble and Buddy whirled up the untouched snow.

No one came through here in a while. After cycling through the air, Wooyoung confirmed this was the correct route.

"This is the right path. We traverse this canyon, then we reach the entrance to the mountain kingdom of Veg Boldhir," Seonghwa informed them. He saw the tension in San's wings before he even opened his mouth.

"They will be watching us. If they attack from above, we are trapped with no way out," he warned and Hongjoong grumbled to himself, displeased by his lack of magic.

Jongho was at the ready by their sides. The gleaming white of his flames and crystals matched the surroundings he took in. Ever steady.

"Should I bring Obsidian along?" Morana wondered, ever unconcerned by the strategic disadvantage they were about to descend into. She would run in first and then figure out how to survive. More than before, Seonghwa was glad to have an eye on his daughter.

"Best leave her out here. She might feel trapped and provoke the dwarves. We don't want to cause unrest in their lands," Seonghwa offered gently and, for once, Morana listened. She also didn't want to torment Obsidian. They knew she wasn't fond of caves since she preferred nesting in the forests and following Morana's call in the lands of the titans instead of coming with them to live inside the cave.

After she whispered to her bird, sending her to find shelter nearby along with the gryphons and Mulberry, Obsidian took off. Once Onyx came to fetch her, the gryphons would follow.

Wooyoung scoured the area, but they had little other choice but to follow the single path. The walls were much too steep to climb, and it was a show of their good will to follow the dwarves' linkage to the outside world instead of taking the backdoor.

So Seonghwa gathered his group and slowly descended.

Morana insisted on leading on, Pebble close to her to take in all the new sights. Yunho was their silent protector, a hand on his sword as the icy walls first rose next to their shoulders, then at their heads and soon far above.

With keen eyes on their surroundings, they pushed on as the mountain swallowed them.

The ice around them cracked and sung, so similar to Seonghwa's soul itself. The noise disoriented Mingi, made him startle a few times when he thought those icicles larger than grown demons might come down on them with their sharp tips.

The frozen walls seemed to whisper and watch them, but none shattered on their path through. As the mountain engulfed them with its stale coldness, the far light from above was soon filtered by a thin layer of slow that stubbornly sealed the canyon.

Though the trek was long, it felt short since everyone was so tense. Soon, signs of life greeted Jongho, and he relayed them to the others.

"Forges deep below. Molten hot liquid on the stone. It's hollow here. Carved to the desire of the little creatures living in it," he reported, and Aodhán nervously pressed into his father's side. Footsteps left trails in the snow before them, stomping it to a solid mass. They were smaller than Seonghwa's bare feet softly landing on the ice.

"They live like that? In the dark?" Morana wondered, picking up Pebble so she wouldn't get lost on their way in or disrupt any relevant talks. Yunho also kept Buddy on a leash here, ever worried about his friend's safety around unpredictable strangers.

"Like the demons," Jongho confirmed. They followed the song of the ice further in and around the next curve, Jongho turned his head to the unnatural change inside the mountain.

A massive gate towered above them, demanding space in the narrow canyon but utterly disappearing under the snow from above. Geometrical lines were carved into it, decorating with impeccable craftmanship. Gold filled those grooves, as if raindrops left their trail since it was so thin and perfectly lined.

The gate was sealed. In its middle, the golden lines gathered to a diamond-shaped opening, the slot for some specific key no one but their folk would possess.

Intimidating, the gate towered almost as high as the edge of the canyon itself, its stone dark and smooth.

Morana's mouth hung open. She stepped out of the way to stem her hand into her hip, taking in the sight of the gloomy gate among the walls of ice. Pebble got to marvel with her.

The rest of Seonghwa's group closed up on the entrance to investigate for a way to call for the dwarves. Their alarm systems likely already informed them of the presence of their guests, but so far, none of their folk were in sight.

Jongho echoed into the earth while Yunho assured Mingi, explaining to him why everyone fell quiet and he had nothing to fear.

San didn't move from Seonghwa's side, his hand always on the hilt of his sword to defend. While the others curiously peered around for a mechanism to open the door, Yeosang lingered nearby with the kids.

"Really cold here," he commented, his leaves shrivelling to leave him with bare branches. All his flowers and mushrooms had retreated from the frost, but he decorated with a few evergreens and snow berries so his bark wouldn't look so bleak. He was more tree than usual, walking on legs like trunks in the fashion of his people. Better protection from the cold than mere skin.

"Will you be fine?" Aodhán checked with him, but Seonghwa was distracted by a rumbling noise coming from the gate.

No one touched anything at his hasty glance around, but the massive doors slowly crunched open. They took forever to expose even a small crack and Seonghwa's family backed away to gather around him, watching warily as shadows moved in the dark beyond the gate.

Then, several people stepped out. On their stocky legs, with thick armour and their beards and hair artfully braided to perfection. They bore weapons, but their posture wasn't aggressive as they marched outside to greet the newcomers.

Seonghwa straightened when he recognised the hard lines on their faces. The dwarves may only reach to his stomach, but he wouldn't challenge their tough warriors.

"What's your business here?" The one leading the troupe addressed the group, voice gruff.

Seonghwa politely bowed before him, taking off his hood to unveil his identity. For a moment, the dwarves were struck, rarely seeing a being of the stars in their home, but their gazes returned to the same leer immediately.

"We received an invitation from your king."

Hongjoong handed the letter to the dwarves, the blaze of his golden eyes a warning not to try anything.

After checking the sigil, their leader nodded.

"Follow us. You are welcome to the mountain." With that, the dwarves beckoned into the darkness and Seonghwa gathered his courage to nod at his group to follow him inside the endless caves.