By dawn, the blizzard had subsided and the duo staggered forward through the white desolate wasteland, with Mirdaff still adhering to his idea of cutting through the snowy mountains. Their lips were cracked and mouths were parched, bits of snow clinging to their tunic and face, the cold biting deep into their skin.

With every step they took they left a mark on the white plains, the footprints etched deep into the snow. The route was slow and painful, they could only see barely a few feet from where they were and the frost-biting weather did not help them at all.

Finally, they stopped in their tracks as the mist cleared and they finally could see into the distance, an entire canyon filled with snow that seemed to have rested there for ages, silent and untouched, and they had finally reached a cliff and beyond it lies the entire canyon, outstretched across the scenery they could see. But beyond the spirit-like serenity lies something else, a thick mist that shielded what was beyond from their eyes, and the dark wall of mystery extended up into the skies, blocking all light beyond."That is... unnerving," Mirdaff whispered, his eyes still fixated on the wall of darkness.

"That sure is," Kilfer replied. They did not expect what lay at the end for them was this, yet what was beyond the wall of mist, they had to find out.

"So... we continue?" Mirdaff glanced uneasily into the distance.

Kilfer nodded but signaled for Mirdaff to wait and crouched under the sand. Mirdaff wanted to speak but Kilfer placed a finger on his lips, glancing into the snow. Then, the entire serene white blanket of snow erupted in front of them, drifting higher and higher until a path was formed connecting both sides of the canyon, the width of the canyon a few feet apart from each other and snow itself was moulded together so flawlessly that the surface was smooth from where they could see. Under the bridge, from the cold, unpigmented snow something welled up from within, so crystalline and pure, little pools of water finally forming. From beneath the snow around them, bits of green started popping out, and soon the entire canyon was filled with life. Even Kilfer could not understand how he managed to create such a magnificent canyon from sea of snowy loneliness when he simply wanted to create a bridge for them to pass, but that was magic. It delves beneath the monotonous unappealing view to the eye and pulls out the beauty buried deep underneath.

"Wow," Mirdaff awed, "You did all of this?"Kilfer shook his head. "It wasn't me. I only control magic, but to who -- or what -- did all this, it is magic. It is not anything to marvel about for it is the soul of nature, a veil around all things that causes change in everything, including birth, growth and even death. It is here, within and beyond us."

Kilfer remembered what the Alpha told him, yet as he told Mirdaff all he learned throughout the years of practicing magic, he was still filled with doubt to these words he had just uttered. It just did not make sense how magic could lie within every soul, and be the constructing bricks for life itself.

Seeing Mirdaff's bewildered face, Kilfer shook his head, "Never mind, we've got to continue."

They continued across the bridge and ventured towards the wall filled with dark mist, their footprints sinking deep into the snow and their feet were freezing from the cold and felt numb and lifeless. With every step, the dark wall loomed closer and closer, and finally covered them overhead and into the distance, they could already see the snow narrowing, giving way to sand and a few shrubs.

Kilfer felt the air getting warmer, and he could smell... the sea. It was a peculiar smell of salt and he had not smelt it for a long time. The continued until they were right in front of the wall of mists, the thick gas swirling in front of them. Kilfer signaled for Kilfer to wait, and reached out to brush across the mist in a fluid manner. How dark it appeared, the mist felt the same as air, just darker, and when he reached onto the ground within the mist, a surge of water rushed between his fingers, cold and refreshing.

"It's water," Kilfer turned to Mirdaff, "I think it should be a lake... a sea, possibly. Follow me, hold my hand, let's go."

The duo ventured into the water, Kilfer staggering in front and Mirdaff trailing behind, holding each other's hands and Kilfer grabbing his hand and the box that contained Ferhia together. At first, the cold liquid was at shin level but afterwards deepened until it reached their ankles and waists, until Kilfer felt that Mirdaff's hands were shaking.

"Cold?" Kilfer asked, and Mirdaff simply answered with a chatter, "Y...yes."

Kilfer contemplated what he could do. They were too far into the water to go back up on land, but when trapped within this inky darkness and icy water he knew he and Mirdaff would freeze to death if they were not quick, and how he felt that he could not use his magic within the mist is unnerving when he just could not use his magic to his own will.

He continued into the water until his body hit something hard, solid and drifting on the water. He tensed and reached forward. When he felt the object with the hand not clinging to Mirdaff and the box that contained Ferhia, and found that it was a long, smooth piece of wood that resembled the shape of a boat through touch.

"Mirdaff," Kilfer whispered into the darkness and squeezed his hand, "I think I've found something."

"W...what?" Came Mirdaff's shaky voice.

"A boat, I believe," Kilfer tried to climb over the piece of wood, and after quite a few tries he tumbled onto the wooden boat that rocked quite severely, and hauled Mirdaff out of the freezing water.

"What the... why is there a boat here?" Mirdaff said as they tried to get their tunic dry, "I mean, why would there be a boat here outta nowhere?"

"I don't know," Kilfer replied, shrugging, "But just consider ourselves lucky, not everyone gets a boat like that."

They used their hands as oars, propelling the boat through the still water, and they lost track of direction and time in the darkness, and they could only rely on their gut feeling to lead them on. Kilfer's hands ached, and the numbness soared everytime his hands swept across the water it felt like pinpricks on his palm.

Finally, they were too tired to continue that Mirdaff stopped propelling the boat with his hands and let the boat lead itself across the water, and Kilfer stopped soon after, and what followed was silence. Kilfer was about to doze off when a blinding light hit him and he opened his eyes to find the sun glaring down at them, the wall of mist receding from behind them, and their faces and tunic were blackened and they were still drifting calmly on the boat.

"Kilfer," He heard Mirdaff's voice call him and sat up. "Where are we? Are we... safe?"

Kilfer glanced around, and they seemed to be in the middle of nowhere on a vast ocean, but they were still not safe. Kilfer could feel his magic rising within him back again, but his stomach hurt so badly that they had nothing to eat and barely anything to drink (except for the seawater that allowed them survival) for the past one and a half days that he could barely summon water to his will. He could see Mirdaff's sunken cheeks and lifeless expression, and they were desperately in need of food, or they would die.

They were still unsafe.

"Maybe," Kilfer replied, "If hope still lies in front of us. If there is land beyond us, and we are drifting towards it, probably we are safe." Kilfer glanced towards the horizon. It was filled with water until the very ends, which seemed utterly merciless to him.

"Kilfer," A voice made him jump. The voice was not alien to him, yet he still could not believe that he would yet again hear the voice, and he glanced up at where the voice came from in surprise.

"Bronswig!" Kilfer cried as he glanced into the dwarf's eyes. The dwarfish figure glanced down at him, but he found out something weird, translucent with a bluish hue around him. Kilfer glanced behind to Mirdaff, and Mirdaff seemed to pay no heed to the dwarf's presence.

"You aren't here," Kilfer spoke with a sense of realization and stood. He really hoped that the dwarf was with him, to aid him when he was about to perish in this maelstrom of calm and silence, yet there seemed to be no hope now. He was simply a figure that was only a memory of his, so surreal and close, yet so far.

"You seem to be giving up, huh?" The dwarf spoke, ignoring Kilfer. Kilfer decided to stay silent towards Bronswig. After a long moment of silence, Bronswig continued, "You never know what is beyond this horizon, possibly what is waiting at the end in the hope that you desperately seek now, but to whether you can achieve it or not... it is up to you."

Bronswig reached out, but when his hands touched Kilfer's, it simply passed through him. However, he felt energy rush through him at that moment, and he could not feel his hunger and thirst but felt his magic welling up within him, and he could feel the water beneath him and sense the direction and navigate through the waters. He shut his eyes tight and for that brief moment he saw land, and within the land, he felt magic so strong and so vibrant that it outshone the sun, and the richness in the ground rejuvenated all the creatures that resided on that island.

Kilfer opened his eyes, but Bronswig -- or his spirit -- was gone. But now he was filled with determination, he knew that something was waiting for him at the end, and he could not afford to stop and give up. Not now at least.

Kilfer stood, and thrust his arms forward, and a surge of water hit the boat roughly, propelling it forward and spraying freezing water all around them.

"Come, Mirdaff! Let's ride the waves!" Kilfer yelled over the roar of the waves, summoning an even larger wave that nearly capsized the boat, and when the speed of the boat stabilized, Kilfer finally sat back on the boat heavily.

"Mirdaff," Kilfer finally turned towards Mirdaff, breathing heavily, "We have hope. I saw land in front of us. We have hope!"

Mirdaff smiled forcefully, but Kilfer could see the hunger and thirst within his eyes. Kilfer knew that Mirdaff had not eaten for a long time, and his cheeks were robbed of color and he was so thin he seemed as if he was a mere skeleton, only with skin wrapped around it.

"Here, Mirdaff," Kilfer reached out and took Mirdaff's hand, and water flowed from Kilfer to Mirdaff in an unexplainable way, and when Kilfer finally stopped he found the color on Mirdaff's face returning.

"Feeling better?" Kilfer asked.

"Yes, but how..."

"The work of nature," Kilfer grinned, then turned back to his navigation, "I believe we should let this boat speed up, there is still a long way for the land lies at the edge of this ocean. Drifting like this will never help, but the only way to let this speed up is to let the waves guide it along."

Kilfer stood and tried his best to move to the other side of the boat without capsizing it, and placed a hand into the water, and he focused for a moment, digging into the darkest, inkiest depths of the sea and forcing an entire current up to them, every single bit of water replied to his summon, and he had barely time to turn back and shout to Mirdaff, "Be careful!" when the sea seemed to explode around them, the entire sea of water driving them forward violently, and Kilfer could only grasp onto the boat with one hand and Ferhia's box with another hand.

The waves surged on, and the wind roared on his face, he did not know how Mirdaff was handling it but by sensing his lifeforce, Kilfer knew Mirdaff was still on the boat with him.

The tumultuous waves ensued, battling the tiny boat as Kilfer used his magic to will it on, driving them forward. Yet, he felt the island getting further, away from his grasp and again a wave of uneasiness washed over him.

"Please, Mizervon," Kilfer spoke into the wind, "If you are still here -- and I believe you are -- let me meet you. This is simply for the good, for all the living beings, spirits, and even magic itself, please... let me see you for once..."

Then the wind stopped, the sounds of the waves eroded into silence and he could not feel the water anymore. He was numb, but he knew he was on the boat with Mirdaff.

Kilfer opened his eyes, and the boat was already on an island filled with a leafy paradise, the forest filled with a powerful strength that seemed to have the strength of a thousand suns, yet the strongest magic lay in a cliff reaching out to the skies, a huge figure of a knight carved onto it, and from the downward pointing sword a waterfall replaced its blade, the water resembling the shimmering blade of the sword, reflecting the soft glow of daylight.

"What... just happened?" Kilfer heard Mirdaff speak, and turned to Mirdaff and saw him struggling to climb out of the boat.

"I communicated with Mizervon, and he brought us right... here," Kilfer replied, grabbing Ferhia's box and clambered out of the boat.

"So what do we do now?" Mirdaff asked, glancing up at the cliff, "Do we climb that thing or what?"

Kilfer shrugged and continued strolling towards the sea of green, "I don't think climbing is really that fast. How about flying there?"

Mirdaff glanced at him warily, but Kilfer simply grinned, "Come, it'll be fun!"

***

Kilfer extended his hands and summoned a huge gust of wind. On one hand, he held Ferhia's box which was considerably heavy on one hand, and on his back, Mirdaff clung tight.

"Here we go!" Kilfer yelled and launched himself into the air, and laughed in excitement. He had always loved the sensation when he was flying, where there was totally no constraints to what he could do. The breeze turned to gusts of wind that rippled across them, and the view of the entire island spread in front of them.

Kilfer did a somersault in the air and was preparing for a nosedive onto the mountain but felt Mirdaff cling even tighter to him and remembered that he had a passenger, and slowed down.

"You okay? Sorry I might have scared you there," Kilfer spoke as he glided down, but there was no reply from Mirdaff so he thought Mirdaff might be too fearful to speak. Finally, the huge carving of the knight on the cliff face was right in front of them, and Kilfer tried to search for a crevice to land on.

"I see an opening there!" Mirdaff jabbed suddenly to the sword that was carved onto the cliff face with the knight, and Kilfer saw it -- right under the hilt of the carving where the waterfall started cascading down to a lake below the cliff. The opening was not huge, with only a tiny ledge outside the opening, and Kilfer tried to land thrice but only to have his feet skid right off the ledge, and only barely managed to land on the fourth try.

Within the mountain, there was no light but Kilfer could summon a small flame on his hand as a glimmer of light. It was a tunnel that wound down the mountain in circles and made the entire descent seem annoyingly long, but finally, they could smell the peculiarly fragrant scent of flowers across the tunnel, yet the only thing they could see for a long time was still darkness.

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