Encounter with the Ice Dragon
Elsid wandered the area, breathing in the crisp night air to clear his head.
"What brings you out at this hour? Are you heading somewhere?"
He happened upon Yuna. Elsid asked why she was there. She tilted her head for a moment, then replied.
"You should be fine. If you're up for it, want to come along?"
She pointed behind her with her thumb. Yuna answered a question with another question. Elsid followed her out of curiosity, his footsteps echoing behind hers.
"Where are we going?"
"Oh, didn't I say? The shrine."
They had gone deeper than he expected. She was leading him toward the shrine that housed the Ice Dragon.
"The shrine? What for?"
"Because the Ice Dragon is there."
"What do you mean?"
It was a casual question, but the answer was far more shocking than he could have imagined. Elsid asked again, wondering if he had misheard.
"Of course. The shrine is the Ice Dragon's home."
Yuna didn't correct herself. Instead, she confirmed it and explained further. With a smile, she began recounting how she had first met the Ice Dragon, even though he hadn't asked. She had been deeply moved by the existence of such a beautiful and powerful creature. The white mane along its spine, the transparent horns that let moonlight pass through, and especially those piercing blue eyes that radiated cold—she had trembled from head to toe the moment their gazes met.
Elsid listened in silence as they walked toward the shrine. Yuna needed no prompting; she spoke with growing excitement.
"That meeting probably changed everything. It helped me break through my plateau and win the northern region's strongest warrior tournament, earning me the title Snowflower Sword."
She moved from the story of meeting the Ice Dragon to her own past. Born in a village in the Ice Palace region, she had taught herself the sword with no instructor and no parents to guide her. Her father had been killed by an Ice Bear while hunting when she was three, and her mother had passed away shortly after giving birth to her younger sister, Yuran. Raising a newborn had fallen to Yuna, who was barely three herself.
"That must have been difficult."
"Not really. Village Chief Bergen and the other adults brought food all the time, and medicine whenever we caught a cold or got sick."
Elsid's expression had darkened at her story, but Yuna shook her head and smiled brightly.
"So I never felt lonely. Everyone in the village was my family."
Her smile was so radiant that Elsid felt guilty for his earlier reaction.
"When I came back after winning the tournament, they threw a three-day festival with every kind of hunted game, winter fruit wine, and honey cake for dessert. It was incredible."
Elsid understood how she had grown into such a straightforward, confident woman despite losing both parents and shouldering the burden of raising her sister alone. It was thanks to the villagers who were probably still drinking together right now. Even the warriors of the Ice Palace, let alone the village elders and children, had welcomed the Snow Wolves with food and drink. They were all remarkably open-hearted people free of prejudice.
"Ah, we're already here."
While they talked, they arrived at the shrine deep within the Ice Palace, built to honor the Ice Dragon.
"This is the Shrine of the Guardian Dragon—the Ice Dragon's home."
Yuna pointed at the building. From the outside, it was larger than he had expected—big enough to comfortably hold several hundred people, comparable to a proper temple. Strangely, the air around the shrine didn't feel particularly cold.
***
After a brief pause, they stepped inside. A gentle voice called out to them.
"What brings you here on such a dark night, Snowflower Sword—and your unfamiliar companion?"
Elsid looked around, trying to locate the source. Then the voice spoke again.
"Over here."
A middle-aged man with striking features emerged, bathed in the soft moonlight filtering through the shrine's windows. His long white hair shimmered as if absorbing the light, and his blue eyes carried a noticeable chill. He stood tall and composed.
"Aw, I was hoping to see your dragon form, not your human one..."
Yuna muttered under her breath, disappointment clear on her face. Her voice wasn't quiet, so Elsid heard every word.
"Wait, don't tell me you're actually..."
"Not 'actually.' What you're thinking is most likely correct, young man."
From Yuna's remark, it was obvious the being before them wasn't human. He was something else entirely.
"This shrine is far too small compared to the lair I built a thousand meters underground. Revealing my true form here would be impractical."
The creature was so massive that a human would have to crane their neck painfully just to glimpse its face—a dragon. The white-haired, blue-eyed middle-aged man standing before them was none other than the Ice Dragon revered by the warriors of the Ice Palace and the villagers alike. Elsid was face to face with the Ice Dragon.
"Since we've met, I suppose introductions are in order."
The Ice Dragon bowed his head in his human form.
"Thanks to you, the warriors of the Ice Palace, and my children, the ritual was completed safely. I offer my gratitude."
He expressed thanks to the absent warriors and even the Snow Wolves.
"Now I can pass my power to my successor."
In the next moment, the Ice Dragon extended his hand. Cold air rapidly gathered around it. He wasn't attacking—he seemed to be preparing something to show them. The chill condensed into a small shard of ice that gradually grew larger. With a sharp crack, the ice reached the size of a child and its outer layer shattered and fell away. Inside lay a tiny creature with white scales and a mane, breathing shallowly in its sleep.
"Eek—is our little dragon okay?"
Yuna recognized the small white being and even used a nickname, her voice filled with concern. She seemed quite close to it.
"Don't worry. It's simply exhausted from receiving the power and has fallen asleep for now..."
The Ice Dragon carefully held his successor—a small dragon with white mane and tiny horns—in his arms.
"The ritual places a heavy burden on me as well, but accepting the power is no easy task for my child either. A few days should be enough for recovery."
The Ice Dragon smiled warmly at his offspring, pride evident in his eyes. Watching the scene, Elsid felt a quiet smile form inside him even if it didn't show on his face. Parents were the same, regardless of race.
"Honestly, our little dragon has suffered so much because of its useless father."
Yuna shattered the warm atmosphere with a single sentence. Despite having praised the Ice Dragon so highly on the way here, she had just demoted him to a negligent father who couldn't even care for his own child.
"Hah. If you truly think I'm that incompetent, would you look after my child for a while?"
"Really? I'd be happy to!"
Instead of getting angry, the Ice Dragon chuckled and handed his child over to Yuna. She accepted the tiny dragon with a beaming smile. The handover was so smooth and natural that Elsid wondered if he was the only one finding the situation strange.
"Little dragon, let's sleep together with big sis tonight."
Yuna carried the Ice Dragon's child deeper into the shrine.
"Go down to the guest room at the far left! Don't make the same mistake as before and wander into the man-eating herb room on the right!"
"Don't worry, Ice Dragon! I've been here more than once or twice. I won't make that mistake again!"
Apparently, there were stairs leading downward inside the shrine. Yuna descended them while the Ice Dragon called after her like a parent reminding a frequent visitor's child. What had seemed like a significant moment had turned into an oddly ordinary domestic scene.
"Well then, it looks like it's just the two of us now."
"I... suppose so."
Elsid's reply came out hesitant. Before he knew it, only the two of them remained. He had been so caught up in the flow of events that he only just noticed.
"Standing around to talk would be awkward. Let's go to my room."
"What?"
Before Elsid could question it, the Ice Dragon snapped his fingers. A brilliant white light erupted from beneath Elsid's feet.