*The First Day After The Seasonal Storm.*
Winter Island.
Inside a modest wooden cottage near the edge of town, Kaya stirred awake. The warmth of the blankets was tempting, but the thought of their missing crew forced her to sit up. She rubbed her eyes, yawned, then reached for the thick winter coat hanging by the bedpost. Mikita, already awake and zipping up her ice gear, gave her a small nod.
"Let's check outside," Kaya whispered.
Bundled up against the morning chill, the two girls stepped out into the cold. To their surprise, the immediate area around the house had been cleared—no snow, no frost, just cold, dry earth and muddy footprints. It was odd, as if someone had swept the snow away intentionally.
That's when they saw him.
A figure lay stretched on the snowy ground beyond the cleared area, writhing slowly like some strange creature. At first glance, it looked like a worm, but as they drew closer, recognition set in.
"Zino?!"
There he was—Zino, lying on his stomach, crawling slowly through the snow while shoveling handfuls into his mouth. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes bloodshot, and his eyelids showed deep shadows from the lack of sleep. Snow clung to his scarf and gloves. Every few steps, he'd pause, scoop up more snow, and swallow it with determination.
"Zino, what are you doing!?" Kaya rushed forward.
He didn't look up, but mumbled between mouthfuls, "This snow… it's full of Ice element… a treasure trove…"
Mikita raised a brow. "He's been at it all night, hasn't he?"
Kaya reached down, grabbed him by the back of his coat, and began dragging him away from the snow. "Alright, that's enough. You're going to freeze your brain before you level up anything."
"Nooo… my treasure trove…" Zino whined dramatically, his arms reaching back toward the untouched mounds of snow.
"Stop whining. We've got more important things to do. Remember? Our crew is still missing," Kaya snapped, shaking her head.
Zino finally sat up with a sigh, brushing snow off his face. "Right, right. Priorities."
Together, the three of them trudged back toward the village path, preparing to resume their search for their scattered comrades. Zino still glanced longingly back at the snowfield now and then, but with Kaya and Mikita keeping him in check, he stayed focused—mostly.
...
Meanwhile, at the Port of Drum Kingdom.
A thick fog hung over the icy harbor, parting only slightly as the shadow of a ship approached the dock. The sails bore the insignia of a crowned hippo—an all-too-familiar symbol to the people of the Drum Kingdom.
Wapol's ship had arrived.
He stepped out onto the deck with a wide grin, hands on his hips and a self-satisfied glint in his eye. Dressed in thick furs and polished medals, he gazed at the snowy cliffs of his former kingdom with a mixture of nostalgia and greed.
"Heh heh… I'm finally back."
Wapol muttered, his eyes locking on the capital village beyond the ridge.
But as he descended onto the frozen dock, a firm voice rang out.
"That's far enough, Wapol."
Wapol halted, his smirk fading into a scowl.
Ahead, Dalton stood tall, surrounded by several of the new Drum Kingdom guards. His rifle was drawn, aimed directly at the former king. "Go back to where you came from. Pirates and traitors aren't welcome here."
Wapol sneered. "Dalton. You really think you're the king now? You think this little army of yours makes you ruler of my kingdom?"
"This isn't your kingdom anymore," Dalton replied coldly. "You abandoned it during its darkest hour. When the people needed you, you ran. That crown you wore, it means nothing now."
"Tch." Wapol crossed his arms. "You forget, I am royalty. This land is mine by right. I'll take back what's mine, with or without your permission."
He snapped his fingers. "Kuromarimo. Chess. Take care of him."
The two henchmen stepped forward. Kuromarimo cracked his knuckles, while Chess raised his custom longbow, his movements sharp and precise.
"As you command, sire," Chess said, notching an arrow.
Dalton's eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, his form began to shift—his muscles bulked up, fur burst from his arms, and horns curved upward from his forehead. Within moments, he had partially transformed into his bison hybrid form.
Chess locked Dalton as target, and released the arrow. However, Dalton easily side stepped, avoiding the shot. Swiftly after that, he run forward toward Chess.
Chess smirked. "I know your weakness, Dalton. Always playing the hero."
With a swift movement, he nocked three arrows. With a twang, he released the three arrows in quick succession—not at Dalton, but at a group of nearby civilians watching from the edge of the street.
"No!"
Dalton lunged without hesitation, hurling himself between the arrows and the innocent villagers. The arrows struck him squarely in the side, blood spurting across the snow as he crashed to the ground.
"Dalton!" one of the guards shouted, rushing forward.
The civilians screamed and scattered as more soldiers moved to shield them.
Wapol laughed cruelly. "Still playing the noble fool, huh? Sacrificing yourself for peasants. That's why you'll never be a real king."
Dalton, gritting his teeth, pushed himself halfway up. "You... and your goons, worse than animal. You should have never been a king." he growled, blood running down his side.
"Whatever. Just die crying." Wapol mocked, stepping forward. "I'll reclaim my throne, and there's nothing you or your pathetic ideals can do to stop me."
As he stepped closer to the wounded Dalton, the sound of footsteps echoed along the mountain trail leading into the village.
A trio approached—Zino, Kaya, and Mikita—bundled in coats and gear for the biting cold. They paused at the ridge overlooking the confrontation.
"Oh, it's Wapol," Zino muttered, narrowing his eyes.
"You know him?" Kaya asked, glancing at Zino.
"Yeah," Zino replied, tone darkening. "That guy's the former king of this place. Worst ruler you could imagine. He abandoned the kingdom when they needed him most… caused more deaths than one can count."
Well, that's what Zino remembered, but it was his first time seeing this coward king.
On the other hand, Kaya's face tightened with concern. Her eyes drifted to the battlefield below—she spotted Dalton struggling to rise, blood staining the snow beneath him.
Without hesitation, Kaya rushed down the slope toward the fallen warrior.
Wapol's eyes followed her. He scowled. "Hmph. Another meddler."
"Chess. Kill the girl," he ordered casually.
"Yes, sire," Chess replied with a smirk, already pulling an arrow from his quiver. He aimed swiftly at Kaya's exposed back.
But just as he released it—
Thwip! Snap!
The arrow never reached its mark.
Zino appeared in a blur, intercepting it mid-air. With a cold, effortless motion, he crushed the arrow in his fist. His eyes narrowed, looking coldly at Chess.
"If you do that again, I will kill you."
Chess blinked in surprise, but his grin quickly returned. "Fast one, huh?"
He pulled another arrow, this time aiming not at the fighters, but at a nearby civilian—a trick he'd used before to pin Dalton down.
But it didn't work this time.
"Hōkokyaku!"
The cry rang through the cold air. Zino's form blurred and reappeared high above Chess like a descending phantom. His leg swept down in a powerful arc, generating a slicing shockwave of wind.
Boom!
The impact sent Chess flying backward, his head slamming into the frozen ground with a *thunk*, burying half his face in the dirt.
Zino landed gracefully, brushing snow off his coat. His expression was calm, but the intensity in his eyes told a different story.
"I already warned you." Zino said, glancing coldly at the unconscious Chess.
A collective gasp rose from the villagers watching in hiding.
Wapol flinched, momentarily thrown off. "Wh-Who the hell are you?!"
Zino ignored Wapol. He instead turned toward Dalton.
"If I kill Wapol," Zino asked, his voice low and calm, "will you feel remorse?"
Dalton blinked, caught off guard. The question cut deeper than any blade. His lips moved before his mind caught up.
"…No," he said, almost in a whisper.
Zino gave a faint nod. "Then it's settled."
He turned slowly toward Wapol.
Panic replaced Wapol's arrogance as Zino's gaze locked onto him like a predator cornering its prey.
"H-Hey! Don't just stand there!" Wapol shouted, backing up. "Kuromarimo! Take care of him—NOW!"
"Yes, sire!" Kuromarimo snarled. His thick, magnetic afro flared up, forming dense iron-ball projectiles that hovered ominously in the air.
With a battle cry, he launched the spiked hair balls at Zino.
"Soru!"
A sharp crack of displaced air echoed through the field. In a blink, Zino disappeared, then reappeared at Kuromarimo's side. The launched magnetic afro hit some snow at where Zino stood previously.
"Wha—?"
Zino grabbed the man by the face without a word, pushing him back, and slamming him violently into the frozen ground. The impact cracked the earth beneath them.
Kuromarimo didn't rise even when Zino released his grip.
Zino then stood up, brushing frost off his hand. Then, he turned to Wapol once more.
The trembling king stumbled backward, nearly tripping over his own feet. "N-No! Don't come any closer! I'm warning you!"
Zino kept walking, his footsteps crunching softly over the snow-dusted soil.
"You ever been stabbed by an ice sword?" Zino asked, voice calm as ever.
"W-What?" Wapol stammered. "What're you talking about?!"
"Let me show you something that I learned last night...no this morning." Zino said calmly, raising his right arm behind him like a poised lance. Ice surged around his forearm, forming into a jagged, gleaming blade.
Then he vanished in a blink.
Wapol barely had time to gasp. "Ah... no!"
He turned to flee, panic overtaking him, but it was already too late.
A cold hand clamped tightly around his neck from behind—unyielding, vice-like.
"Hokuteiken: Sōgatotsu!"
(*Northern Emperor Sword: Frost Fang Thrust!*)
With explosive force and precision, Zino drove his ice blade straight through Wapol's back. The sword burst through his chest, crystalline and merciless.
There was no scream.
Only the sickening sound of cracking ice.
Wapol's eyes widened to impossible sizes, filled with disbelief and terror. The wound didn't bleed as an immediate frost sealed it upon impact. A shockwave of frigid energy spread from the blade, freezing Wapol's insides. His body convulsed once, then stiffened.
Frost bloomed outward like a deadly flower—his chest, limbs, and face turning pale blue, then stark white. In seconds, he was encased in shimmering, solid ice.
Frozen in place with mouth agape, and eyes wide in horror. The tyrant king became a monument of fear and judgment.
Zino's right hand pulled away from the icy corpse, but his left remained firm on Wapol's neck. With a surge of energy, he released a blast of cold current from his palm, intensifying the freezing effect. The already frozen body hardened further, the ice gleaming like glass under the dim winter sun.
Before long, in the snowy square of the Winter Kingdom, stood a statue of a fallen king, pierced through by a blade of frost, forever sealed in silent punishment.
Stillness followed.
Even the wind quieted, as if the island itself acknowledged what had just occurred.
Kaya and Mikita stood frozen in place, wide-eyed and speechless.
Dalton, leaning weakly against a nearby ice wall, stared at the statue with unreadable emotion in his eyes. His breathing was ragged, blood staining his side, but his focus remained on Zino.
Zino stepped back slowly, lowering his arms. The ice blade shattered into fine mist as the temperature around him normalized. Frost clung briefly to his coat before melting away.
"That was… excessive," Kaya murmured, finally finding her voice. She knelt beside Dalton again, checking his wound.
Zino shrugged without turning around. "I don't like tyrants."
Dalton let out a weak cough, trying to sit up straighter. "You… saved the kingdom."
Zino gave no reply.
He simply turned away from the frozen monument that had once been Wapol. His boots crunched lightly over the snow as he walked toward the others, the morning sun rising behind him—casting long shadows across the quiet battlefield.