Chapter 4

Lino devoted his entire life to his native settlement. His mother passed away early, and he never knew further parental affection. All the rumors about the North were true during the reign of the elder Lee. Lino, however, believed that cold should exist outside, not within.

He had always been drawn to the light, yet understood that open flame could destroy him, and so he never ventured in that direction. Lino commanded three elements and understood magic no worse than Jisung, which sparked a faint sense of rivalry in the latter.

Despite his restraint and cold gaze, storms raged within the master of the North, sweeping away everything in their path on a gloomy day. He hated the southern lands and the people of the South, but everything has the ability to change — Lino included.

A year passed unnoticed. The northern mage grew accustomed to warmth and stopped bristling around his guest. Jisung, for his part, had generally settled in and occasionally began going fishing with the locals.

“How long are we supposed to wait?” Hyunjin grumbled, sitting on Changbin’s lap while the latter stared intently into the ice hole.

“Princess, be quiet, for the sake of the northern lights,” Lino whispered, continuing to carefully observe the energetic currents in the water.

Then came a shout from Jeongin, the ice mage:

“Snow serpent! Snow serpent straight ahead!” the boy screamed, clinging to the calm Seungmin standing beside him. The latter showed no emotion, merely wrapping an arm around Jeongin in hopes of easing his panic at least a little.

Lino dropped to his knees and pressed his ear to the ice. At that very moment it cracked directly beneath him, and a monster burst out.

The mage reacted in time and latched onto the horns on the massive lizard’s head.

“Lino!” Han shouted, frantically trying to figure out what could be done.

“The snow serpent is afraid of fire!” Felix yelled, running with torches from one person to another.

Jisung understood that he could seriously expose himself right now, but fear for someone dear took over. He spread his legs wider and extended his hands toward the serpent as it moved in his direction.

The fire mage took a deep breath and, on the exhale, sent a powerful surge of energy at the beast. Lino squeezed his eyes shut, but when he opened them, he was already in the arms of his beloved guest.

“Hold on tight,” Han nearly ordered, climbing onto Duni together with his precious cargo.

“But if I fall, you’ll still catch me, right?” the question sounded far too confident, and Jisung only smiled softly, trying to ignore the pounding beneath his ribs.

Christopher sent letters a couple of times a month, sharing new gossip, outlining the situation in the capital, complaining about the stupidity of the new mages at court, and grumbling about the teachers at the academy.

Han missed his friend and his former life a little, but he did not feel suffocating longing.

He only truly felt it when he finally set off for home.

The king had passed away — it was time for the young.

Hyunjin and Changbin cheerfully packed their things and sang old songs from their native village. Felix helped his friends with a sad smile, all the while saying how glad he was to have met them and how he would be waiting for them all to visit together with the new king.

Han lazily packed his books, unable to run around like someone stung in the ass. It was uncharacteristic of the usually active fire mage.

They were gathering at night to set off in the morning. Jisung’s back and soul felt stiff, so he decided to take a short walk and breathe in the frosty air.

His surprise was immense when, under the open sky, he saw two figures merged in an embrace. Seungmo gently ran his hand through Jeongin’s hair, while the latter hid his face in the mage’s neck. The younger one’s body trembled, his shoulders shaking. In the stillness of the night, muffled sobs and the crackling of ice could be heard.

Han wanted to howl too, to throw himself into the arms of one specific person and never let go for the rest of his life. But that would only complicate everything. From now on, he was the king’s advisor — his duty was to stand at Christopher’s right hand, to serve as his support and foundation.

He had dreamed of this since childhood. He had sacrificed his youth for a brilliant dream.

So why now, when he had finally reached his goal, did his heart treacherously tear itself apart, and his inner fire howl like a wild wolf?

The guests from the capital bid Lino farewell with restraint. He adopted an official tone and wished the southern mages a safe journey and fair winds.

His eyes lingered on Jisung for only a couple of seconds, but that was enough for Han to understand — Lino’s heart was shattered to pieces.