North x Northwest

Chapter 360

Epilogue Chapter 360

Epilogue 1: Snowy mountains

Lil took refuge at the edge of the spring to avoid Ed, breathing in the cold air above her head and enjoying the only warm part of the snowy mountain on her body.

‘It’s magical how volcanic energy is seething beneath this thick snow field.’

Lil kicked her feet and spun in the water.

The sound of her body, leisurely slicing through the water, flickered. When she turned over and looked at the sky, the sunlight was so dazzling that she couldn’t even open her eyes.

Quickly turning again, she started swimming.

The sight she saw as soon as she reached the other edge of the spring made her gasp. Everything as far as the eye could see was breathtaking. At the bottom of the mountain was a green forest with oak trees on one side, and a snowy mountain with white snow blowing down above the ridge. She also noticed a pack of wolves moving to the opposite peak and a large white bear roaming alone. When she turned again, the large port and shipyard on the coast of Eichendorff’s estate came into view. Large and small merchant ships were neatly anchored, sailing ships with sails and rigging intact, and ships with half of their structures still visible. Beyond that lay the Monferrand Strait, where the ice was melting and turning dark blue, and icebergs were breaking into white pieces and floating away.

“…So beautiful.”

“There are no springs like this from the next peak.”

“Really? Is it the furthest end of the volcano’s reach?”

“…”

Ed kissed her wet nape without answering, so Lil pondered the answer on her own.

‘We’re going further north, so it’s reasonable. According to Ed, the centre of Weissland is an area of ​​compact snowy mountains. A place with ice caps even bigger than this one…’

Ed grabbed Lil’s chest underwater. As his fingers gently rubbed her, Lil let out a low moan. Ed then pressed his lips along her shoulder, causing her to mutter under her breath.

“Ah… then that’s a shame…”

Ed turned her around.

Lil had to stand on her tiptoes, else she could barely hold her chin above the water. Ed didn’t have the same problem and easily lifted her into his arms. Lil’s shoulders shrank as her upper body rose above the spring’s surface. The water droplets on her skin appeared to freeze instantly. Lil shuddered in time with Ed’s warm breath grazing her skin, which was contracting from the cold. Ed lowered his head and licked along her breast, the warm moisture heated her again. His teeth, as if biting, nibbled the tip of her chest.

Lil shivered and sighed.

She then wrapped her legs around his waist and stuck close to him. Ed rested his cheek against her chest and let out another breath. Wrapping her arms around his neck as well, Lil hugged him even more firmly and completely surrendered her body to him.

Water droplets streamed down her hollow spine and her back muscles shone in the pale northern sunlight.

Grabbing her waist and lowering her, Ed gradually entered. As soon as Lil had swallowed him whole, their eye level became just right and Ed eagerly pressed their lips together, transferring their hot breaths between them. Lil gently rocked her waist while biting Ed’s lower lip. She was satisfied with the fact that she could freely move in the water. Her movements pushed the surface of the water, which slapped against Ed’s chest.

As Lil exclaimed in her breath, Ed caught her. He embraced her tightly and timed his thrusts with the movements of her hips. He knew exactly what she wanted. Lil’s fingertips trembled whenever they touched each other deeply. Ed let out a groan of defeat, and Lil grabbed his hair. Not long after, her toes curled. She hugged Ed if he was her lifeline during her contractions, burying her screams in the nape of his neck, her fingers digging into his shoulder blades.

Ed’s movements also came to an abrupt halt.

For a while, they only pressed their bodies together and exchanged hot breaths. Then, his lips lightly pressed against her forehead, sweeping past her temples, the tip of her nose, around her ears, and onto her chin.

Lil shook her shoulders and laughed.

“It tickles.”

Ed smiled at her as she wrinkled her nose. He tilted her head back towards him and pressed his forehead against hers. This time, it was her who found his lips and sucked them, making sure they could no longer tickle…

***

While drying their hair in the cave, they unfolded a map of the snowy mountains. It was reconstructed by Ed based on military maps and war history from the past.

Ed explained while pointing at the now familiar-looking map.

“This is Honai Peak, where we are at the moment. According to records, a kingdom used to exist within this vicinity. It’s said to be a very old kingdom, but it’s unclear whether it’s as old as ancient times. Nonetheless, traces of war have been steadily discovered even in the present age.”

“I’m always amazed when I hear about those wars because they had to cross mountains every time they fought. Makes me wonder if they also used skis to cross those mountains to initiate war? I can imagine they were continuously running out of food so they had no choice but to move…”

“Yes. But since then it’s gotten better because the places where the bison herds have changed. The same goes for the reindeer herds. As a result, the places where foxes and wolves live have changed as well.”

Ed packed their blanket and clothes into his huge backpack. Lil also got up and walked around the cave to check in case they’d forgotten anything.

“There are several legends surrounding the snowy mountains, too. The most widely known is the story of a herb that’s said to cure anything. Ah, that herb even appears in the Weissland folktale.”

“So, those herbs may not be real herbs, but rather plants or objects with magical powers, right?”

“Yes.”

“What other legends are there?”

“There’s a legend that says that the snowy mountains were once a flat plain, but one day the ground rose and transformed into a mountain range. Even though it rose as high as mountains, the god of the earth was extremely dissatisfied that he covered it with eternal snow.”

“What made him so angry?”

“That’s something I don’t know.”

‘Of course, not every legend was borne out of truth. However, if I dismiss the narrative of a myth just because I think it’s weak, my quest to learn more about ancient times will be further out of reach. So, in order to have at least a chance of success, I have to go through every single clue without missing any.’

Ed and Lil stood side by side at the cave entrance, putting on their skis. Ed securely tied the wooden planks to Lil’s boots. They would descend from a peak like this, and once they reached the canyon, they would have to carry their skis and climb up to the next.

Lil held a long pole in both of her hands. Ed’s shadow stretched behind him as he went first. Soon, Lil descended the mountain as well, following the tracks left by Ed’s skis on the white carpet.

Despite what her terrible dream might suggest, Lil actually enjoyed skiing a lot. With reindeer sleds and skis serving as the primary modes of transportation in Weissland, Lil was fortunate to enjoy both. Reindeer were as powerful as horses, and skiing provided her with an exhilarating sense of speed that exceeded running.

The wind from the north cooled her lungs. Lil deliberately took a deep breath of this air, and she felt as if her entire body had been refreshed.

She peered out from the gap between her fur hat and headscarf, rolling her eyes to find a snow-covered tree. Plants native to the snowy mountains didn’t grow more than a fingernail per year. Meaning that any plant that was noticeable enough would’ve lived for at least several centuries.

‘Such a shrub or tree may even be the legendary herb they speak of.’

When Lil got the hang of it and was able to look around more casually, she noticed something dark at a point where Ed had passed by. It looked like a shadow or a rock rising through the snow.

Lil turned her body and bent her knees to the fullest. Snow splashed along the path of her skis after she abruptly stopped. She waddled up a few steps with her skis on, taking a closer look. It was a rabbit burrow-sized hole, but Lil immediately concluded that no rabbit could live this high on the snow covered mountain. She took her pole and tapped it around the hole. The snow that had accumulated fell away, and the hole gradually grew larger. The wind hummed as if the black end was whistling.

In the meantime, Ed had stopped ahead of her and was now looking back up to see where she was.

“Edgar!”

“..?”

Ed lifted his fur hat with his gloved hand. He had also covered his face with a scarf to block the sunlight, so Lil couldn’t see his expression clearly. Either way, Lil continued to peek into the hole and shout.

“It’s a cave!”

Ed climbed back up using his poles until he reached the spot where Lil was. He then took the map out of his arms and looked at the sky to double-check their location.

“This is a cave I’ve never seen before. I guess it was revealed only recently when the snow melted.”

“Then we should go in.”

The entrance, which was initially the size of a rabbit hole, has since grown large enough for people to enter. The remains of the snow and ice that Lil had broken lay at her feet. Lil stepped forward using her poles. The air inside the cave was cold, and there was no noticeable odour of mould or moss. As they moved in deeper, the snow on the ground disappeared, thereby revealing a dark stone floor.

The pair took off their skis and placed them at an angle against the cave wall. Almost simultaneously, they removed the balsam from their pockets. Unlike the other ice caves they had explored, this one had black floors and walls. The stone walls were divided into square and pentagonal shapes, forming a distinct pattern, and the pillars connecting the floor with the ceiling had small geometric joints. Weathering, rather than ice or lime, appeared to be responsible for the formation of dark stalagmites.

“It looks exactly like a columnar joint.”

Even though Lil’s voice echoed throughout the cave, there wasn’t a single sign of a creature running away from the sound of human speech.

Ed spoke while examining a thick stone pillar.

“It’s not a man-made shape, but it’s also not something naturally forming on a snowy mountain.”

They went a little further inside. The temperature wasn’t as cold as outside the cave, but it was low enough to make the tip of Lil’s nose red. Beyond the sound of the soles of their boots crushing the gravel and sand on the floor, they could hear the sound of water from somewhere.

Drops of water trickled.

Lil muttered, flicking her balsam to the right.

“…Water?..”

After a few more steps, they arrived at a body of water directly in front of a high wall that was nearly as tall as a cliff. The high wall only contained traces of water that used to flow down from it, as if a former lake had become a puddle beneath a dried-up waterfall. Nevertheless, there was still water in the dug-out area of the ground.

Ed picked up the balsam and held it by the water.

The water was so clear that, while they couldn’t be certain of its depth, they could see straight to the bottom. Lil leaned her upper body to the side to determine the width of the spring’s bottom. However, the floor seemed too wide to be ascertained.

“This doesn’t look like a normal spring? That high wall seems to be a waterfall cliff… and it appears like the floor of this pool spreads further than the walls of this cave…”

“This is an underwater cave.”

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