The weather finally turned cold. Winter's first snow arrived one morning, laying a thin blanket over the earth and hanging silver frost on the trees.
Treasure Island, the jewel in Minisia's crown, should have been a snow-clad wonderland at that moment.
The first snow of early winter gently covered the city's streets, its ancient stone bridges, and its elegant royal pavilions, bending the pine needles beneath a glittering coat of rime.
Everything seemed pure and peaceful, as though time had frozen.
Along one side of Treasure Island lay the royal capital's lifeline... Jade Lake.
This vast, deep freshwater lake was the exclusive property of the Minisia Royal Family, and a source of delicious food for the capital's two to three hundred thousand residents.
Even in the depths of winter, the lake never froze over completely. Near the shore, the ice was thinner, and dark water could just be seen moving beneath it.
The lake teemed with plump trout, zander, and silver carp. Every winter, the royal fishery organized orderly fishing beneath the ice, transporting baskets of lively fresh fish to the capital's markets through specially insulated channels.
Thanks to Jade Lake's generous bounty, even in the coldest winters, the capital's commoners could buy fresh fish cheaply, nourishing the entire city.
Along the shore, the fishery's abandoned wooden piers and scattered net racks stood silent in the snow, telling of their former bustle and vitality.
Noble ladies had once boated and played upon the lake, their laughter seeming to linger in the crisp air.
Yet now, that winter tranquility and the lake's abundant gifts had been utterly torn apart by glaring weapons and a murderous atmosphere.
On Jade Lake's eastern shore, an open meadow once used for royal feasts after the autumn hunt had been churned into mud beneath countless heavy