Child of Winter

"That's what I wanted to tell you," Klein replied, "Is there anything noteworthy about that Kalaman?"

Neph carefully recalled that the "Shaman King" himself was nothing special, or rather, he was not the one who was truly worth paying attention to.

"No," Neph shook her head. "You shouldn't be wary of him, but of the gaze he gives you. I don't want to hear you describe how you were killed by Suah."

For a moment, Klein wanted to joke and tell Neph that he wouldn't tell her even if Suah killed him, but that sounded too ominous, so he eventually abandoned the dangerous idea.

"Okay," he said.

Neph had read in the original book that someone wanted to spend the Xia Tian in Winter County with their family. At first glance, it didn't seem like much, but now, standing here, Neph had to admit that it was indeed a summer resort, even though she had already passed the stage of fearing the heat, and Backlund itself wasn't that hot.

Winter County is located at the northernmost tip of the Loen Kingdom, and the Amanda Mountains, where the Church of Serenity is situated, are located at the northernmost tip of Winter County. When Neph set foot on the Amanda Mountains, she suddenly had a question.

"Strange," she poked Ais at him, "Why do you think they put the Holy Cathedral on the Online?"

--

Ais remained silent, only making soft squeaking noises.

Neph felt awkward and looked up at the Church of Serenity, the black Gothic building standing tall amidst the white light of the mountaintop, contrasting beautifully with the perpetual snow.

Suddenly, Neph had an idea. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them, a snowflake condensed in the air and fell to the ground.

Then, a sudden and intense snowfall rippled outwards from her, covering the Amanda Mountains.

As Saint of Sequence 3, she is actually capable of altering the weather. While she could maintain this effect for an extended period, the range would be far from that of a city, but creating a special effect for herself within a radius of 1,800 to 1,000 meters would be no problem.

But snow in July is certainly unusual, especially since the Amanda Mountains are always quite popular. As the location of the Church of Evernight's Holy Cathedral, it is also Pilgrimage site for the believers of the Evernight, and for most of the year, there are Saint climbing the mountain here.

The sudden and unusual heavy snowfall shattered the tranquility of the Amanda Mountains. Amidst the murmurs, someone standing on the edge exclaimed, "Snow! The snow is spreading towards the mountaintop!"

It's obvious that this is because Neph is climbing a mountain.

She moved slowly and steadily uphill, unusually refraining from using her Beyonder Ability to slack off. Instead, Pilgrimage surged forward from different directions to the snow-covered border, crowding around it as they advanced.

And so the unusually heavy snow stopped at the mountaintop, surrounded by the crowd. A thin, elderly man with white hair and beard, leaning on a cane, came over. When he looked at Neph, his expression revealed a hint of helplessness. "You shouldn't have made such a commotion—this will be difficult for me to handle."

"Ahem," Neph coughed discreetly, "You are— His Your Grace the Pope?"

The old man nodded slightly and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Neph Your Excellency. You may call me Dabomachie."

"Your Grace," Neph curtsied, addressing her with the honorific title.

Just kidding, she's on someone else's turf right now!

Dabomachie showed no objection. He nodded slightly and said to Neph, "I'm sorry, Neph Your Excellency, but you'll have to wait a moment while I deal with the anomaly that just happened."

"What if I could make them forget all of this?" Neph asked after a moment's thought. "Would that be possible?"

"No, it's not necessary," Dabomachie refused. "Appropriate miracles are always necessary, especially for something as significant as revising Doctrine."

"Then this snow should be saved for Winter Offering Day," Neph smiled.

"But that wouldn't attract attention." Dabomachie shook his head and turned to walk into the church.

They were being ignored, Neph knew this was due to her Concealment abilities. She followed behind and asked, "Can I watch from the sidelines?"

"If you wish," Dabomachie replied.

She walked steadily into the church. The main hall was a bit crowded because of the large number of people who had entered. Neph watched as Dabomachie swept through the crowd and appeared from a passageway, walking outwards. She realized that she needed to choose a good spot with a clear view for herself.

The white-haired and white-bearded Pope of the Evernight walked to the central Altar, where the bishops preached. When the aged-looking but steady-stepping Pope of the Evernight stood there, the crowd quieted down. People still had questions, but no one spoke. All the anxiety subsided into tranquility under the aura of the Concealment Angel.

Neph stared at him, a question suddenly flashing through her mind.

Speaking of which— the Pope shouldn't be replaced so easily, after all, Angel aren't common—but it seems the Pope still needs to appear before ordinary people. How do they handle the lifespan issue of Angel? Is it through a succession system? A rotating system?

But that's from the perspective of believers, isn't it strange that the Church keeps changing its leaders? Do they have two separate systems, one internal and one external? That doesn't seem quite right either.

"The timing is perfect," Neph pondered, as Dabomachie's deep, calm voice rang out, carrying an undeniable authority that echoed throughout the church. "No need to panic, devout believers."

Neph then discovered that they had even forgotten their questions, turning only their faith and piety toward the Pope, awaiting further explanation.

Although it wasn't the first time she'd witnessed such a powerful appeal, Neph was still surprised. She composed herself and waited to see how Dabomachie would weave his story.

"This is neither a calamity nor a common seasonal disorder," Dabomachie's voice continued, filled with an ancient and sacred rhythm, "I have heard the revelation of the Goddess; this unusual snowfall was foreshadowed, a sign that a special being has finally awakened."

No one spoke; instead, someone raised their hand and drew the Crimson Moon symbol on their chest. Neph seemed to cooperate by raising her hand and drawing an Inverted Cross on her own chest.

"The snow you see," Dabomachie raised his hand, Neph suddenly had an inspiration. The snow, which had not stopped falling, passed through the church's screen and landed inside, causing Dabomachie to pause in his movements, "Is the Bitter Winter’s Breath."

His voice was steady, as if unperturbed by all this. Neph saw Him close His eyes, tilt His head back to greet the falling snow, and solemnly declare, "This is the manifestation of a new power born in the long night, descending under the guidance of the Goddess's will."

At this moment, we proclaim a great truth: the Goddess does not guard us alone in the long night. She has sisters, who awaken from their long slumber and Concealment, and are born amidst the harshness of Bitter Winter!

"What a fabrication! -- Perhaps this is why I can't be the Pope -- Looking at the Pope who remained unfazed, Fu felt a deep sense of admiration."

The believers were clearly unaware of the truth; they were stunned by the statement and began to murmur amongst themselves, "Sisters?" "The Goddess has sisters?" "The God of Winter! The God of Winter has been born!"

Dabomachie allowed them to discuss for a while, then gently raised and lowered his hand, and all the sound stopped instantly. He continued, "Yes."

"He is the God of Winter, who holds the power over cold, memory, and all that is lost. He is the Twin sister of the Goddess and the other eye of the Creator!"

"He should have been born with the Goddess, but at the beginning of everything, the Eternal Blazing Sun, which split from the spirit of the Creator," attacked the Winter Goddess, who was not yet fully awake. In order to protect her Twin sister, the Goddess put her into a long slumber, until recently when there were signs of her awakening.

"The Winter Goddess is born on the longest Evernight of the year, the beginning of harsh winter. Her will is the biting cold that freezes all things; her breath is the pure snow that covers the mountains! Her arrival is for balance, for protecting the other side of the long night's order, for planting the seeds of New Life in the deadly winter!"

Neph's mouth gaped slightly, her expression one of astonishment.

As the person involved, she knew better than anyone what the God of Winter was made of. Dabomachie's lies had raised more than one question for her. For example, at this moment, Neph was pondering what the seeds that New Life in the cold winter were—she didn't feel that this was part of her Authority.

But the believers clearly believed it to be true, and this snow in the height of summer was the best proof. The believers excitedly embraced the snow that was falling through the roof, each one overjoyed. Neph stroked her chin and began to think about how the government would describe this.

The Church, which serves the God, certainly cannot deny the existence of the God. They deny the existence of the supernatural, but they never shy away from acknowledging "miracles." However, even miracles require a seemingly reasonable explanation.

Such an explanation does not diminish the majesty of miracles, because such explanations are often based on coincidence. This sense of coincidence and Fate actually deepens the impression of the existence of God, making those who already believe in the existence of God even more convinced. As for those who do not believe—well, they didn't believe in the first place anyway.

Yes, even in the present era, there exists a special group of people who are atheists.

In the memories collected by Neph, such Puppet appear. There are even Beyonder who are unaware of the existence of Sequence 0, who insist with an inexplicable confidence that God are merely more powerful Beyonder, despite the fact that this is true.

In Neph's memory, Amon had encountered atheists before, but as for the outcome—let's not dwell on it.

The sounds of praise for the Goddess echoed throughout the church, occasionally interspersed with eulogies for the God of Winter. Neph watched this scene quietly, a sudden impulse rising within her—a unique feeling. Neph believed it was a revelation of Fate, and that this was the perfect moment.

She stretched out a hand, Potion of the "Child of Winter" appeared. Then, she shoved the Potion into her mouth!

This action was undoubtedly impulsive. When the Potion was put into her mouth, Neph suddenly woke up, but it was obviously too late. The Potion had entered her body. Dabomachie noticed the movement and turned his head sharply, but relaxed his expression after a moment.

A silent realm, filled with the scents of Night-Scented Herb and Deep-Sleep Flower, rippled silently, enveloping Neph, before vanishing without a trace, along with Neph herself.

Neph was unaware of this change; she was deeply affected by the Potion. The Frost appeared as a white mist, neither cold nor heavy, but rather gently and intimately approaching her, turning her soul into an invisible White Mist as well.

She didn't even feel pain, because the force was so gentle, with just the right amount of coolness, seeping into her soul little by little.

This was by no means a good thing, Neph knew this perfectly well, but she couldn't bring herself to resist, because when she decided to resist, her soul was instead filled with a shattering pain.

Neph wasn't a person of willpower; she had always known this. The pain was enough to terrify her, and she instinctively wanted to give up. Then, a dreamlike voice echoed in her mind, startling her awake. "Stay awake."

The voice was unmistakably female. The instant she heard it, Neph felt a sense of calm and An Ning. This feeling was not negative; for Neph at that moment, it was more like a painkiller. The soul-tearing pain was isolated by this An Ning, Neph finally had the confidence to fight against it.

In the Realm of Night-Scented Herb, the stars twinkled, silently watching the figure on the ground, watching her figure gradually blur, melting into a humanoid White Mist with indistinct boundaries, until even the stability of her form began to be faintly lost, then suddenly solidified back into a human shape, the White Mist dissipating little by little, revealing a girl with tightly furrowed brows.

Suddenly, the girl opened her eyes and looked around blankly. This was a realm composed of pure darkness, with no distinction between sky and ground. No matter which direction Neph looked, she could only see endless stars.

This made her realize something. Her eyes widened, and she quickly stood up. After hesitating for a few seconds, she asked in a tentative voice, "---- Goddess?"

The surrounding stars suddenly fell, and a figure dressed in a dress woven from stars appeared. She was probably female, but more details were indistinct. Neph heard her calming voice. "I thought you would continue to call me sister."

Neph paused for two seconds, then said, "If you don't mind—"

The voice neither said it minded nor it didn't mind; it simply looked at her calmly and spoke, reminding her, "You already know what happens to a person with a weak will when faced with mental conflict. Given that, do you still hold onto your previous viewpoint?"

"After all, he's not like you, favored by Fate."

Neph was stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly realized that this referred to Klein. She opened her mouth, and before her brain could process it, she blurted out, "Me? Favored by Fate?"

"Then why am I not the ' Key of Light '? Does His way of loving me mean pushing me into someone else's arms?"