Isa, I Never Blamed You

Throughout the Ice and Snow Divine Court, corridors gleamed crystalline white, and snowflakes danced across the sky, settling on the birch trees lining the paths.

Jiang Yang and Isa walked along a snow-covered path, occasionally catching sight of little humanoid creatures like ice crystals laughing and flitting among the trees.

Jiang Yang found them quite wondrous.

"An accident while the research institute was studying the elements brought these little ice and snow sprites into being."

Noticing his gaze, Isa explained.

"How wondrous. After the apocalypse, the world has grown more and more fantastical."

"Yes."

With that, the two fell strangely silent, and the atmosphere grew somewhat awkward.

Only after a long while did Isa seem to summon her courage and speak in her cool, clear voice.

"I'm sorry, Jiang Yang. It was all my fault that Ania..."

Before she could finish, she saw Jiang Yang stop and look at her with eyes as warm as the sunshine in March.

Jiang Yang placed both hands on her shoulders, his golden eyes fixed on Isa's blue ones, and spoke each word distinctly.

"Isa, I never blamed you. Truly. Don't stay so withdrawn. I hope that in the next thousand years, you'll become the lively, lovely Isa you once were again."

"Jiang Yang..."

"If anyone is to blame, it's those who destroyed our civilization. Work hard to grow stronger. The disaster isn't over yet."

"Mm."

"Hahaha, all right. Let's go. Take me to see Ania."

"Mm."

"Oh, there's one more thing I want to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"Starting today, smile once every day."

"Huh?!"

"What, can't you do it?"

"All right."

In the snowy woods, two trails of footprints stretched farther and farther away.

The place where Ania lay frozen was evidently not in the Ice and Snow Divine Court, but in the Far East Shelter.

It was sufficiently secluded and secure, and even had better facilities than the Ice and Snow Divine Court.

The two flew in between the snowy mountains, passed through corridors filled with advanced technology, and arrived at the freezing chamber deep inside.

Here, Jiang Yang finally saw Ania, whom he had not seen for a thousand years.

She lay quietly in an ice coffin, her face still as beautiful and captivating as ever.

She made neither sound nor movement, like a princess who had slept for a thousand years.

Jiang Yang stared dazedly at his beloved in the ice coffin, pain rising in his heart once more.

Beside him, Isa explained.

"Ania is A-rank, so her vitality was already astonishing, but her injuries back then were far too deadly. Over the past thousand years, we've exhausted every possible method just to preserve that tiny thread of life."

"But she can only remain eternally frozen unless we can heal her in an instant. We still don't have the means to do that."

Her voice was low, and she was clearly very dissatisfied with herself.

"It's all right. Let's leave things as they are for now. Isa, you've done very well. Thank you. We still have plenty of time. I will bring Ania back!"

"Mm. We'll wait for that day."

Jiang Yang stood before Ania's ice coffin for three days and three nights before leaving.

He etched Ania's image firmly into his heart, never to forget her again.

The current head of the Far East Shelter was named Kefu, a king-rank transcendent awakener who was also a scientist.

Before leaving, Jiang Yang told him to ask if there was anything he needed, and he would do his best to find it.

"Thank you, King Jiang. As it happens, there's something we need your help with!"

"..."

You really aren't standing on ceremony with me at all, Jiang Yang thought, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Kefu had no intention of standing on ceremony. They happened to need materials from the body of an emperor-rank dire bear.

They had once asked Isa to help, but although she could defeat it, she could not stop the emperor-rank dire bear from escaping.

With Jiang Yang, they finally had a chance.

That dire bear had mutated from a polar bear and ranked among the Far North's great overlords of mutant beasts.

Thus, Jiang Yang spent a few days killing it and brought it back to the Ice and Snow Divine Court.

The Gods of the Far North all sang his praises.

Afterward, Jiang Yang stayed in the Far North for another month before bidding Isa farewell and leaving.

After making a circuit of this world a thousand years later, he was finally returning to his old home once more.

On the throne of the Ice and Snow Divine Court, Isa gazed toward the southern horizon and made an effort to show a lovely smile.

"Thank you, Jiang Yang."