Ice Vapor Goddess

Chapter 61 Footsteps
"What...is that?" Arthur's face was grave. Having only received a few days of knightly training, he had never experienced combat.

Xilun didn't answer. He turned around and abruptly pulled up the boiler's air intake. The flames, deprived of oxygen, quickly went out, the steam engine fell silent, and the black steel outline of the tractor lay quietly in the snow.

The other four vehicles also quickly shut off their engines, leaving themselves to be covered by the wind and snow.

A steam tractor traveling at only 2 miles per hour in the snow couldn't shake off any pursuers, so it was better to turn off the boiler and hide quietly.

A suffocating, leaden gray aura surged overhead, and the clouds swirled and gathered in the distance.

The wind became the master here, its low whistling sound crushing across the white wilderness.

It swirled with ice pellets, striking the steel frame of the tractor with a clanging sound, like countless tiny evil spirits pounding on a cast-iron coffin.

In the maddening silence, Arthur forced a smile: "Hey, can I tell you a joke?"

No one responded to him, so Siren placed the cross from his chest in his hands.

"If you feel scared later, hold it tight."

Arthur's fingers were clenched so tightly they turned white.

Transitional spaces, according to Donald Winnicott's theory, are spaces where children need a blanket or a teddy bear to connect themselves with the outside world. These things are a safe haven they can rely on when facing an uncertain and terrifying reality.

The same applies to adults. Xilen knew he couldn't bear the silence and needed something to get through it.

No matter what kind of fear one is under, at least the cross in one's hand, imbued with special meaning, is a sanctuary for the mind and a source of certainty, like an anchor.

The tremors drew ever closer, as if this was the only sound in that pale land, and when it rang out, even the raging snow would bow down and the sun would dim.

They couldn't see anything; the swirling snow obscured everything. The temperature inside the carriage had dropped to minus thirty degrees Celsius. The cold steel sent chills down their spines, and everyone huddled in their clothes. Before the immense power of heaven and earth, they were still too insignificant.

thump...

The heavy footsteps sounded again, carrying the crunch of ice chips and snow, and it seemed closer than ever before.

The light dimmed, as if obscured by something, and they could even imagine that terrifying creature was right above them, its massive body blocking out the dim light, its malice tangible in its eyes.

The wind and snow fell silent, like the eye of a typhoon. The eerie stillness was almost maddening. Arthur, wrapped in a blanket, lay beside the driver's seat, shivering uncontrollably.

The wind stopped, and the ice crystals ceased their pounding against the car windows. Centimeters of snow had pressed the interior of the car into darkness, and in the darkness, there wasn't a single sound.

Xilun seemed to smell a faint scent, a mixture of ancient ice and dust, as if it came from the depths of a tomb, or from an even more distant era.

It kept seeping in through the loosely sealed door, solemn yet sorrowful.

He felt as if he were dreaming.

In my dream, the blood of my ancestors is spilled all over the world, and the deep-seated blood feud is etched since the beginning of the world. Exile and eternal freezing cold accompany me, and the memories of death and war boil over with every sunrise.

I'm so sad...

he thought so.

"Your Majesty the Bishop? Your Majesty the Bishop!"

Suddenly, he heard someone calling his ear, and he realized that he had closed his eyes and felt terribly cold all over.

"Your Excellency! Wake up!" It was Arthur's voice, and the blond knight was shaking him frantically. He wanted to open his eyes, but it was almost impossible; tears froze before his eyes, and his body was completely stiff.

Wait, did he shout too loudly? Has that thing left?
Chaotic thoughts churned in Xilun's mind, and then he felt the coal reignite, the roar of the steam engine fill his ears, flames scorch the steel, and the temperature in the room rise.

As feeling returned to his hands and feet, and with a cry of "Jehovah Rafa" in his ear, his frozen blood finally began to flow powerfully to every corner of his body.

The door opened, and Mathilde, holding a cross, was followed by everyone else.

"I'm alright now." Xiren smiled weakly. "Did that guy leave?"

The people outside looked at him and, after confirming he was alright, said, "They've been gone for twenty minutes, trying to restart the boiler. Arthur said you were unconscious."

Xilun paused for a moment: "It's nothing, it's probably just that the temperature is too low, and my health isn't very good."

He didn't mention the dream; the memory of it was already blurred, but the deep sorrow and hatred seemed to still linger in his mind.

"Are you really alright?" Kyle asked, a little worried. He looked at Arthur, seemingly wondering if the boy could protect the bishop.

“It’s nothing.” Xiren shook his head. “Shall we set off?”

He looked at Aldridge, who slowly nodded: "Well, we've come this far, we should give it a try."

“Was that…the Ice Man just now?” he asked.

People looked bewildered. The Ice Man had been stopped outside the city the previous times he appeared, so most people didn't even know he existed.

Kyle, who had been on the city wall, thought for a while and said, "I'm not sure. The car windows were covered by snow, so I couldn't see anything. I could only hear footsteps."

"So its perception isn't very sharp?" Siren asked.

Kyle shrugged, indicating that he didn't know either.

Xilun nodded: "Alright, let's go. Be careful as you go, and be ready for battle at any time."

So people returned to their cars, and the convoy started moving again.

This time, they didn't even turn on the headlights, moving silently. The snow on the roof of the car crunched and melted into ice water under the heat of the boiler.

"Bishop, are there enemies over there?" Arthur asked, his mouth never stopping.

"Who knows?" Xiren sat in the back, lost in thought, the sadness of that dream still lingering in his mind.

It was as if he had taken a long nap on a winter afternoon. When he woke up, the dim light shone through the snow outside the house, and the dust on the old house was clearly visible in the light. The distant laughter of children came from outside the window. Melancholy and alienation lingered on his messy hair, as if he had been having a very long dream.

"What was that just now? What is the Ice Man?" Arthur asked again.

“Not sure… I hope it’s not the Iceman.” Xiren sighed. “Just think of it as some kind of monster. We’ve only encountered it a few times. We don’t know where it comes from, why it comes, whether we can communicate with it, or whether we can kill it.”

"Monsters? I've only heard stories about the Leshen, but I've never been too afraid of them since I was little. So when people tell monster stories, they always chase me away because they think I ruin the atmosphere," Arthur said with a smile.

“Is that so?” Xiren smiled. “Then it’s up to you, Arthur.”

"I will live up to the mission!!" he shouted excitedly, gripping the vibrating gearshift lever and feeling the heartbeat of steel.

(End of this chapter)