After a long while, I was able to see some light from afar resembling torches. It was them, they took the bait. Based on my observation from afar, there should be a minimum of eight of them including Captain and Teku. When they were close enough, I shot my first arrow.

“Come closer and the next one will land between your eyes!” I shouted as loud as I could so they would hear it. Even though I really have no intention of hitting them, Captain’s cautious nature should somehow slow them down.

Captain also witnessed my skill with a bow so he should know that I could do it if I want to. My heart was beating so fast, would my little act be able to stall them even for a bit?

Somehow, they stopped moving. I heard noises of people speaking but I cannot understand clearly what they were saying. What will be their next action? Will this be just a waiting game? If it is so then that is the best possible outcome. The worst outcome is if that jerk acts.

“I’ll show you that I am right!” I heard someone say out loud from afar. Judging from the voice, it seems to be that wretched idiot.

He ran towards me. He must have known that I am not serious about killing them. Damn him, having him close came back to haunt me. He knows me too well. I shot another arrow that landed between his feet.

“There won’t be a second chance if you kept on disregarding my warning!” I shouted once again.

“Blah blah blah! We both know that you can’t actually kill anyone! If you could then you should have killed me a while ago!” He responded.

He was right, if I planned to dirty my hands I should have done it earlier and I would not have been in this situation.

“If you offer us her head right now then the village will ignore your past traitorous actions!” He added as he continued making his way towards me. He was so stubborn so I had no choice.

“Argh!” The jerk screamed in pain as my arrow landed on his leg. I don’t need to kill him. If I can just show my hostility then they should be more wary. “Damn you!” He shouted.

The other men heard the scream of that idiot so they opened fire. Arrows and spears rained down while others with shields advanced. Damn it, this is the end but I should be able to stall them a bit more.

“Keil!” I heard a voice of a girl call out my name. “ Please don’t hurt him!”

Is that Silvwi? Dammit! Why is she here!? I told her to run away! I searched as to where the voice came from and it is indeed her.

“Silvwi, run!” I told her as I ran to get to her.

The villagers noticed so they advanced at her instead. Shit! Why!? I tried so hard to have them off you so why did you come to me!? I ran as fast as I could, I even dropped all my arrows and my bow so I can be at least even a bit faster. All I have left is the dagger hanging on my belt.

“Aaah!” Silvwi shouted as she was startled the moment the villagers started raining arrows and spears at her. It seemed she was not hurt. I ran as fast as I could and she was still not moving from where she was at despite the arrows pouring down.

“Come on Silvwi, let’s run!” I grabbed her hand as soon as I reached her. We ran away from the villagers while I am pulling her cold hand. I am almost out of breath but there is no time to rest. They are unto us.

“Gah!” I sceamed in pain as an arrow pierced through the back of my thigh which made me fall to the ground.

“Keil! Are you alright!” Silvwi knelt beside me.

“I’m fine! Go without me! I’ll catch up, I promise!” I told her but she did not move an inch.

“You told me before that you were going to be alright yet when I saw you it is as if you are already planning to die!” Silwi’s tears began to flow. “Why!? Why are you trying to kill us? What did we do wrong!?” Silvwi began shouting at the villagers.

“If we kill you then we can live normally again!” One of the villagers screamed.

“That’s right! The winter should go away after you’re gone!” Another villager added.

Another arrow came flying towards us. I thought it was going to hit my face but then a huge blizzard came, completely messing with the arrow’s trajectory.



“Try and hurt Keil once again and I will be sure to freeze you to death.” Silvwi’s aura has changed. She seemed like a totally different person. Due to the strong blizzard, their projectiles no longer flew near us. Upon witnessing what Silvwi can do, the villagers fled. It is probably on the Captain’s orders to retreat and make a plan.

“Silvwi...” She looked really different, as if she is not human at all. She was still beautiful but in a different way. After the villagers escaped, the blizzards calmed down, the wall of ice disappeared and Silvwi returned to her old self. Now I know why the beasts were afraid of her.

“Huh? What just happened? Where are the bad guys?” Silvwi looked around, confused.

“You apparently summoned a blizzard.”

“I did?”

“Yup, you saved me.” I then tried to stand up but the arrow pierced through my leg prevented me to. “Hng!” I grunted in pain and fell to the ground again.

“Keil! Are you alright?”

“Yeah, for now let us find a place where we can hide. I’m sure they will be back for us.”

“No.”

“What?”

“I will stay here, I won’t come with you.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Tell me, why are they after you?”

“Um...” I didn’t know what to say, even though I already know that she knows.

“It is me right? They are after you because you are helping me!”

“...”

“So why? Why are you helping me?”

“Because you saved me yesterday, I want to repay you!”

“You repaid me enough! You may go now”

“But they will come back to hunt you!”

“I can handle myself just fine!”

“No, I’ll stay with you!”

“Why won’t you listen to me!? Why don’t you just leave me alone?” Silvwi’s tears began to flow down her cheeks, glistening as if small crystals. “They said that everyone was suffering because of me!”

“You did nothing wrong!”

“But if I were really the cause of their suffering then it is best if I just die!”

“Don’t talk about dying too lightly!”

“Hey Keil, why don’t you take the honor of killing me?” She looked at me with a sad smile and with tears in her eyes.

“Hey, don’t be like that.”

“Please...”

“No... I can’t...”

“You know, the only reason I was alive all these years was because I was holding on to the smallest chance that my parents will still come back. I already knew at the back of my head that they won’t be returning but I still wanted to believe.”

“...”

“I endured the loneliness of living alone for a lot of years. I did not go out to search for them because I won’t be able to look them straight in the face if I disobeyed them. I do not have anyone to talk to and the only food I ate were the same fruits and herbs. Sometimes, I thought that killing myself was the easiest way to see them again.”

“No...”

“But then you came! You showed me that there is still so much to the world that I do not know. I can now look forward to someone to talk to once in a while! I no longer wanted to die.”

“Then-”

“I want to feel more of the world, to see more of it, to talk to you more. I want you to teach me a lot more things! I never knew there was something else in my dark cold world that can make me feel so... alive!”

“Then why do you want me to kill you?! If you wanted to live then we can just run away together!”

“Do you really think that is the best answer?”

“I do!”

“To live in constant fear of being hunted!? I heard they would forgive you if you get rid of me. You should do so, at least in that way you can return to your normal life.”

“I can’t actually do that!”

“Please... I do not know why you are being so kind to me but at least save yourself.”

“I don’t want to...”

“Please...”

“No! It was all my fault... If it wasn’t for me then you will not be in this situation now!”

“If it is also wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t know that this world can be a very wonderful place. I guess it will be even more wonderful once I’m gone.”

“Don’t say that.”

“I guess the place will be warmer, animals will be happier, pretty flowers will bloom. I wanted to see it too.”

“Silvwi...”

“But I also don’t want to be the reason why others can’t enjoy it.”

“...”

“So please, end it right now...”

“No! I’ll walk through hell and conquer the heavens if I have to! I won’t do what you wish me to do!”

“Then please forgive me on what I’m going to do next...”

Silvwi grabbed the dagger that was in my belt then quickly slit her neck, the same way we did to the birds to bleed them out.

“Why!? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DO THAT!?”

Silvwi fell to ground as her blood streams down to the snow forming a color that she thought was beautiful. It is not beautiful at all.

No.... NO... PLEASE NO!” I dragged myself to get closer to her. “Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!”

I pulled her to my arms. She was barely alive. She looked at me dazingly then smiled.

“Thank you... for everything...”

“You did not deserve this! WHY DID YOU NOT LISTEN TO ME!? WE COULD STILL RUN AWAY!”

The flower that she had on her hair fell to the ground. It was then stained by her own blood. I haven’t seen one before but the red stains made it look like a spring flower in the middle of the winter.

Strength slowly left her until her pulse was all gone. Then like magic, all the snow around us started to melt. The sun then rose and filled the sky with light. The place was filled with warmth except her body. The winter was finally over but this is not how I wanted it to be. Not by the expense of someone else!

This is all my fault! It was all because of me that she was dead! I was not able to protect her... If only I came up with a better plan then maybe she... If I did not talk about her despite my suspicions then... Why did this have to happen? Why did she even have this curse in the first place? What did she do wrong? Why? I at least want to know why?

Why am I so helpless when it matters?

“Keil! I know you would do it in the end! I know you did some bad stuff to me but I am willing to forgive you!” That bastard Teku appeared alone.

“I...”

“Now it is all warm again! Life will be a lot better now!”

“...”

“I’m glad I decided not to retreat too far with the rest. Let me help you back to the village!” He said as he extended his hand to me with a smile.

Forgive me!? Acting as if all of this is not your damn fault! Life will be better at the expense of someone else’s!? Not even a word of apology and you can still smile in front of a girl’s dead body!?

If you did not tell the villagers about Silvwi then she would still be alive! If you did not eavesdrop on our conversation with grandma then she would still be alive! If I had killed you at the village then she would still be alive! If I did not save you from the boar then the she would still be alive! If you are not the stupid jerk you are then she would still be alive! If you at least tried to understand where I am coming from then she would still be alive! If you did not exist in the first place then she would still be alive!

“IF IT IS NOT BECAUSE OF YOU THEN SHE WOULD STILL BE ALIVE!”

I grabbed Teku’s hand then used all the force I can muster to bring this bastard to the ground. As his back was laid flat to the ground. I grabbed my dagger and sat on top of his chest.

“Wow! SO you decided to kill me now? What happened with all your justice?” Teku asked me with a grin.

“THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!” I brandished my dagger with and pointed it his neck. “She was too kind... Just too kind!”

My eyes became blurry and I felt tears well up. What are even tears are for!? Even if I cry my whole life, she won’t be coming back to life!

“She did not deserve this... She did nothing wrong! She was too innocent to be born in the world of cruelty! TO A WORLD WHERE SCUM LIKE YOU WHO ONLY CARED ABOUT THEMSELVES EXIST!”

I was about to end him, but I can’t. I wasn’t able to. Killing him now won’t bring Silvwi back. I will just be no different from them if killed him. I... I was so useless.

“See? You are just a spineless coward!” Teku pushed me off him then stood up. “You know, I am glad you showed me how you hate me!”

“Wha...at?”

“I hate you too! For as long as I can remember!” Teku then kicked me on my flank.

“Argh!”

“I hated how you are always better at me at everything! You made me look stupid! You made me look weak!”

“Ugh!” I groaned as Teku kicked me again and again.

“I was only there to make you look better! Everybody likes you while everybody thinks I am trash! I even heard a lot of the guys talking, wishing that it was me who fell at the cliffs instead!” He stomped on my head, twisting his feet as he planted me to the ground.

“Ngh!”

“ When you fell to the cliffs and we were not able to find you, I was so damn happy! Now I won’t be stuck on second place, but then you returned! You always had the opportunity to get the role of the hero!”

Teku then removed his feet from my head.

“When I saw you coming back to the village, I was not able to hold back my tears due to anger! That how come that there is such a great distance between us!? That how come you are still alive!? But you know what? This is a very big opportunity for me!”

“Graaah!” Teku gave me a powerful kick that sent me rolling. I am now lying flat to the ground, staring at the bright blue sky.

“Since no one else is here, I can be the hero of the story! I will tell the villagers that I fought you and the girl to end the winter! Aren’t I amazing!?”

I can hear his voice, full of joy. I did not know he hated me so much. I did not know that he was that kind of person. I was living next to him, all along and I did not even notice.

As I was looking at the sky, he then appeared on my vision, looking down on me while holding a spear. His eyes, his smile... it was incredible. I am sure that I did not saw him that happy even once before.

I...

I should have killed him...