It was cold. No, it was beyond cold. It was freezing. Ares had wrapped his arms around himself and was suddenly cursing himself for refusing the large blubber blanket that had been offered to him before he had been led out.

He was standing atop a cliff, looking down the edge of it. He could see for countless miles ahead and to the side. Everything was covered in a sea of white except for a fairly large glacier in the middle. The glacier itself was perhaps larger than the entire town of Rivea.

In the middle of the glacier was a tiny figure he could barely make out through the thick block of ice. It was no doubt a baby encased within ice.

Ares let out a soft sigh, his breath forming ahead of him.

“This is the kin of Peros-sheis,” the older woman, Roffa had said to him.

“What the hell is this?” Ares asked as he dropped down to one knee and then reached down to brush his fingers through the soft snow. The cold stung his fingers, but he picked up the snow and looked at it. It was the same snow he had seen in his own life. It crumbled like soft cake, and was equally as soft.

“The Winter Mother had trapped the child in ice to protect her life,” Roffa said. “It had many generations ago, even before our own time. We were given such a task by Peros-sheis before he had disappeared.”

“I see…” Ares said as he squinted his eyes. He couldn’t make out the details of the baby from this far, but it seemed to be quite truthful.

Then he reached down to the snow again, shifted his hand into flames and started to melt away the snow, though it had taken quite a great effort to even make it into a small puddle of water.

He looked out again. He leapt into the air and shifted into a phoenix, but after a moment of flying he was buffeted by the strong winds and snow that had appeared from out of nowhere. He continued to try and fly forward, but even being made out of flames, it did not stop this cold to seep deep into him. He retreated back to the cliff and collapsed on top of it, gasping for air. Even now the cold continued to sink deeper into him, though he shifted into a phoenix once more to try and slow it down. He eventually managed to get a handle on the situation, his body now normally cold due to the environment rather than whatever had struck him.

“God damn…” Ares panted for air, the cool air cutting into his lungs. “What was that?”

“It is the magic of the Winter Mother. Even Peros-sheis could not handle her cold.”

“Seriously?” Ares looked out to the snow again. “So his… is it his daughter?”

Roffa bowed her head.

“So he can’t see his daughter unless the cold is gone?”

“That is so.”

“You say that the Winter Mother trapped the babe to protect her life… was she protecting her own life, or the child’s?”

“…” Roffa furrowed her brows. “We are uncertain. We were told of such matters in this way, but we did not ask.”

“…” Ares nodded and then he clenched his fists. He turned back into a phoenix, concentrating on trying to keep himself warm as he flew up once more. This time he used his ring to gather the snow and wind, though most of it resisted his ability. He continued to push through the weakened snow and wind, but again his body was covered in the terrifying chill that had threatened to take him. This time however he noticed something within the glacier, though he was pushed away from it once more. He fell onto the cliff, concentrating on his flames once more to warm himself up.

He didn’t say anything to Roffa, but made his way back. He was covered in a cold sweat, and he needed some time to rest up away from the snow and cool air. He kept whatever it was that he saw in the glacier a secret.

Once he was back at the lake with the rest of the Bikan, he turned to look at Roffa. “Thank you for showing me such a secret, Roffa. If you ever had need of me, please do call on me, however you can.”

Roffa bowed her head. “You honour me, oh Ares.”

“You have honoured me, it is only right I return such respect.” Ares bowed his head in return.

“Are you to leave now?”

“I have to.”

Roffa nodded once more and stared up at him. “I ask that you remain careful, Ares. Even now I can feel it within my older bones, a great travesty.”

Ares remained silent as he looked down at her. “Recently… some of my own have spoken of signs, ill omens.”

Roffa nodded her head knowingly. “Soon, in the next generation… I fear there may be such dark things.”

Ares looked down and thought for some time. Just what exactly what were they talking about? He’d need to learn more about this world if he wanted to try and navigate his people through the travesty. He looked back to Roffa.

“I will keep in mind your words. I fear as though they may ring true. I had thought perhaps people were being too superstitious, it has led to a lot of pain and suffering already… yet sometimes, such superstitions are used to predict a disaster…” He nodded his head.

“Do you believe yourself to be a good man, Ares?”

“Good, evil, foolish, smart, I am all of these things in spades.” Ares nodded. “Only time will tell what they will say about me when I die.”

“If you believe you are each of those things, then I will say you are a good and smart man.”

“Thank you, Roffa.”

“You as well, Ares. I wish you the best of luck.” She then reached down and brought up a small shell. “Take this with you. It will bring you such luck.”

Ares accepted the gift, and then summoned out some drake leather for them. “Take this in return. For your hospitality, and your gift.” He bowed his head as the others surrounded the leather in excitement.

With that, he dove into the lake.