THE BLIZZARDHOUND

"OH, damn!" alburoto ni Lis nang masubsob ang kaniyang mukha sa bundok-bundok na niyebe.

Sumuot ang lamig nito sa kaniyang bibig at tainga. Oh, dear spells of the mighty broken tree! Para siyang naghilamos ng isang baldeng yelo. Napatayo siya nang mabilis at pinagpag ito. Pero katatayo niya pa nga lang ay kamuntikan na ulit siyang matumba dahil sa bagsik ng hangin na kanina pa siya hinahagupit.

Hanggang baywang niya rin ang kapal ng niyebe kaya naman hindi siya makapaglakad nang maayos.

"Whoa!" He wiped the dust of snow on his face with his coat again, and again, and again. Nilingon niya naman si Aster na nauna nang maglakad. He cast a spell on him, but he could still feel the cold.

"Uy! Hintayin mo 'ko!" Napatakip siya sa kaniyang tainga sa umaalingawngaw na hangin, tila ba may galit ito at gusto silang liparin paalis.

Huminto naman ito sa paglalakad pero hindi lumingon. Mabilis siyang sumunod pero kahit anong pilit niyang maglakad nang mabilis, pinipigilan ng makapal na yelo ang mga paa niya.

'For Dragon's sake! Makalipad na nga lang!'

He was saving his energy since he didn't have his Dragon Stone, but it left him no choice. Tinakpan niya ang tainga habang dahan-dahan din siyang umaangat. Bahagya pa siyang napangiwi dahil sa mga boses na naririnig niya.

The voices of the Conifer trees. They were laughing at him.

"Lampa."

He rolled his eyes and replied, "Shut up. Why don't you just tell me the direction?"

"Saan?"

"The mainland of Faegika."

"Ayoko nga." At muli itong humagalpak ng tawa.

Napairap muli si Lis at sumunod na kay Aster na lumilipad na rin.

He looked above. It was still dark, but there was a hint of greyish light coming out from the clouds. It was almost morning.

Hinawi niya ang nakaharang na tangkay ng Conifer tree sa kaniyang direksyon. Even though they were rude, he couldn't help himself but be fascinated by the trees.

'How tough you are despite the cold.'

He took a piece of its leaf and kept it in his pocket.

"You're taking too long," salubong agad ni Aster kaya napangiwi siya.

"Palibhasa kasi 'di ka naman nilalamig!" asik niya habang nakaturo sa sarili nitong napalilibutan ng pulang liwanag. Lis guessed he casted another spell. "At least share some with me."

Right after he said those, Aster held his shoulder. He snapped his finger on his right, and just that, the cold he felt disappear. Just like him, he was also encircled by a red light. Ah! So warm! Niyayakap siya ng init. Kumakapit pa rin ang mga niyebe sa kaniyang damit ngunit hindi na niya maramdaman pa ang ginaw.

"Thank—" Hindi niya natapos ang sasabihin nang may marinig siyang tumahol. Kahit na ang lakas ng simoy ng hangin, nagawa pa rin niyang marinig ang isang napakamatinis na boses.

Isang tuta ang nahagip niya. He gasped and didn't think twice to cancel his Aerial Spell. Nang makababa si Lis ay mabilis niyang nilapat ang palad sa ulo nito.

His heart was struck when the puppy waggled its tail. Kinarga niya ang puting tuta at doon niya lang napansin ang kulay abo nitong mga mata.

"You're so cute. Anong ginagawa ng isang kagaya mo rito?" he asked, smiling from ear to ear, as if the dog would reply.

The question was supposed to be a joke when he suddenly realized something. Napatigil siya sa paghaplos ng tuta at muli itong tinitigan. This time, he looked at it intently.

It had a thin fur, and it didn't look like a dog fit for this kind of climate. How come he found it here?

Napalunok siya.

"Aster," he muttered.

"Put it down," he heard him whispered. Naramdaman niya ang pagkaseryoso sa boses nito kaya mas dumoble ang sama ng kaniyang pakiramdam.

He glanced at Aster to ask him why, but he was dumbfounded when he found him just reading a book.

"Really, Aster?" sarkastiko niyang sabi. Susunod na dapat siya sa sasabihin nito pero mukhang ayaw lang yata nito sa aso.

"Put that down, master," ulit nito at nagulat siya dahil salubong ang kilay ng kaniyang butler.

"Anong klaseng reaksyon 'yan? I didn't know na ganito ka pala katakot sa—" Naputol ang pagsasalita niya nang mahagip ng kaniyang mga mata ang pamagat ng libro.

It was Yeyi's book. He gave it to Aster a while ago to keep it in his Invisible File.

Ngayon niya lang naintindihan.

When he heard the puppy snarled at him, he didn't bother to look at it again and put it down in a flash. Lilipad na sana siya pero may malakas na puwersa na tumama sa kaniyang likuran. Napagtanto niya na lang na tumilapon na pala siya sa salungat na direksyon kung saan siya nakatayo kanina.

He gasped when his stomach hit the trunk of a Conifer tree. He immediately apologized to the tree when the trunk cracked.

'I was careless!'

He was ready to heal the tree when he heard Aster's voice.

"Master!"

A loud howl was heard before Aster could reach his direction. His mouth hung open when he saw the giant creature howling in front of them. A huge creature in the shape of a dog made some hairs of his skin stand up. Its eyes were the deepest yet the shiniest turquoise he had seen. The disastrous, blizzard-like fur that he would never try to dive in unless he was crazy enough to do it, surrounded every part of the creature. There was rumbling heard from inside of its flesh as if it was held by dark clouds, ready to strike them. The body of the creature was the snowstorm itself.

It was showing its sharp fangs like it wanted to devour them.

Despite its looks, it had a striking resemblance to the dog he carried a while ago.

"Don't tell me, it's the puppy? The cute litte puppy?" bulalas niya.

"Yeah. And it's not a pup. According to this book, it's a Blizzardhound, a wild pet of an Ice Fae. It uses its small, soft-like appearance to deceive its prey," sagot ni Aster nang makarating sa direksyon niya.

"By prey, you mean . . ."

"Yes," Aster replied without looking at him. "We are its prey."

He cursed under his mouth when the giant dog rushed in their direction. He fled to the west while Aster fled upward. With the presence of the Conifers, he was able to hide himself, but it didn't take too long for him to regret his action.

Hindi man lang nagdalawang-isip ang Blizzardhound na apakan ang kawawang mga puno na humarang sa daanan nito.

A bulge of emotion made his eyebrows furrowed. Anger enveloped him as he saw how it mercilessly destroyed the trees—the tough Conifers!

"How could you!" He laid himself down and touch the cold ground with his bare hands. Hindi niya pinansin ang makapal na niyebe at inilublob ang sarili hanggang sa mahawakan ng kaniyang mga kamay ang lupa. Breathing slowly, he focused the energy on his palm.

One thing he hated the most was seeing his Flora mercilessly harmed by a guiltless creature.

"Now I regret calling you cute, you damn giant!" There was a beating on the ground, an impulse signaling him that his spell was ready.

"Attack Spell: Sinister Roots." A strong wind circled around him as he casted the spell. Nadala ng malakas na hangin ang mga niyebe na nakapalibot sa kanila. Bumungad sa kaniya ang lupa. Unti-unti, yumanig ang paligid. Before he could even blink, the ground cracked open, releasing roots as large as the Blizzardhound that he had grown from the leaf of the Conifer he kept a while ago.

"Now, die." He gritted his teeth as he watched the roots wrapped around the Blizzardhound's body. The giant dog struggled, trying to tear his roots, but too bad, it wouldn't be that easy to destroy.

Raising his hand, he instructed the roots' movement as if it were a puppet. Mabilis niyang pinulupot ito sa leeg ng Blizzardhound. He was ready to finish it off when he saw a blinding light above. A huge, burning purple light shaped like a blade, floated above the sky.

He smirked and waited for Aster to attack.

The whole place turned into a bright morning as his butler increased the height of his Scorching Blade.

As scorching as its name, the heat had started to sip through his skin so he distanced himself and covered himself with roots, enough not to get caught by the impact. Of course, he left some space to see that animal dead.

The light traveled fast as Aster released his spell. Like a meteor falling from the sky, it was quick and destructive followed by its grumbling sound. It went straight and the Blizzardhound couldn't let a sound as it pierced its head. Napapikit si Lis sa malakas na hanging nilikha ng spell ni Aster. Nagliparan din ang ibang niyebe kaya hindi niya makita kung ano nang nangyari sa Blizzardhound.

Nang mawala na ang puwersa, mabilis niyang inalis ang mga ugat na nakatakip sa kaniya at nagtungo sa direksyon kung saan naroroon ang Blizzardhound. Napairap pa siya pero hindi na nagulat sa nilikha nitong gulo.

Wasak ang paligid kung saan tumama ang Scorching Blade. Natunaw ang katawan ng Blizzarhound at mga mga niyebe na nakapaligid dito.

"Aster, you just created a lake," puri niya na mabilis niya ring pinagsisihan dahil nawasak din ang ibang mga Conifer.

"You better run one hundred laps later." He glared at him. If only they weren't friends, he wouldn't let this pass.

"All right, master," Aster replied, as usual, with his unbothered face.

Aalis na sana siya nang biglang kumabog nang malakas ang kaniyang puso. Isang segundo siyang hindi nakahinga at nawalan ng lakas. Buti na lang ay naalalayan siya kaagad ni Aster bago siya tuluyang bumagsak.

"Master!"

"I'm okay." Huminga siya nang malalim upang pakalmahin ang sarili. This was the after effect of using an attack spell without a Dragon Stone.

"You better restrain yourself from using extreme spells."

But attack spells were not extreme. As an S-gene, learning an attack spell was part of their basic. But since he didn't have his Dragon Stone, it seemed that he really needed to be careful.

"We need to go," he said. Tumango naman si Aster bilang sagot at inalalayan siyang makalipad. The pain was bearable that he was able to cast an Aerial Spell again. Bumabalik na rin ang lakas niya.

Palayo na sila pero mabilis ding napatigil nang marinig ang malakas na ungol. Sabay silang napatingin sa likuran. Halos lumuwa ang mga mata ni Lis nang makita ang Blizzardhound na unti-unting nabubuo at mas doble pa ang laki nito kaysa kanina.

"Damn!" he cursed. Nilingon niya si Aster na nakabusangot lang ang mukha. "Hindi ba binasa mo ang libro? Wala bang nakalagay roon na posibleng mangyari 'to?"

"I only read the description," he said with a straight face.

Napahilamos na lang si Lis. Nang makita niyang nilabas nito ang libro ay mabilis niya itong hinablot para sana magbasa. Pero bago pa niya mahanap kung saang pahina ang Blizzardhound, nagsimula nang umatake ang higanteng aso.

The dog opened its mouth. Nagulantang sila nang unti-unti, may nabubuong asul na liwanag sa bunganga nito. Palaki ito nang palaki at hindi maganda ang kutob niya rito.

A beam.

Sabay silang lumipad pataas para maiwasan ito ngunit mabilis ang aso. Nakatuon na ang bunganga nito bago pa sila makaalis. At mas malapit pa. Para lang silang mga paru-paro sa liit kung ikukumpara sa bunganga at beam na nakatuon sa kanilang harapan.

It was too late for them to avoid it.

Aster didn't have a defense spell for the Wild Dragons were all offensive. He needed to cast one himself or else it would be the end for them.

Judging by how large it was, a basic defense spell wouldn't be enough to protect them from the beam. He needed a heavier spell. Something stronger. Something . . . extreme.

"Ultimate—"

"Master, no! You can't use an extreme spell!" pigil ni Aster sa kaniya pero ngumiti lang siya.

An ultimate spell is an extreme spell that uses the most amount of the environment's energy. Without his Dragon Stone, it might ruin his body.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine. My body is tougher than you think."

For four hundred and fifty years, he had encountered different battles from his kind that made his body hard as metal. He thought that maybe using an extreme spell without his Dragon Stone for the first time would not be enough to destroy his body completely. And that idea made him want to test himself.

'How far can I go without my Dragon Stone?'

"I said, stop!"

He didn't listen and clasped both his hands. His ultimate spell was designed to protect large areas, but since it was just himself and Aster that he needed to protect, he changed the channel to his hand.

'Would I be able to live after this?'

Would he be able to live with his dream or die without reaching it on the tip of his fingers at the very least?

He grinned when his hand emitted a hot, shallow, green ball.

The Blizzardhound had released its beam. Aster tried to move them, but the beam was too big for them to dodge.

"Don't worry, my spell is complete." He tried not to panic as he released a deep breath. "Ultimate spell: Shade—"

"Gate of Freezing Death!"

Hindi niya natuloy ang spell nang may babae na biglang lumitaw sa harapan nila. Kasabay n'on ang pagluwa ng isang higanteng tarangkahan na gawa sa yelo dahilan para 'di na nila makita pa ang beam.

It was creaking. Five seconds, and the gate ran small cracks until it became massive that of trenches, shattering it later into pieces, creating a rain of shiny ice above them.

Pagtingin niya sa kaniyang unahan ay wala na ang beam. The crushed gate served as an absorber.

"You bad dog!" The girl who showed up rushed to the Blizzardhound. Hindi ito nagdalawang-isip na hawakan ang noo ng aso.

Sisigaw na sana siya upang pigilan itong lumapit ngunit nagulat na lang siya dahil hindi man lang ito sinakmal ng aso. Instead, it let her pet it.

"What . . ." he muttered.

Lumingon sa kanila ang babae at ngumiti. The very first feature that Lis had caught was her hair. It was white and as long as her height. Her entire body was only covered with a thin cloth.

Hindi ba ito nilalamig?

"Sorry, sorry! Natakot yata kayo ng alaga ko." Lumipad ito palapit sa kanila. Ngayon niya lang napansin na may mga pakpak pala ang babae. Sobrang nipis kaya hindi niya masiyadong maaninag. Idagdag pa ang snowstorm na nakaharang sa kaniyang paningin.

"Oh my!" Tumili ito. Mabilis siyang napalayo nang bigla nitong ilapit ang mukha sa kaniya. Lis couldn't read her expression for her eyes were all white–even her eye lashes were white—but her lips were smiling. "What a surprise! The twisted master from Mythria is here!"

"I am not twisted," saad niya pero hindi siya nito pinansin at inikutan siya. Pagkatapos, kay Aster naman ito nagtungo habang hindi pa rin nawawala ang ngiti sa mga labi.

"And you are the murderer of his lineage, right? Right?"

Natigilan si Lis sa sinabi nito. He was taken aback how she just said those words without even thinking. Tumalon-talon pa ito sa ere na para bang aliw na aliw sa kanila.

He looked at Aster and his expression remained the same. Blank and empty.

Bumuntong-hininga siya at pumagitna sa dalawa. Even though the blunt butler looked unbothered, he knew he was just keeping his emotions in.

"Pardon me, miss. I don't who you are, but I suggest you watch your mouth," he warned.

He didn't even know where she got the information. Bukod sa Crimson family at ang limang Backbones, wala nang nakakaalam pa sa nangyari sa lineage ni Aster.

Natahimik nang ilang saglit ang babae pero kaagad ding tumawa. "Are you mad, Lisianthus?"

"How do you know my name?"

"Secret!" sagot nito dahilan para mainis siya. "Are you not going to thank me? I just saved you two, after all!" she added and pouted.

"For Dragon's sake! Kung binantayan mo sana 'yang alaga mo, hindi sana kami niyan aatakihin." He was grateful for her a while back, but at this moment, he was pissed.

"Aw! Is this how you're gonna treat an Ice Fae?"

"A what?"

"An Ice Fae. An A-gene from Faegika and the guardian of the Blizzard Region." Napalingon si Lis sa likuran niya nang magsalita si Aster. Binabasa na naman nito ang libro.

"Teka! Nasa akin 'yan kanina, ah?"

"You let this go when you attempted to cast your ultimate spell, master," sagot pa nito bago sinara ang mga pahina.

"Sabi ko nga." Napakamot naman siya sa kaniyang ulo at binalik ang tingin sa babae na isa palang Ice Fae.

No wonder her appearance looked like she was made of snow. Except for her pale skin and lips, everything about her was all white.

She giggled and extended her hand. "I'm Zebrion."