Snow Witch'S Journey
Ice Country

Out of the forest, treading the deep snow ground.

My body is now more fresh and comfortable when wearing my full clothes back. Turn my hat and my robe that is now bathing in snow and cold air. The outside world still looked the same as before. But, my heart was happier now as if all the saturation and tiredness were rinsed by the cold pool water.

“He's the first witch you met, don't you feel happy?” ask the compass from inside my sling bag.

“Ya, you could say happy, anyway. But, I feel something is not right from his gaze.”

I had a little trouble lifting my feet in the deep snow. I made my skirt so it wouldn't get dirty anymore. In this wild, there was no one to clear the snow, so it was only natural that the snow was already this high, it could even be more in other places.

“Why?”

“The magician cannot just appear and leave like the wind. Moreover, in a remote forest, it is impossible by chance that he found me, right?”

“Maybe. What if he turns out to be a good guy? You can make friends with him and take him soaking together.”

It does not feel like the snow is getting thicker. I was getting drowned into the snow that was already as high as my calf. The snow was like holding my feet back from going any further. I kept putting in a lot of energy just to make one step forward. While the journey is long. I don't even know if the snow has swallowed me completely before I get to the next country.

I groaned while pulling my feet out of the snow, then replied, “No way. He was wearing thick clothes, it meant that he would not be strong in the cold of the ice pool. It also means he's not from here. Just imagine, what do strangers do in a place full of thick snow like this?” then I repeat my heavy steps.

“Maybe he wanders just like you.”

I forgot to feel tired, I spontaneously chuckled at Aeron's reply.

Even though the snow had now reached my knees and my skirt was raised as high as possible, I still continued this heavy journey. I kept repeating: lifting my left leg, bending forward, pulling my right leg forward, then lifting my left leg again, just like that until it came out of the snow or reached another village. My struggle was not in vain because far in front of my eyes, there was a sparkling amount of light behind the thick snow fog. Looking at the large amount of light and looking warm, I immediately felt relieved and stopped to replenish the breath in my lungs.

The lights at the end of the road were like stars in the sky. The difference is I can get there and touch that light. Just a little more, my mind was encouraging myself. There was a huge light at the very top than the other rows of light, there was a smaller light and there was a dimmer one like losing his soul. One of the lights even flashes and instantly grows larger than the light at the top. The light was even now the size of an apple in my hand, and it continued to grow and continue to grow over time like a living thing.

I kept watching that light. The longer the light seemed to be even bigger than I thought. It was big and real as if it were in front of my eyes. I just realized that it's not light. It was a giant fireball that was pointing at me. Moving straight at me like a meteor attracted by gravity. The fire eroded the falling snow and melted the thick snow it passed through, opening up a flat road.

The closer I get, the more heat I can feel that beats cold air. Even the eternal falling ice and snow could not stop it. The fireball filled his reflection in my eyes now. It was like I was looking closely at a sun.

I who did not want to die immediately swung my hand, calling my magic wand in empty air. I took a deep breath for a short time, then I refined my magic energy. Gradually it was like a stream of water descending from my arm and seeping into a magic wand. Then, my left hand that was holding the magic wand made a movement to the right. When the fireball was very close, I immediately brushed it off with my magic wand. The clash of powerful energies unleashed a gust of strong wind that waved my hat, hair and skirt. In one stalk, the fireball bounced far to my side, to the north where there was vast sea water there. That way, the fireball will sink to the bottom of the sea and become a harmless cold ball.

“What happened?” peekik Aeron panicked.

Aeron who was inside my bag could not see anything, but he could still hear the sound of the impact and splashes of an incredible giant object far away in the middle of the sea there.

“Who dares attack me?” ask me with a serious tone. I don't know anyone who intends to hurt me, but there is clearly one wisdom that I can get behind it. In front of me now, the heavy snow that had previously blocked my path had already vanished from being crossed by the hot fireball. It was as if the fireball was not intended to attack me but to make me a smooth and comfortable path. Regardless of the cause, I smiled happily because I could continue the journey without any more distress.

***

A high wall of gray stone passed in front of me encircling the houses of the inhabitants inside. I approached two guards standing at the entrance. The two guards wore gleaming equipment such as chest armor and spears. One of the guards stopped me. “Please show your identity before entering.”

I handed her my letters. As long as he was busy examining it carefully, I threw in a question, “Sorry, I want to ask you something. Did you guys see that giant fireball?”

The guard holding my letter threw his gaze at his guard friend, his friend only responded by shrugging his shoulders. “Sorry, miss, we don't see any giant fireballs like what the lady called. We have only seen the lady who walked here.”

“Hmm, that's weird ..”.

“What's the problem, miss?” He realized my anxiety.

“Ah, no.”

After passing through the gate, my eyes were immediately fixed on the ice structure that became a striking sight of this place.

Basically, this is a country with buildings that are not much different from other countries. It's just the chunks of ice that make this country different.

Ice Country. That's how people call it. Not because it lived in a cold and ice-filled place, but because there was indeed a large chunk of ice and soared into the sky with its pointed tip like a giant ice thorn. These ice formations are so large and numerous. People who just entered will be immediately greeted and see the ice-ice that ends cross each other.

The ice grows along with the homes of the residents. There are on each side of the house, separating the houses of the neighbors, and some are pointing outwards. Some houses even built under the ice so that the ice looked like part of the house itself. There is a small ice that is the size of a human being used as a decorative hanger or a playground for children. The largest one was left untouched, so it was preserved as a majestic object equivalent to a symbolic statue or Silver Tree in the Painter City.

I don't know for sure what makes up this ice so it grows so big. Is it because of nature itself or is it the hand of man? However, its irregular formation was enough to make it look natural.

I took the compass out of my bag and let him see what I saw. “You know what I was thinking when I saw these ice spikes?”

“What?”

“Giant dragon back.”

“So, you mean this country and we are now on the back of a giant dragon?”

“Maybe. The dragon's back, right, was filled with taper thorns. Just like this ice-es.”

It's up to him to say what, but I have to find an inn before it gets any night.

On the street in front of me, my eyes accidentally followed a woman who was walking towards a building five blocks from my place. When I looked carefully, there was a sign bearing the inn on the door. Without waiting any longer, I immediately headed there and booked a room for me to stay. Without thinking too much, I immediately lay comfortably on my mattress and warm blanket.

A fresh morning in the new country. Although the count is still one Frozen End Line region, but the feeling I get is completely different. The cold air and the color painted in the sky and in the houses of ceramic roof felt very different. Even the people I meet are getting different, the more personal and motivational their lives become. All of it gathered to me into something I breathed deeply and gave the poison of happiness to my unbearable heart. Then, when I released it back into the atmosphere of the city, it became a happy smile.

I stood in front of the inn, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the citizens milling about in the streets. The morning mist was thinning, the increasingly visible giant ice thorns stood side by side between the buildings. Its glittering ice reflects the color blue, one of the colors of light it cannot scatter so it shimmers just like the color of the ocean.

Morning at the End of the Frozen Line, is not a bright morning and full of bright colors. The morning here was filled with a gray tinge with the same colored clouds blocking and filtering out the light of the sun. You could say sad morning. However, residents of this area treat the morning as well as the morning in other areas with vigorous activity.

The ice spines look very large behind a dense row of triangular roofed houses. No matter how many times I looked at it, this scene was still amazing. Imagine, a large and pointed ice rock formation can seem to get along with the building of the house, and it just adds to the attraction of this place in the eyes of travelers like me.

“Love, right?” A hoarse voice suddenly caught the ear from behind me. “Nona is not a citizen here, right? I've never seen a miss before.”

“Ya, I was wandering.” I smiled gently as I saw an elderly man approaching me.

He was now standing next to me looking up at the tip of the ice thorn. “Young girls like you have been wandering. Great too,” compliments. His opened eyes were weak just like his back so he had to bend down a little like a fallen plant. “Does miss like this country?”

I nodded without needing to put it in words.

“Good if miss likes. This ice-ice is the attraction of this country. Many visitors like the lady who came just because they wanted to see the ice. They were willing to reach the northern end and break through the blizzard just for the sake of seeing a huge chunk of ice. For us, the citizens, it's a pride.”

His wrinkled face softened just like his smile. I can see he is very proud of his own words.

“Alright, I don't want to interrupt miss any longer. Please go around as much. Oh, don't forget to visit the ice on the beach. Ice Tower will look prettier when there is still light.”

“Thank you. I can't wait to see it.” I let the grandfather go and saw his fragile back gradually vanish from my sight.

Tomorrow morning is my time to leave this country and continue my journey. So, I decided to directly visit the place that grandfather had suggested. Mumpung is still morning and still brighter than in the afternoon. There is no harm in taking time.