Winter Snow Festival Celebration

"Boom!"

"Boom! Boom!"

Some time passed.

The frigid winter was abruptly shattered by deafening explosions.

The blasts echoed from within the small city, shaking the snow-laden branches until they collapsed, cascading to the ground in a flurry.

This was no attack.

It was the climax of the Winter Snow Festival's celebrations.

Fiery projectiles soared into the sky, only to be struck midair by elven archers, bursting into dazzling displays of radiant sparks—brief yet breathtaking in their brilliance, a fleeting moment of scorching beauty.

In Xu Xi's perception, the city buzzed with life. Adventurers clinked tankards in raucous toasts, while merchants hawked their wares.

"Let’s go, Servia. I need to buy some supplies in the city."

"But, Wizard Xu Xi, shouldn’t someone guard the workshop?"

"Don’t worry. I’ve set up an automatic defensive spell."

The undead girl was taken aback but obeyed without question.

With a wave of her hand, she warded off the biting wind and snow, following the reassuring figure toward the clamor of the city.

Since her transformation into an undead, Servia Clawphire had rarely witnessed such harmony.

Children played.

Adults chatted.

Vendors called out.

This nameless city was a rare sanctuary in the Wizard World—few undead lurked here, and those that did were weak. Under the protection of its First-Circle Wizard, the people could still breathe easy.

Anyone who saw the festive scene would find it heartwarming.

Servia was no exception.

Yet, as she drew closer to that warmth, her body trembled uncontrollably.

Would her cloak hide her well enough? Would people notice her unnatural state?

Were there gaps in her armor? Would they see the skeletal truth beneath?

Fear gnawed at her.

Hesitation gripped her.

The girl instinctively pulled her cloak tighter, convinced that every whisper and glance in the bustling streets was about her.

Faintly, she even thought she heard the word "monster."

"Servia."

Just as she was about to flee, a hand gently clasped hers—soft yet firm, guiding her forward.

"Servia, just stay close to me."

"...Yes, Wizard Xu Xi."

Her anxious heart steadied.

The monster who had nearly run away now stood her ground, anchored by that gentle touch.

She couldn’t afford to cause trouble for him.

With that resolve, Servia obediently followed.

[...]

[Before the New Year arrived, the city welcomed the lively Winter Snow Festival.]

[The newly trained warrior, Servia Clawphire, gazed at the celebrating city, lost in thought.]

[Was it nostalgia?]

[Or melancholy?]

[You had little personal interest in the festival, but you sensed that Servia needed this—needed to reclaim a piece of her humanity.]

[You held her hand, assuring her there was nothing to fear, that she only needed to follow your lead.]

[And so she did.]

[With you beside her, Servia’s fear faded.]

"Servia, are you feeling better now?" Xu Xi asked.

"...Yes, Wizard Xu Xi."

The warrior seemed dazed, as if she couldn’t believe she had truly stepped into the city without incident.

It felt too surreal.

Too impossible.

But Xu Xi’s presence was proof—this was real.

"Thank you," Servia murmured, squeezing his hand. "I’m much better now, Wizard Xu Xi."

"I’m sorry for troubling you again..."

The fear lingered.

Years of torment couldn’t vanish overnight.

Yet with Xu Xi beside her, Servia felt invincible.

For the first time in so long, she could look at people—really look at them.

Children’s bright faces, adults’ warm smiles—none turned hostile as she drew near.

No one stared.

No one whispered "monster."

The only one condemning her was herself.

Realizing this, and with Xu Xi’s hand in hers, Servia gradually regained the composure befitting the "Emerald of Clawphire."

"Whooosh—!"

The wind howled, and drunken adventurers swung their weapons wildly, drawing laughter and jeers from the crowd.

Above, the blood moon cast its eerie crimson glow over the snow.

Amid the revelry, fear dissolved into the festive air.

Xu Xi glanced at the girl beside him. Beneath her cloak lay a hollow shell, animated only by sheer will.

Servia was never lacking in courage.

A warrior who fought undead daily couldn’t afford cowardice.

What she truly needed was someone to walk beside her.

Testing the waters, Xu Xi loosened his grip, ready to let her walk alone.

"Snap—"

Her hand clamped down even tighter.

"Wizard Xu Xi, for your safety, please stay close to me."

"On the honor of House Clawphire, I will protect you," Servia declared, scanning the crowd with sharp vigilance, as if danger lurked everywhere.

Xu Xi glanced at his slightly reddened hand.

"Servia, could you ease up a little? I’d like to browse the stalls."

"Ah! My apologies!"

From beneath her hood, the girl stammered remorsefully, mortified at her breach of etiquette.

Smiling, Xu Xi brushed the snow from her cloak.

Torches lined the night streets, their flames licking at the cold air.

In their flickering light, Servia’s eyes gleamed—deep green gems, delicate yet unyielding.

[...]

[You and the undead girl shared the Winter Snow Festival together.]

[It was an ordinary celebration.]

[You stocked up on food, spices, and low-grade materials for the journey ahead.]

[No undead invasions.]

[No sudden calamities.]

[The festival began and ended in peace, uneventful by all accounts.]

[Yet with your help, the transformed girl stepped into the world of the living once more, blending seamlessly into the crowd.]

[You knew this would help heal her wounded spirit.]

[...]

[Winter gave way to spring. The thick snow melted, replaced by strange, ashen-gray plants.]

[The Wizard World was slowly succumbing to the necrotic touch of the Nether.]

[Gazing at the changing landscape, you prepared to resume your travels.]

[Your loyal Nether Raven descended, bearing you and Servia toward distant horizons.]