Valoon — Guest Room

  Isaac was still awake. Leaning against the balcony rail, staring at the sunrise. The horizon burned soft gold… and his head kept running anyway.

  He exhaled, took another swallow from his canteen, then pushed off the railing and headed back inside.

  “Another day,” he muttered.

  In the bedroom, Yu stretched awake like a lazy cat—arms over her head, hair a mess, eyes half-lidded. Isaac paused without meaning to. Just stood there for a second, watching her… and a small smile slipped out.

  Yu noticed. Her tired eyes warmed a little.

  “Isaac…”

  “Morning,” he said, forcing his voice light. “Come on. We’ve got things to do today.”

  “Isaac… wait.”

  He stopped. Looked back.

  “What?”

  Yu opened her arms while still lying there, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

  “Come here.”

  “Yu, not now. We don’t have time.”

  Her expression didn’t change—just her tone. Quiet. Firm.

  “Come here. Now.”

  Isaac stared at her for a beat, jaw tight like he wanted to argue… then he sighed and walked over. He lay down beside her.

  Yu didn’t waste a second. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, fingers sliding into his hair, slow and careful—like she was trying to hold him together without saying it.

  “What’s eating you?” she asked softly.

  Isaac’s eyes stayed open. He breathed in, breathed out. His mouth parted like he was going to answer… then nothing came.

  Yu shifted, worry creeping in.

  “You need rest,” she said, more serious now. “You’ve been running your body like it’s made of steel.”

  “I’ll rest when the ti—”

  “Stop.”

  Yu caught his face in her hand and turned him toward her. No smile now. Just her eyes, sharp and focused on his.

  “Enough. I’m getting worried about you,” she said. “For real. Listen to me.”

  Isaac held her gaze. The tension in his shoulders eased—just a little. He gave her a small smile that looked like effort.

  “I’m fine,” he said. “I am. And… I promise I’ll rest more today.”

  Yu didn’t let go.

  “You promise?”

  “Yes.”

  Only then did she relax. She pulled him into her again, pressing her cheek to his chest. Isaac wrapped his arms around her, and for a few seconds the room went quiet—Just breathing.

  Yu sighed, smiling against him. Then she whispered so low it barely existed.

  “I love you, Isaac.”

  Isaac’s arms tightened around her by instinct—then he froze.

  His eyes opened wide. He leaned back just enough to see her face.

  Yu was looking at him like she’d already decided to be brave and was terrified of it at the same time.

  For a heartbeat, neither of them spoke.

  Then Yu’s ears went red. She sat up too fast, like she could outrun her own words. She swung her legs off the bed, head down, refusing to look at him.

  “—I’m going to get ready,” she mumbled, voice small.

  Her hair fell forward, hiding most of her eyes… but not the little smile she couldn’t fully kill.

  Isaac stayed there, stunned, watching her move around the room like nothing happened—except everything did.

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  (Some time later)

  Isaac and Yu left the castle together.

  From the courtyard steps, Yamato and Sasaki were still there—standing side by side, watching them go. Sasaki lifted her hand first, a calm little wave. Yamato followed, slower, like he was sending Isaac off to war instead of a visit.

  Isaac raised his hand back. Yu did too—quick, polite, but her eyes didn’t linger.

  Then they were airborne.

  Cold air snapped against Isaac’s face the moment his feet left the ground. Yu rose beside him, wings unfurling with a smooth, confident beat. She matched his pace without effort, cape fluttering behind her like a dark banner.

  For a few seconds, neither of them spoke. Only wind and altitude.

  Yu glanced at him. “So where are we going?”

  “To see Queen Yuno.”

  Yu blinked. “Yuno? Why?”

  “Yamato said it was important,” Isaac replied, eyes forward. “So we’re going.”

  Yu’s gaze narrowed like she was already trying to guess what kind of “important” this was. “Since when does he ask for help without telling you why?”

  Isaac let out a short breath that almost sounded like a laugh. “Since now.”

  Yu watched him for a moment, then looked ahead too. “Alright. But if this turns into some royal test, I’m blaming you.”

  Isaac’s mouth curved faintly. “Deal.”

  Yu shifted closer, shoulder-to-shoulder in the sky, and angled her wings.

  “Hold speed,” she said.

  “I was about to.”

  “Sure you were.”

  Isaac pushed harder.

  Their flight sharpened instantly—wind turning louder, colder, cleaner. The world beneath them stretched out into pale mountains and long shadows, the air thinning as the temperature dropped with every minute.

  Ahead, the clouds looked heavier. The horizon lost its warmth.

  And the frozen lands of Yuno waited.

  Valoon - Frozen Lands - Yuno’s Palace

  Isaac and Yu landed.

  The cold hit first—sharp, dry, biting through cloth like it had teeth. The palace itself looked carved out of winter: pale ice walls, dark crystal veins, floor so smooth it reflected their boots like a mirror.

  They stepped inside.

  A servant straightened fast and bowed deep, breath fogging in the air.

  Servant: My lord… my lady… Queen Yuno is expecting you. Please, follow me.

  Isaac nodded once. Yu didn’t speak—just kept her eyes moving.

  They walked.

  Isaac’s gaze tracked everything without trying to look like he was tracking it: the guards posted too still, the quiet that felt trained, the faint crackle of frost magic in the corners like a soft electrical hum.

  Yu slipped into his arm, threading herself close and pulling his cape around her shoulders like it was the only warm thing in the building.

  Yu: You should’ve brought proper clothes.

  Isaac glanced at her, faintly amused.

  Isaac: You’re the one with wings.

  Yu: Wings don’t stop cold. They just make you look dramatic while freezing.

  Isaac gave a small exhale through his nose and kept walking.

  The servant led them through a wide corridor where the air got colder instead of warmer—like they were walking deeper into a glacier.

  Ahead, voices.

  They reached a hall.

  Yuno stood near a raised platform, speaking quietly with two servants. She wasn’t loud. She didn’t need to be. The room already listened to her.

  Her eyes shifted.

  She noticed them instantly.

  Yuno: Ah. King Isaac… and Yu. Welcome.

  The servants dropped to their knees immediately and backed away, heads lowered, steps careful so their boots wouldn’t scrape too loud.

  The door closed.

  Now it was just the three of them—and the cold.

  Isaac: Queen Yuno.

  Yuno’s smile was polite, but her gaze stayed sharp, like she was reading him the way you read a letter for hidden meaning.

  Yuno: I know you’re busy, Isaac. I won’t take much of your time.

  Yu didn’t relax. She leaned a little more into Isaac’s side, eyes on Yuno’s hands.

  Yuno’s tone stayed calm.

  Yuno: But I need your help.

  Isaac frowned slightly.

  Isaac: About what?

  Yuno didn’t answer right away. Instead, she turned and started walking—slow enough that it felt like an invitation, not an order.

  Yuno: Come. Walk with me.

  Isaac hesitated for half a second—then followed.

  Yu came with him, still linked to his arm, cape tight around her shoulders, watching every step like the ice itself might decide to bite back.

  New World — Gray Forest — Ruins of the Laboratory

  Night swallowed the wreckage.

  Torches and weak spell-lights dotted the rubble like fireflies, moving as workers hauled stones aside, piece by piece. Every scrape of rock against rock sounded louder in the open dark.

  Yae sat on a broken slab of metal, elbows on her knees, hat low, eyes fixed on the digging like she could force the ground to give up answers. She looked exhausted. Not weak—just worn down. Her jaw stayed tight anyway.

  A councillor approached carefully and knelt at a respectful distance.

  Councillor: My queen… is it right to keep this search going? They haven’t stopped. Not once.

  Yae didn’t answer at first.

  Her fingers flexed once.

  The air around the councillor suddenly tightened—an invisible pressure that crushed the breath out of them. Their shoulders jerked. Their knees dug deeper into the dirt as if the ground got heavier.

  Councillor: (gasping) My—queen—

  Yae’s voice came out quiet. Worse than shouting.

  Yae: I don’t care how long it takes. I don’t care how much it costs.

  She stood, slow and controlled, the pressure increasing just enough to make the councillor shake.

  Yae: I want that portal. Do you understand?

  Councillor: (struggling) Yes… my queen… yes—

  Yae released them with a flick of her hand. The councillor sucked in air like they’d been underwater.

  A worker came sprinting over the rubble, nearly slipping as they climbed.

  Worker: My queen—! My queen!

  Yae turned sharply.

  Worker: We found something!

  Yae moved fast—too fast for someone who’d been sitting like a statue a second ago. She followed the worker through the narrow path the diggers had cleared.

  People dropped to their knees as she passed. Not because they loved her. Because they didn’t want to be in the way.

  At the edge of a newly opened pocket beneath collapsed stone, two workers held an object wrapped in dirty cloth.

  They offered it up with both hands, heads bowed.

  Yae’s eyes narrowed.

  She reached out, pulled the cloth away—

  A faint glow breathed under the grime.

  The amulet.

  For a second, her expression cracked. Surprise. Relief. Something sharp that looked almost like hope, and that made it worse.

  She took it carefully, like it might bite.

  The glow pulsed once against her palm, weak but real.

  Yae stared at it, then let out a small breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

  A smile finally showed—thin, dangerous.

  Yae: …Maybe this will work.