33 Protoss

"What do you want me to do?" Lin Huang asked after seeing the desperation in the Yeti’s eyes.

It would not be an exaggeration to think that a Yeti with that body size could kill him with just the touch of a finger.

"Follow me."

The Yeti extended his arm. A gush of wind pushed Lin Huang forward and he fell into the Yeti’s palm. After Lin Huang was able to find his balance, the Yeti led Lin Huang to the inner part of the valley.

There seemed to be an invisible protective layer surrounding the Yeti’s as any snow that touched its skin would automatically disappear. Lin Huang realized that this world was indeed mysterious.

The snow valley had a windy path.

The Yeti spoke stories about his past while they walked.

"I could still clearly remember 700 years ago, I met a beautiful lady on a snowy day. I became her favorite monster. I was a Snowball Monster that knew nothing and had a muddled memory. I could only remember that she was a very gentle lady and she treated me well…"

"Since I’ve become a mutated Snowball Monster, I slowly regained my memory. At that moment, I knew that she was not human but a monster like me. She was powerful to the point where she could not be identified by human knowledge and experience. She yearned to live as a human. Therefore, she tried to live amongst the humans in their world for a long time. One day, she told me that she fell in love with a man… I could still remember how happy she was and from that day onwards, she barely visited me…"

"However, one day when she returned, she was covered with blood stains all over her body. She confided in me. She told me that the human, her lover had discovered her identity. They fell out of love and he betrayed her. He led a group of hunters to kill her but because she was powerful, she killed them all in anger except for that man."

"Ever since then, she stayed in the valley and never left. Sometimes, she would carve the man’s face on the ice. There were big and small ice sculptures with different facial expressions. She oftentimes stared blankly at them the whole day, reminiscing everything. She had also carved sculptures that gave her happy thoughts and had placed her favorite ice sculptures beside the lakes while she danced by the lake. It made her happy as she recalled that the man loved to see her dance…"

"Soon after, the man arrived at the valley, alone. She thought that the man had returned to look for her. As the man entered, he told her, "I know who you are. You’re the most precious protoss in the monster world. That was why you had a perfect human figure. Each protoss has a divine fire in their body. Now, if you truly love me, give it to me."

"..and do you know what her response was?" The Yeti asked.

Lin Huang shook his head. It was either a love story with either a happy or tragic ending.

She said, "I will give it to you for I am not trying to prove anything."

"She tore her body apart and crumbled her own heart. She took the ice-blue ember out from within and threw it to the ground in front of the man’s feet. He did not even bother to look at her or thank her. He instantly picked it up and left. He knew that without the ember of divinity, she was bound to die soon."

"Her body got weaker by each passing day. In less than a month, she could not get out of bed. After she died, she was buried in front of a small house by the lake. Her death caused the entire valley to turn into frozen, snow-covered land. If the love of her life dripped his or her blood onto the lake, the ice and snow covering the valley would melt and she would come back to life."

"She sank to the bottom of the lake. Her blood spread throughout the lake and entered my body. I mutated for the second time and I became a Yeti ever since. After the mutation was complete, I regained my consciousness and saw that the whole valley had turned into this..."

Lin Huang saw a small house covered in snow at the end of the valley.

"So you wanted to use my blood to see if I could bring her back to life?" Lin Huang finally guessed the reason he was brought there.

"Yes, you’re right."

"Why did you choose me?" Lin Huang hesitated.

"It’s because you have a good character. Not many people make it past the ice walls. You are the third person in seven hundred years." The Yeti answered.

"How much of my blood do you need?"

"One drop would suffice." The Yeti said before adding, "Once the process is complete, I will let you go and if your blood is able to break the curse, I’ll erase your memories of ever meeting me."

"Let’s begin." Lin Huang was certain that probability of success was almost zero.

"Thank you." The Yeti thanked him and led him toward the direction of the ice lake.

Once at the lake, the Yeti stretched out his hand and Lin Huang stood onto it. The Yeti then placed him in the middle of the lake.

Lin Huang took out a pocket knife and made a slight cut on his left index finger and a drop of blood oozed out.

Nothing happened after the drop of blood fell into the lake. He then looked up at the Yeti and gave an apologetic head shake, "I’m sorry, I’m not the man of destiny that you’re looking for…"

Soon, the Yeti looked worried. There was a cracking sound beneath his feet and within a split second, the ice layer began to crack.

It immediately took Lin Huang into its palm and retreated a few steps backward.

The speed at which the ice cracked became faster. The ice began to melt and within a minute or so, the lake returned to its initial state with blue water from left to right.

Soon, the snow covering the whole valley subsided and the thick clouds dispersed themselves, revealing the crescent moons that had not appeared for a long time. There were plants and flowers that began to grow!

The snowy white world now turned into the rich greenery.

"Was my blood so nutritious?" Lin Huang sucked his wounded finger.

In less than 10 minutes, the glacier valley regained its liveliness. The plants were flourishing and the scent of flowers was breathtaking.

After observing the valley, Lin Huang noticed a crystal clear coffin floating to the surface of the lake from the bottom. Once it was at the surface, the coffin began to melt and a beautiful lady in a white dress emerged.

Her face was still as if she was sleeping on the surface of the water. Slowly, her eyes opened and she slowly stood up on the lake.

From afar, she saw Lin Huang and the Yeti. She smiled and walked towards them, her eyes assuring and her lips smiling.