Chapter 360

Chapter 360Previous

Epilogue Chapter 360

Epilogue 1: Snowy mountains

Lil took refuge at the edge of the spring to avoid Ed, breathing in the cold air above her head and enjoying the only warm part of the snowy mountain on her body.

‘It’s magical how volcanic energy is seething beneath this thick snow field.’

Lil kicked her feet and spun in the water.

The sound of her body, leisurely slicing through the water, flickered. When she turned over and looked at the sky, the sunlight was so dazzling that she couldn’t even open her eyes.

Quickly turning again, she started swimming.

The sight she saw as soon as she reached the other edge of the spring made her gasp. Everything as far as the eye could see was breathtaking. At the bottom of the mountain was a green forest with oak trees on one side, and a snowy mountain with white snow blowing down above the ridge. She also noticed a pack of wolves moving to the opposite peak and a large white bear roaming alone. When she turned again, the large port and shipyard on the coast of Eichendorff’s estate came into view. Large and small merchant ships were neatly anchored, sailing ships with sails and rigging intact, and ships with half of their structures still visible. Beyond that lay the Monferrand Strait, where the ice was melting and turning dark blue, and icebergs were breaking into white pieces and floating away.

“...So beautiful.”

An intruder came up behind Lil and wrapped his arms around her body. He said as he bit the shell of her ear.

“There are no springs like this from the next peak.”

“Really? Is it the furthest end of the volcano’s reach?”

“...”

Ed kissed her wet nape without answering, so Lil pondered the answer on her own.

‘We’re going further north, so it’s reasonable. According to Ed, the centre of Weissland is an area of ​​compact snowy mountains. A place with ice caps even bigger than this one...’

Ed grabbed Lil’s chest underwater. As his fingers gently rubbed her, Lil let out a low moan. Ed then pressed his lips along her shoulder, causing her to mutter under her breath.

“Ah... then that’s a shame...”

Ed turned her around. Reêad latest novels at novelhall.com

Lil had to stand on her tiptoes, else she could barely hold her chin above the water. Ed didn’t have the same problem and easily lifted her into his arms. Lil’s shoulders shrank as her upper body rose above the spring’s surface. The water droplets on her skin appeared to freeze instantly. Lil shuddered in time with Ed’s warm breath grazing her skin, which was contracting from the cold. Ed lowered his head and licked along her breast, the warm moisture heated her again. His teeth, as if biting, nibbled the tip of her chest.

Lil shivered and sighed.

She then wrapped her legs around his waist and stuck close to him. Ed rested his cheek against her chest and let out another breath. Wrapping her arms around his neck as well, Lil hugged him even more firmly and completely surrendered her body to him.

Water droplets streamed down her hollow spine and her back muscles shone in the pale northern sunlight.

Grabbing her waist and lowering her, Ed gradually entered. As soon as Lil had swallowed him whole, their eye level became just right and Ed eagerly pressed their lips together, transferring their hot breaths between them. Lil gently rocked her waist while biting Ed’s lower lip. She was satisfied with the fact that she could freely move in the water. Her movements pushed the surface of the water, which slapped against Ed’s chest.

As Lil exclaimed in her breath, Ed caught her. He embraced her tightly and timed his thrusts with the movements of her hips. He knew exactly what she wanted. Lil’s fingertips trembled whenever they touched each other deeply. Ed let out a groan of defeat, and Lil grabbed his hair. Not long after, her toes curled. She hugged Ed if he was her lifeline during her contractions, burying her screams in the nape of his neck, her fingers digging into his shoulder blades.

Ed’s movements also came to an abrupt halt.

For a while, they only pressed their bodies together and exchanged hot breaths. Then, his lips lightly pressed against her forehead, sweeping past her temples, the tip of her nose, around her ears, and onto her chin.

In the meantime, Ed had stopped ahead of her and was now looking back up to see where she was.

“Edgar!”

“..?”

Ed lifted his fur hat with his gloved hand. He had also covered his face with a scarf to block the sunlight, so Lil couldn’t see his expression clearly. Either way, Lil continued to peek into the hole and shout.

“It’s a cave!”

Ed climbed back up using his poles until he reached the spot where Lil was. He then took the map out of his arms and looked at the sky to double-check their location.

“This is a cave I’ve never seen before. I guess it was revealed only recently when the snow melted.”

“Then we should go in.”

The entrance, which was initially the size of a rabbit hole, has since grown large enough for people to enter. The remains of the snow and ice that Lil had broken lay at her feet. Lil stepped forward using her poles. The air inside the cave was cold, and there was no noticeable odour of mould or moss. As they moved in deeper, the snow on the ground disappeared, thereby revealing a dark stone floor.

The pair took off their skis and placed them at an angle against the cave wall. Almost simultaneously, they removed the balsam from their pockets. Unlike the other ice caves they had explored, this one had black floors and walls. The stone walls were divided into square and pentagonal shapes, forming a distinct pattern, and the pillars connecting the floor with the ceiling had small geometric joints. Weathering, rather than ice or lime, appeared to be responsible for the formation of dark stalagmites.

“It looks exactly like a columnar joint.”

Even though Lil’s voice echoed throughout the cave, there wasn’t a single sign of a creature running away from the sound of human speech.

Ed spoke while examining a thick stone pillar.

“It’s not a man-made shape, but it’s also not something naturally forming on a snowy mountain.”

They went a little further inside. The temperature wasn’t as cold as outside the cave, but it was low enough to make the tip of Lil’s nose red. Beyond the sound of the soles of their boots crushing the gravel and sand on the floor, they could hear the sound of water from somewhere.

Drops of water trickled.

Lil muttered, flicking her balsam to the right.

“...Water?..”

After a few more steps, they arrived at a body of water directly in front of a high wall that was nearly as tall as a cliff. The high wall only contained traces of water that used to flow down from it, as if a former lake had become a puddle beneath a dried-up waterfall. Nevertheless, there was still water in the dug-out area of the ground.

Ed picked up the balsam and held it by the water.

The water was so clear that, while they couldn’t be certain of its depth, they could see straight to the bottom. Lil leaned her upper body to the side to determine the width of the spring’s bottom. However, the floor seemed too wide to be ascertained.

“This doesn’t look like a normal spring? That high wall seems to be a waterfall cliff... and it appears like the floor of this pool spreads further than the walls of this cave...”

“This is an underwater cave.”

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