A king is born to rule.
On the day the king was born, the sky rejoiced and spilled snow, and the earth bowed its head beneath a sacred veil. The curtain shook violently in the wind that had arrived to celebrate the king.
The One Who Walks Above Snow.
“Seohwa” was a noble word, granted only to the one destined to inherit the throne. And the king, born to walk above it, inherited power as great as the pride carried by that name.
When the king truly became a king, the people praised him and willingly bent their knees. They believed with all their hearts that this newly crowned monarch would bring an age of peace and prosperity.
So neither the king, nor his subjects, nor even the mage who had prophesied his birth could have ever imagined that “it” would appear and shake everything to the core.
“It” appeared without warning.
A massive hole formed in the sky. So dark blue it felt like it would swallow anything alive, its presence alone gave off a sinister energy that made one's skin crawl.
Even when the ministers and mages put their heads together, they couldn’t find a solution. In the end, as they hesitated and feared greater losses, the king had no choice but to act.
[We can’t just sit on our hands because we don’t know how to destroy it.]
Something had to be done. The king made a decision and said:
[I’ll go handle it myself.]
[It’s too dangerous!]
A knight who had been a close friend since childhood cried out desperately.
[Your Majesty doesn’t have to go. Let me go instead. Please, just give the order!]
[That won’t do.]
By then, a long sword was already in the king’s hand. The blue aura flowing from the blade marked it as a unique sword, forged from the king’s own power.
[But...!]
[The fine clothes I’ve worn, the best food I’ve eaten, the highest education I’ve received.]
Clank. The king, clad in armor, turned his back. His blue cape billowed violently.
[All of it was to prepare me for this moment.]
[That’s not true. You are a precious being.]
[Because I was precious, I was placed here and enjoyed these things.]
With long white hair fluttering, the king smiled faintly.
[That’s why I must take responsibility for what I’ve enjoyed. And now is the time.]
Such is the nature of the ruler’s throne. It is a position of responsibility.
When a calamity opens its jaws right above your head, a true ruler does not shove the burden onto his people or servants and hide.
The king went alone to the mountain where “it” floated. As he passed, the people spread cloth across the ground with faces half-filled with despair and hope.
The cloth ranged from fine silk to rough muslin, but only came in two colors: pure white like the king’s hair and a clear silver-blue like his eyes. These colors filled the streets.
Leaving behind that dazzling sight, the king ascended the mountain.
The cold wind brushing against his skin, the endless snowfall—all of it felt familiar. He had been born during the season of Water's Reign.
Reaching the summit, the king lifted his gaze.
Rumble... The massive hole loomed so large it didn’t fit within his field of vision, swallowing snow and wind from the sky.
He gripped the sword hilt tighter. Swallowing dryly, the king tensed his legs and leapt high into the air.
Whoosh!
As he ascended toward “it,” huge ice formations appeared around him. They became stepping stones, helping him rise even further.
Leaping again and again, the king pierced through the clouds. He raised the sword, and a sharp aura gathered along the ice-blue blade.
A sword aura only those who transcended their limits could wield ran along the edge. Empowered by it, the sword grew several times larger. Kicking off shards of frozen air, the king launched himself upward and swung his arm.
A single strike.
The horizontal slash of his sword aura cut through the center of the vast “thing.”
Rumble!!
The impact shook the sky as a deafening roar echoed through the heavens. Around the hole, cracks began to form like shattered glass.
[Is it working?]
Crk... krkrrkk...
As if responding to the king’s hope, “it” began to collapse, letting out an indescribable sound. The surrounding cracks spread wider and deeper, like a spider web.
Just as the king relaxed, thinking the attack had worked—
CRACK!
[......!]
Suddenly, “it” expanded, bloating explosively.
The king’s field of vision turned pitch black in an instant as the monstrosity loomed before him.
When the king opened his eyes, everything around him had changed completely.
Instead of a snow-covered mountain, his view was filled with green. With a dazed expression, he sat up and looked toward the sky where “it” had once been.
A bird flew swiftly across the open blue sky. There was no trace of “it” left.
[Did I... succeed?]
Harboring a sliver of hope, the king rose unsteadily and made his way down the mountain.
Though the changed landscape and snowless sky felt strange, he didn’t think much of it.
It must’ve been a side effect of destroying “it.” Snow could always be summoned ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) again with his power, so it didn’t matter.
More important was the fact that people were surely waiting for his return. With a chest full of anticipation, joy, and inexplicable unease, the king descended the mountain.
And then froze.
[W-Who is that guy?]
[Is he a Hunter?]
[No... his energy is different. That’s a monster! A monster!]
[R-Run!]
Unfamiliar faces. Incomprehensible language. Living beings running away in fear at the sight of him.
Screams rang out as the king stood stunned, thinking:
Something is very, very wrong.
[Where... am I?]
In the chaos, the king realized that just before he’d blacked out, he’d been sucked into “it.” And now, despair consumed him.
[No way... did I end up in another world?]
It was hard to believe.
He forced himself to stay focused and began assessing the situation.
The first week, he learned the language. The next month, he studied the culture. After half a year, he grasped the differences from his original world. And within a year, he wandered wherever his feet took him, accepting the reality.
Only after a full year had passed did the king finally acknowledge it.
He had fallen into this strange land through “it.” Not into another country—into an entirely different world.
[Aaah...]
Returning to the mountain where he’d first awakened, the king cried out in bitterness and loneliness, unleashing his power in a wild frenzy. A frenzy born from despair.
It was a rampage that lasted five years.
The mountain was overwhelmed by cold, buried in snow, and transformed completely.
After five years, the king had no strength left to rampage. With a hollow expression, he wandered the mountain endlessly.
Having expended so much power, he should have died. But he was too strong. He couldn’t die.
Longing for his homeland, endlessly... the king secluded himself in the mountain.
Two years passed since then.
[You are...]
A faint green light flickered—something unseen on this mountain for a long time. A young man with the same silver hair as the king widened his eyes.
[Could it be... you’re the source of the energy we detected here?]
Meeting another living being after seven years, the king was briefly startled but soon turned his back, ignoring the man.
Behind him, the man’s voice called out.
[Please wait! Can we talk for a moment—!]
The shout was swallowed by the snowstorm.
No one could have reached this far up the mountain with such heavy cold. So how did that man get here?
The king was curious but shook his head and dismissed the thought.
He was just someone he would never meet again. He’d either die wandering the mountain or descend, unable to withstand the cold.
[H-Hello.]
[...]
That assumption shattered the very next day.
From a distance, the man waved awkwardly, not approaching. He didn’t seem all that surprised upon seeing the king—it looked like he had been deliberately seeking him out.
The strange behavior continued.
Everywhere the king went, the man appeared. Though he never got close, he always greeted the king.
[Hello.]
A neat and proper greeting.
After encountering the man for over a month, the king finally felt something he hadn’t in ages—mild disbelief.
[Why doesn’t he leave the mountain?]
He asked out of sheer frustration. The man blinked like a startled rabbit and stammered.
[I... I awakened.]
[...]
[But I can’t control it like others... It’s too dangerous...]
Though flustered, the meaning was clear enough.
The king recalled what he’d seen during his travels.
He had seen many cases where those who couldn’t control their power ended up hurting their loved ones. Sometimes, they even killed them.
Awakeners emerged every day, but not every nation had the infrastructure to handle them properly. This man must have judged that he wouldn’t receive support—so he ran, taking refuge in the mountain.
[This mountain has long been overtaken by my energy. Even as an Awakened, you won’t survive the cold. If you don’t want to die, go back down.]
[If it’s the cold... I’m fine.]
The man extended his hand, and a small, pure-white crystal formed in his palm. A shard of pristine ice.
Upon seeing it, the king felt a familiar chill—pure and clean, like the winter energy he had long forgotten. It was a power reminiscent of the people of his homeland. His chest tightened painfully.
Staring at the ice shard the man had made, the king spoke with trembling lips.
[...What is your name?]
[My name is Song Jiwoon.]

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