The snowstorm roared across the Kingdom of Edelweiss like a living beast.
Cold winds swept through the mountain valleys, carrying white snow across the skies while the royal banners fluttered violently atop the palace towers. Winter in Edelweiss was never gentle. It was harsh, powerful, and relentless.
Yet within the heart of that frozen kingdom lived someone whose spirit burned brighter than any storm.
Prince Ryker Flynn Ethyria.
The Third Prince of Edelweiss.
A young man whose overwhelming enthusiasm could rival even the fiercest blizzard.
Among the six royal siblings, Ryker was often considered the loudest, most energetic, and most physically active member of the family. Wherever he went, the palace seemed to grow noisier, livelier, and somehow warmer.
The servants could always hear him before seeing him.
Sometimes he was laughing loudly.
Sometimes training.
Sometimes shouting motivational speeches to himself while carrying absurdly heavy equipment through the royal courtyard.
And sometimes
Unfortunately for everyone nearby
he was causing trouble alongside Princess Elara.
Prince Ryker Flynn Ethyria was born on February 1st, 1120, during the great blizzard season of Edelweiss.
According to the ancient traditions of the Cold Island, children born during powerful storms inherited what the kingdom called the Blood of Storms.
A bloodline associated with immense strength, boundless determination, fearless energy, and the will to overcome obstacles no matter how impossible they appeared.
From the moment Ryker was born, the palace maids already knew he would become extraordinary.
Unlike most newborns who cried softly, Ryker screamed loudly enough to wake nearly half the royal residence.
"He's healthy," the royal physician nervously said.
"He sounds like a war trumpet," one servant whispered in fear.
As Ryker grew older, his endless energy became impossible to contain.
While Prince Elian quietly studied books and Prince Kael calmly trained his swordsmanship, Ryker preferred activities that challenged the body directly.
Running.
Climbing.
Horse riding.
Weight training.
Combat endurance.
Anything requiring strength or stamina fascinated him immediately.
Even as a child, Ryker rarely stayed still for long.
One morning, Queen Alysandra discovered him dragging training equipment across the royal gardens at sunrise.
"Ryker," she asked carefully, "why are you carrying those?"
"I'm training."
"You're six."
"I need stronger muscles."
The queen sighed deeply while nearby servants struggled not to laugh.
Despite his overwhelming enthusiasm, Ryker possessed an incredibly cheerful personality.
He resembled his mother and Princess Elara in many ways warm-hearted, expressive, energetic, and emotionally open.
However, unlike Elara and Kael, Ryker lacked true mischievous cunning.
He enjoyed jokes and harmless pranks, but he was terrible at hiding them.
Whenever he attempted something sneaky, his excitement usually exposed him immediately.
One of his favorite hobbies was horse riding.
The moment he learned how to ride properly, he became obsessed with it.
He loved racing through snowy fields at dangerous speeds while cold winds struck his face.
To Ryker, horseback riding felt freeing.
Alive.
Wild.
"Faster!" he shouted happily while royal guards desperately chased after him.
"Your Highness, please slow down!"
"No!"
"Please!"
"Still no!"
Even King Ethan sometimes struggled to control his third son's boundless energy.
Yet despite his hyperactive nature, Ryker possessed remarkable discipline whenever training seriously.
His greatest inspiration was General Gladius.
The legendary gladiator.
One of Edelweiss' strongest military generals.
A warrior feared across the continent for his overwhelming physical power and brutal endurance.
Most people felt intimidated standing near Gladius.
Ryker admired him completely.
From a young age, Ryker trained under Gladius within the royal military academy.
Unlike ordinary students who feared endurance exercises, Ryker embraced them enthusiastically.
Long-distance running.
Heavy lifting.
Cold-resistance training.
Weapon conditioning.
Survival drills.
Ryker attacked every challenge with terrifying determination.
Sometimes even Gladius himself looked exhausted after training sessions.
Ryker somehow still smiled afterward.
"What motivates you?" one academy instructor once asked in disbelief.
Ryker grinned brightly.
"I don't know. I just really like getting stronger."
That simple answer perfectly described him.
His motivation came naturally from within.
No matter how painful the training became, Ryker refused to surrender.
No matter how many times he collapsed from exhaustion, he stood back up again.
And because of that spirit, he eventually became famous throughout the academy.
Students began calling him
"The Human Blizzard."
Not because he was cold.
But because once Ryker started moving forward, nothing could stop him.
On his free days, Ryker often trained directly alongside Gladius himself.
Their sessions were terrifying to witness.
For hours upon hours, the two men pushed their bodies beyond ordinary human limits.
Twelve hours of nonstop training was considered normal.
Even veteran knights struggled to survive a single session with them.
Meanwhile, Ryker somehow treated it like entertainment.
"You call this exhausting?" he laughed while lifting massive training weights.
The soldiers nearby nearly cried from emotional damage.
Despite his obsession with physical training, Ryker also possessed artistic interests.
One of his secret hobbies was painting.
Unlike formal royal artists who focused on perfection, Ryker painted freely according to emotion.
Snow-covered forests.
Mountain landscapes.
Horses running across fields.
His siblings laughing together.
Sometimes strange abstract paintings nobody understood.
Queen Alysandra once encouraged him to enroll within the Royal Arts and Culture Academy.
To her surprise, Ryker politely declined.
"I like art," he explained, "but I don't want rules attached to it."
"You prefer learning independently?"
Ryker nodded.
"I paint because it's fun."
That answer made the queen smile warmly.
Ryker always followed his heart honestly.
Even in adulthood, his personality remained refreshingly straightforward.
At the age of twenty, General Gladius offered him an important role.
Head Trainer of the Kingdom's Military Forces.
Most people would have accepted immediately out of pride or ambition.
Ryker did neither.
Instead, he smiled calmly before answering:
"Give me the right time to accept your offer, Uncle Gladius."
The general stared at him silently for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"A wise answer."
Although Ryker appeared carefree, moments like these revealed unexpected maturity hidden beneath his energetic nature.
Still…
That maturity often disappeared during his ridiculous pranks.
Especially toward his poor bodyguards.
One afternoon, Ryker carried a massive fifty-kilogram training device across the palace courtyard using one arm.
The royal guards stared at him in horror.
"Your Highness… please let us help."
Ryker pretended to look confused.
"Hm? This?"
He casually lifted the equipment higher.
"It's light."
The guards nearly collapsed emotionally.
Then, during a water break, Ryker suddenly handed the equipment toward one bodyguard without warning.
"Hold this for a second."
The unfortunate guard immediately fell backward under the massive weight.
Meanwhile Ryker innocently drank water nearby.
"Wow," he said dramatically. "You need more training."
The guard looked ready to resign from life itself.
Even Princess Elara admired Ryker's ridiculous strength.
And honestly
His physical power truly bordered on monstrous.
There were stories within the military academy claiming Ryker once shattered thick bamboo with a single punch.
Others claimed he cracked part of a tree trunk during training.
Many assumed the stories were exaggerated.
Until they witnessed him training personally.
One punch from Ryker carried terrifying force.
Gladius himself once admitted:
"If Prince Ryker fully masters his strength… few warriors on this continent could match him physically."
Despite his overwhelming power, Ryker maintained healthy habits surprisingly well.
He loved fresh vegetables, fruits, nutritious meals, and balanced diets.
While some nobles indulged excessively in luxurious food, Ryker preferred simple healthy meals supporting his training.
"Strength starts with food," he often said confidently.
Princess Elara once stared at his meal in horror.
"Where's the dessert?"
"This is better."
"You're terrifying."
Yet perhaps the most underestimated aspect of Prince Ryker was not his strength.
It was his intelligence.
Because beneath the energetic personality and constant enthusiasm hid a surprisingly sharp mind.
Although Prince Elian remained superior intellectually, Ryker himself was highly intelligent in his own way.
However, unlike Elian's philosophical thinking, Ryker preferred practical and unconventional logic.
Sometimes he intentionally teased Elian using absurd questions just to observe his reactions.
One night, Prince Elian sat half-asleep within the royal library after studying endlessly for hours.
Ryker suddenly entered the room smiling mischievously.
"Brother Elian."
Elian barely looked up.
"What?"
"Our life comes from Mother… and Father helped."
Elian blinked slowly.
"Yes. Biologically speaking, that is correct."
"But what truly defines existence?"
Elian froze.
Ryker continued confidently.
"If life begins from bloodlines… then does identity belong to us or to those before us?"
Silence.
Elian slowly lowered his book.
"…What?"
Ryker grinned brightly.
"If people inherit thoughts from parents… are our choices really our own?"
Prince Elian stared at him with growing confusion.
Meanwhile, Ryker casually walked away.
"Goodnight!"
That night, Elian failed to sleep entirely because his mind kept analyzing Ryker's bizarre philosophical question.
The next morning, Elian looked exhausted.
Ryker laughed for nearly ten minutes.
That was simply who Prince Ryker Flynn Ethyria was.
A storm filled with endless enthusiasm.
A warrior possessing overwhelming physical strength.
A cheerful soul capable of lifting others emotionally.
A prince whose laughter warmed the cold kingdom of Edelweiss.
And beneath the blizzards of the southern island, Ryker continued charging forward through life exactly as the Blood of Storms intended—
Fearlessly.
Passionately.
And with unstoppable determination burning within his heart.