Arian was a nation hidden deep within the snowbound highlands, embraced by jagged mountains and wrapped in forests frozen in eternal winter.
Even the coldest places in the world don't stay frozen forever. Once every year, for a single month, Arian thaws — a brief season of warmth, peace, and rest.
A soft summer breeze drifted through the streets of the capital, Arian Core, carrying the warmth of the sun into the crisp, cool air.
Houses lined the narrow lanes, some with small shops tucked beneath them. Old men sat on benches along the roadside while children darted about, laughing and playing.
"Looks like the summer is here," said an old man with a tired smile.
"Grandpa, Grandpa! Last year you said you'd take me to visit the Knights Academy this summer! Will you take me there now?"
A small boy in a blue sweater and beige pajamas beamed up at him, eyes bright with excitement.
"Did I now? Hmm… why don't I remember making such an important promise?" Grandpa chuckled, stroking his beard.
"Probably because you spend all your time taking care of that beard, and your brain doesn't get enough nourishment to remember anything."
A young woman with brown hair and green eyes stepped out of the bakery, spatula in hand. Her freckled face glowed under the sunlight, and her white apron fluttered lightly in the breeze.
"Come on, Sira, you know I'm too lazy to even do that," Grandpa groaned as he pushed himself up from his chair.
"Just take the boy for a walk. He's old enough to see some swords with his own eyes," Sira said with a half-smile as she went back inside.
"Fine, fine. Grab something to eat for the road, Adam — the Knights Academy is about half an hour's walk away."
"Yes!" Adam's eyes shimmered as he dashed into the bakery.
"AH! Don't forget to change your clothes!" Grandpa Tywin stood up and walked towards the counter in bakery to grab his cane.
Knights Academy, Arian Core
"The Knights Academy is a grand, grey-walled fortress in the southwest corner of Arian Core. Elegant and aged, as though each brick held a memory, a story waiting to be told." Tywin smiled and took a deep breath; a small sigh escaped his lips.
"I wonder if they remember me, it has been 3 years since I retired."
Grandpa Tywin caught his breath as he and Adam stepped onto the tall wooden drawbridge leading inside.
The drawbridge creaked beneath their boots, its chains whispering like tired sentinels.
Adam, ignoring his grandfather, ran ahead, peering down at the river that shimmered beneath the bridge.
"You know, Adam, this place isn't usually open to visitors. If I weren't a former instructor, you wouldn't even get to set foot here," Tywin said, sighing. "How about listening to this old man's lesson as a gesture of gratitude for once?"
"But they are so boring…. Fine, but only since you kept your promise..." Adam said with a solemn nod — though his eager eyes betrayed his impatience.
Tywin smiled and patted his shoulder before they crossed the bridge and entered the Academy.
"I know my lectures are boring," he said with a soft chuckle. "Not a single student ever found them entertaining. But there's one thing I want you to remember, Adam."
He knelt so he was eye-level with his grandson.
"If you ever want to make it big in this world, learn to listen — even to the dullest lessons. Knowledge, no matter how small or tedious, always leads closer to the truth."
Adam nodded quickly, "Yes Grandfather, I understand it now… Aways listen to boring lectures, they are important." He peered inside impatiently — a wooden table stood at the centre, corridors branching off on either side.
"Oh! That's the front desk!" Adam quickly ran towards it.
At the reception desk, a young woman with bright tangerine hair sat in a neat white blouse and long blue skirt. Strands of hair fell across her freckled cheeks as she looked up.
"Miss, I'm here for a tour! I want to enroll in the Academy when I turn fifteen. Can I get an enrolment scroll?" Adam asked, trying to climb onto the counter to see her face.
"Did he even hear a word I said?" Tywin muttered as he caught up.
"Oh wow, a kid. Just what I needed — as if paperwork wasn't enough already," the young woman sighed, reaching for a stack of scrolls.
"Now, now, no need to trouble the young lady," Tywin said, resting a hand on Adam's shoulder. "I know every corner of this place."
"But… a scroll's way more fun to read than your lectures," Adam whispered under his breath.
"There's no need for scrolls, miss," Tywin said kindly. "But I don't think I've seen you here before. Are you new?"
"You're Instructor Tywin, aren't you? I've heard the stories about Hypnos Tywin! I never thought I'd meet you so soon after starting my job," she said, giggling.
"Ex-instructor," Tywin corrected with a sigh. "And Hypnos Tywin? Really? Comparing me to a monster known for putting people to sleep? Kids these days…"
"They all miss you dearly," she said with a warm smile. "The nickname just keeps your memory alive. Oh! I forgot to introduce myself — I'm Penelope."
"It's nice to meet you, Penelope. This brat here is Adam. He'll be under your care in five years."
Tywin caught Adam trying to sneak away and tightened his grip on the boy's hand.
"I'd better give him a proper introduction to the Academy — and a lesson or two about our world."
"Make sure he doesn't fall asleep halfway through," Penelope teased as she returned to her chair.
Tywin led Adam through the courtyard to the right of the reception hall. Their footsteps echoed softly against the stone.
"There's no one here… where did everyone go?" Adam asked, looking around the empty grounds.
The grass swayed gently in the sunlight. In the centre stood a breathtaking tree — its crystalline trunk refracting light into thousands of shimmering colours.
Tywin smiled faintly, as if the shimmer of the trunk reflected a memory only he could see
"It's summer," Tywin said. "Though Arian is known for its brutal winters, the Academy doesn't study during the comfortable season. The students are on break, preparing for lessons that resume once the cold returns."
"So that's why this big castle feels empty?" Adam ran to Tywin's side; his gaze fixed on the radiant tree.
"Not completely empty. The instructors and staff are still around, keeping everything in order."
Tywin looked around the courtyard — corridors framed by tall stone pillars, flower beds lining the edges in perfect symmetry. The blossoms shimmered with iridescent hues.
"Wow… the flowers are so beautiful," Adam breathed.
"They're all white," Tywin said with a fond smile. "They only look colourful because of the light scattering from the Crystal Tree. King Basil Crusch — the First King — knew exactly what he was doing when he planted its seed all those years ago."
He glanced up at the glimmering trunk, eyes filled with nostalgia.
"Come on, Adam. Let's head to the library. The Academy has a wonderful demonstration hall — it tells the story of our nation's past… and of the dragons."
"I'll be right there!" Adam called back, gently brushing the petals of a flower. The colours shifted and danced with every tiny movement, scattering light like fragments of a rainbow.
The Summer breeze stirs in the courtyard, gliding from the warm Academy to a place drowned in elegance.
Aethercastle, Arian Core
At the heart of Arian Core rose the Royal Aethercastle — towering, angular, and proud, like a spear driven into the heavens. Its sharp silhouette was perpetually dusted in snow, its spires veined with ancient runes that pulsed with restrained magic. Below, the streets lay silent and pristine, lined with homes whose hearths flickered softly behind tall crystal-glass windows. Magical lanterns glowed with quiet dignity — their light steady, never gaudy.
Crown Prince's Chambers
The king-sized bed stood against the eastern wall, its posts rising into pillars draped with frost-silk curtains.
A painting of a young boy with silver hair and aqueous-blue eyes rested on a dark cedar desk beside the bed. Above, a chandelier carved from crystal wood hung elegantly, etched with the forms of frost dragons. The wallpaper shimmered faintly, patterned with the same creatures in flight.
Knock, knock.
"Your Royal Grace, it's time for your afternoon tea. May I come in?" came a young feminine voice from beyond the double doors.
"Come in."
"Please excuse me."
The door opened softly as a girl with dark blonde hair and brown eyes entered, pushing a trolley.
A young man with silver hair and blue eyes lay on the bed, wrapped in a fur blanket and clutching a pillow lazily.
"Leave my tea on the desk, next to the painting," he murmured, nestling deeper into the pillow.
Blushing faintly, the maid began to prepare the tea — adding leaves, pouring hot water and milk, and straining it with careful hands.
Don't look directly at him... don't look directly at him... she repeated silently, her cheeks warming further.
As she picked up the teacup and approached the desk, her foot caught on her skirt. She stumbled.
"Ah!" she cried as she fell. The cup shattered, and hot tea splashed across her hands. "Ugh!"
"You're hurt—hold still…."
The prince threw aside his blanket and knelt beside her, using it to wipe away the tea.
"I… I'm sorry, Your Royal Hi—AAH!" she gasped again as shards of porcelain pierced her leg, drawing blood.
"Don't move."
The prince gently lifted her into a chair and began picking out the shards, his touch calm but precise.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered again, her gaze meeting his for the briefest moment. Her blush deepened.
"It's alright," he said softly, finishing his task. "Go rest. Don't worry about the cleanup — someone else will handle it."
The prince returned to his bed, reclining against the pillows.
"I'm really sorry," the maid repeated, limping toward the door. "I'll send someone to clean up right away…"
Closing the door behind her, she walked down the corridor toward the maid's quarters, her heart fluttering.
"Crown Prince Orion is so wonderful…" she whispered, pressing a hand to her chest.
"Not to mention… he's really pretty…"